Namibia or Botswana?
The practical differences, drawn from our own write-ups rather than from a brochure. We are not going to tell you which is better - they are different trips. What follows is what actually changes between them.
Places written up here 20 10
UNESCO listings among them 1 2
Cost level Mid-range High
Busiest month in our write-ups May May
Currency Namibian dollar (NAD) Pula (BWP)
Plugs and voltage D, M - 220 V D, G, M - 230 V
Everyday languages English English, Setswana
Driving side left hand side left hand side
Region Southern Africa Southern Africa
Capital Windhoek Gaborone
Namibia
Reserved but courteous; greetings matter, distances are vast, and everything runs on unhurried order.
What we have written up
- Cape Cross Seal Reserve beach
- Epupa Falls waterfall
- Etosha National Park national park
- Kolmanskop old town
- Lüderitz old town
- San Culture in the Kalahari tradition
Worth knowing before you go
- The Namibian dollar is pegged 1:1 to the South African rand, and rand is accepted everywhere
- Cards work in towns and lodges - carry cash for rural fuel stops, markets and tips
- Shops keep early hours, roughly 08:00-17:00, with Saturday afternoons dead in small towns
Botswana
Soft-spoken courtesy runs everything; the greeting comes first and the request second, always.
What we have written up
- Botswana Basketry tradition
- Chobe National Park national park
- Khama Rhino Sanctuary national park
- Moremi Game Reserve national park
- Nxai Pan and Baines' Baobabs national park
- The Central Kalahari national park
Worth knowing before you go
- The currency is the pula, which means rain - a measure of how precious water is here
- Cards work in cities and lodges; carry cash for villages, markets and bus fares
- Tipping is about 10% in restaurants; safari guides are tipped separately, often in US dollars
Counts describe this site, not the countries: "places written up here" means how many pages we have finished, and it keeps growing. Currency, plugs and languages are practical facts and change rarely; check anything visa-related with the relevant official source before you book.