Botswana: Wild and Civilized

To begin with, it is worth examining a few points: vaccinations, tours, hotels, budget.

 

 

 

 

To travel to Botswana, you do not need a visa, Russians are allowed to enter and stay in the territory for 90 days without a visa. We strongly recommend that you get insurance.

 

If you are going to visit Africa, it is imperative to put a number of vaccinations, consult a doctor for advice. Also, beware of mosquitoes and tsetse flies, which are carriers of various diseases. Additional protection for travelers will be insect repellent and mosquito nets in the hotel.

 

Botswana is one of the safest destinations in Africa. The attitude to tourists here is reverent, locals try to provide high service to almost every traveler. Tourism here is developed individual, its guide, personal excursions, which means that a trip to Botswana will result in a tidy sum.

 

Since the flight to the republic is not fast, you need to calculate the rest time after arrival and before departure. Tours are not recommended to take less than 10 days. The variety of things worth seeing just won’t let you fly away sooner. Botswana is a wild and civilized country in Africa. One of the indicators of the latter are hotels.

 

 

When deciding where to stay in Botswana, you should know two words: lodge and camp.

 

Lodges are the main building, consisting of one or two floors, including 60-100, as well as houses standing separately. Meals are most often three times a day, alcohol is present in the bar, a free bottle of water is put in the room.

 

Camps are tent camps. But not everything is as simple as it seems at first glance. Inside the tents look like luxury rooms in expensive hotels. It is worth noting that the voltage in the network 220-240 V. In advance, you need to prepare adapters: three-phase sockets with square pins come across. Wherever you stay, you need to remember that it is strictly forbidden to go outside your home at night! Most wild animals go hunting at night.

 

Decide and try the local cuisine. Locals are very fond of grain crops (maize, corn, sargo), meat (beef, chicken), vegetables we are accustomed to (potatoes, carrots, onions, spinach).

 

Africans cook pickled chicken in a pot, dried meat, and something like our lyula kebab.

 

But there is something special: mashonzha. This is a traditional dish of caterpillars, peanuts and red pepper. The locals love it very much, but here’s what is strange: tourists say that this is the most delicious dish they have tried.

 

 

 

 

Speaking of Botswana, first of all, it is worth talking about what makes tourists come here from year to year. Safari of course! One-fifth of the republic is well-protected parks and reserves, which often feature filming of films and TV shows about the life of animals in their natural habitat. Almost all the plants and animals that characterize this continent are collected in Botswana.

 

Travelers who have already mastered the Botswana safari boast of memories and pictures of lion prides. When choosing a safari, specify the details: what types of animals you can see, what their density is on the territory of the reserve, whether animals are shy or are already used to people, whether it is forbidden to leave the road, etc.

 

You should also remember the rules when traveling on safari:

 

• Animals should not be fed.

Certain rules are associated with baboons: these animals perceive a smile as aggression, so you need to be more careful with this gesture. It is better not to show food to them, and do everything possible to forget about your pockets during the trip. Baboons are not very optimistic about the hands in their pockets.

Carefully inspect clothing and exposed areas of the body for insects.

Elephants demand respect, so when you meet them on the road, you should step back and give in to them. Keep in mind that getting between a parent and a baby is very dangerous.

It is forbidden to leave the car without the permission of the guide!

Noise on safari is unacceptable.

Do not sour, do not pour drinks on the ground, do not leave food in places where animals can reach.

Smoking on safari is strictly prohibited.

In order not to come face to face with law enforcement agencies, do not take plants out of reserves.

 

In addition to safari, Botswana will surprise you with a huge collection of rock paintings of the Stone and Iron Age. Arriving here and not visiting the caves, admiring the cave paintings, will be just a crime.

 

Shopping in Botswana is rich in precious and semi-precious stones. Stones and jewelry from tanzanite (analogue of sapphire), tsavorite (similar to emerald), malachite, tiger eye. Don't forget the soapstone. Yes, it has no value, but the locals make cute figurines out of it.

 

 

 

 

Botswana is sure to surprise you: its diversity of landscape, crazy safaris, precious stones, ancient history, primitiveness and civilization at the same time. And if you are ready for a set of vaccinations, a long flight, waste of savings, then do not doubt that Botswana is the place where you should visit at least once!