It can be a bit of a challenge to book a camping trip in Botswana. The number of campsites is limited, the parks are popular amongst tourist and the alternative of sleeping in a lodge is way too expensive. Moreover camping in the bush in Botswana is amazing so you don’t want to miss out on that. We’ll give you some tips on how to book your Botswana campsites in this post.

Is it really necessary to book in advance?

The simple answer is: yes. Due to the limited number of campsites and the fact that a lot of campsites are pretty remote it’s advisable to book in advance. Of course you can always try your luck if you’re in Botswana anyway but if you have limited time available I wouldn’t do this.

Park fees and campsites in Botswana

In 2009 most of the campsites became privately owned by a number of operators. Booking a campsite became a bit more difficult since you have to contact multiple organizations when organizing a trip. The Department of Wildlife and National Parks (DWNP) still plays an important role. This government-owned department still manages some campsites but you’ll also have to pay your park fees here.

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How to book Botswana campsites in 6 steps

1. Plan your route. Make sure what parts of Botswana you want to visit. Bradt Botswana, a paper Tracks4Africa map or some good old Googling can help you out with this.
2. Write down the camps you want to visit and check the operator that manages this campsite in the table below. Do take into account the condition of the roads and the season in which you’re visiting this beautiful country.
3. Start sending some e-mails to the campsites (or give them a call) and be patient. Depending on the operator it can take a while before you get a reply.
4. First check the DWNP campsites for availability, block these dates but wait with the payment.
5. As soon as you ‘blocked’ your camping spots at DWNP book and pay the campsites at the privately owned campsites. Now you have your vouchers for the privately owned campsites and blocked dates at DWNP.
6. Confirm the DWNP blocked dates and actually book them. Send all the vouchers from the other operators to DWNP and pay both the DWNP campsites and the park fees for your complete trip at once. I’d recommend doing this through a bank transfer. You do have the option of paying the park fees in a bigger city such as Maun or at the entrance gates but you never know if the network is up and running…

Hooray! You’ve booked your campsites in Botswana! Please do print these documents since some rangers and/or operators don’t like it when you can only show them these vouchers on your phone or tablet.

Park fees Botswana 2019

These are the rates for international visitors. Rates are per person per day:

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Botswana Campsites 2019

These are the campsites in both Chobe and Moremi. Please note the operator and find their contact details down below. Rates are per person per night for an international visitor.

Contact details Botswana campsites

You can reach out for these operators using one of the following methods:

DWNP

• Mail: dwnp@gov.bw
• Tel: +267 318 0774

Kwalate Safaris

• Mail: kwalatesafari@gmail.com
• Tel: +267 686 1448
• Web: https://www.kwalatesafaris.com

SKL

• Mail: reservations@sklcamps.co.bw
• Tel: +267 686 5365/6
• Web: https://sklcamps.com

Xomae

• Mail: xomaesites@btcmail.co.bw
• Tel: +267 686 2221
• Web: https://www.xomaesites.com

Khwai Development Trust

• Mail: khwai@btcmail.co.bw
• Tel: +267 680 1211

Booking your camping trip can be a bit of a frustrating experience but you’ll forget this as soon as you arrive in Botswana. This is such an amazing country!

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