Hi Maria,

I was in Botswana last July. I can give you some input.

Unfortunately, you need a 4x4 to visit parks in Botswana and it is expensive.

I did visit the Okavango Delta. There are a few options depending on your budget and your tolerance to risk regarding animals. The Moremi park entrance was 50$/person and 50$/night for camping.

Option 1) The simplest option is to go with a tour. Some campsites / hotels offer day trip. Price will depend on number of people. It may not be cheap for two persons.

Option 2) Rent a 4x4 with fridge and roof tent. It will be around 200$/day. Check with Mckenzie 4x4 in Maun. They have an excellent reputation.

Option 3) Go with your own bike to Khwai (It is near the Okavango Delta Park North Entrance and most animals hang around the river there. So there is no need to go inside the park. Many tour operators just go there to see animals. Camping is 30$ a night for just a peace of dirt (no toilet). They won't allow you to camp in the bush. There was an hotel closer to the park entrance but I did not ask for prices. If you go with option 3, there are some risks (see my comments below)

Option 4) There is a mechanic in town who rents 4x4 for 150$/day (no tent/ no fridge). Let me know if interested.

Option 5) You can join a group that are flying above the delta. Just go near the airport.

...

When I went to visit the Okavango Delta, I wanted to rent a 4x4. I had ridden really hard my DR650 going down the West coast of Africa. My metal water bottle holder started breaking in Namibia and decided to give a break to the bike and minimize offroad riding. I also wanted to experience what it was to travel in a 4x4 for a future trip maybe. But unfortunately, there was a 3 weeks wait to rent a 4x4 at Mckenzie. So I decided to go with Option 3 and ride my bike to Khwai.

If you take option 3, you need to know the following:

1) The dirt road between Sankuyo and Mababe is considered predators territory: But lions rarely attack humans. Only the old ones or sick ones may be tempted to attack an human because they have more difficulties hunting. Generally lions start hunting around 4-4:30pm. Be sure to cross earlier in the day. When camping, if you stay in your tent, lions won't attack you. They may come close to your tent to sniff but they will leave you alone. It would be better to rent a canvas tent instead of the super light tents.

2) South of Sankuyo toward Maun is Elephants territory: Safer but not without risk. There is a high volume of elephants crossing this area. if you meet an elephant in Botswana and it feels threaten, it will open their hears to signal that they will attack you if you don't go away. Just back off slowly and everything is fine. FYI: I was informed that in Zimbabwe, because of poaching, elephants attack right away, no warning. If you need to camp in elephant territory, it is recommended to light a fire to let elephant know you are there. Otherwise they may walk over you.


When I was there the road to Kwai was really bad. The corrugations were big and there was many sandy sections. I did not control myself and kept riding fast in the corrugations. What had to happen, happened: My frame started breaking around 1PM just past Sankuyo. The frame started deforming itself. I turned around and rode in first gear sitting on the tank for as long as I could. I was able to come back about 25km until the carb got separated from the engine and found myself in the elephant zone. To make the story short a pickup truck came to pick me up after dark. On its way to find me, the truck got an hole in his gaz tank. The road was bad!


A few days later, I did go to Khwai but in a 4x4. The first thing I liked about the 4x4 was going to the grocery store: You can buy and carry all the food you want. Impossible on a bike!

It was great to visit Khwai and Moremi. I had not seen much animals before. I did not go to Etosha park in Namibia. You follow jeep tracks on your own trying to find the animals. You can get out of the truck to take pictures (impossible on a tour). One morning I woke up and there was plenty of zebras close to the 4x4. It was a very nice moment. And what about the lions? there were mating, I did not see any

Patrick