Desert or delta, gravel or deep sand: two neighbours, two very different journeys — and why the two combine so well.
Home Destinations Namibia or Botswana?
Namibia is the country of space: desert, mountains, the Atlantic coast, good gravel roads and Etosha. Botswana is the country of water and wildlife: the Okavango Delta, Chobe, the Kalahari, deep sand and water crossings. For a first trip behind the wheel, Namibia is the easier start; if you mainly want to see animals and like tracks without comfort, Botswana will make you happy. Our Botswana journeys start in Windhoek — so you do not have to choose.
Compared
Figures as on our country pages, fees as of the relevant fee schedule.
| Namibia | Botswana | |
|---|---|---|
| Area | 825,615 km² | 581,730 km² |
| People per km² | 3.7 (2023 census) | 4.1 (2022 census) |
| Landscape | Desert, mountains, Atlantic coast, dry rivers | Delta, rivers, salt pans, Kalahari savanna |
| Wildlife | Etosha, desert-adapted elephants in the northwest | Okavango, Moremi, Chobe — around 130,000 elephants in the country |
| Tracks | Good gravel roads, only just over 16 % tarred | Deep sand, mud, water crossings; 4x4 in the parks |
| Camping in parks | Camps inside the parks, gates open and close with the sun | Unfenced wild sites, booking required |
| Park fees | Etosha: N$280 per person per day (since April 2026) | Moremi, Chobe: 270 pula per person per day (since 2022, increase announced) |
| Best time | May – October | April – October, Okavango flood June – August |
| Currency | Namibian dollar, pegged 1:1 to the rand | Pula |
| Malaria | In the north, mainly November to June | In the north, mainly November to June |
Sources: country data as on our country pages (2022 and 2023 censuses, 2022 KAZA elephant survey), Roads Authority Namibia, MEFT and Namibia Wildlife Resorts (Etosha fees since 1 April 2026), Botswana park fee schedule (since 1 April 2022), Botswana National Parks and Game Reserves Regulations, CDC and Norwegian Institute of Public Health (malaria), German Foreign Office and Namibian Ministry of Home Affairs (entry). As of 13 November 2026.
The choice
Both countries are safe, sparsely populated and wild. The difference lies in what you want to see and how you want to drive.
Space and desert
Long stretches through changing landscapes, from the dunes of Sossusvlei to Etosha.
A good fit if you …
Less so if you …
Water and wildlife
Few kilometres a day, lots of time with the animals, and tracks that are part of the adventure.
A good fit if you …
Less so if you …
Both
Our Botswana journeys start in Windhoek and cross the border at Buitepos/Mamuno. That way you see both countries without having to choose.
Frequently asked
Botswana, if wildlife is all that matters: densities are higher in the Okavango Delta, Moremi and along the Chobe, and around 130,000 elephants live in Botswana. Namibia has Etosha, one of Africa’s great parks, plus the desert-adapted elephants of the northwest — but also a lot of landscape in between.
In Namibia. Most roads are good gravel, and the camps in Etosha lie on established routes. In Botswana’s parks you drive through deep sand, mud and water, and the sites are unfenced. With a guide both work — but Namibia is the easier start.
Park fees are higher in Botswana: in Moremi and along the Chobe, visitors from outside southern Africa pay 270 pula per person per day (fee schedule since 2022, an increase has been announced), in Etosha N$280. In Botswana you also pay for the campsites inside the parks, which must be booked in advance.
For both, the dry season: May to October in Namibia, April to October in Botswana. The Okavango flood peaks from June to August, in the middle of the dry season — the water comes from rain in the Angolan highlands and takes months to cross the flat Kalahari.
Yes. Our Botswana journeys start in Windhoek and cross the border at Buitepos/Mamuno, and some combine the Okavango Delta with the Kaokoland or Victoria Falls.
Yes. The campsites in Moremi, Chobe and the Central Kalahari require a booking, otherwise you can be turned away at the gate. On our journeys all sites and permits are booked.
For Namibia, many nationalities do: since April 2025 Germans, for example, need a visa, best applied for in advance as an e-visa. It is valid for 90 days and cost N$1,600 for adults in 2025 according to the Namibian Ministry of Home Affairs. For Botswana, Germans and many others do not: a free entry permit for up to 90 days per calendar year is issued at the border. For Namibia your passport must be valid for six months beyond the trip.
In the north of both countries, mainly in the rainy season from about November to June, and all year along the Okavango, Zambezi and Kunene. Windhoek and Gaborone are malaria-free. Get travel-medicine advice before you go.
Plan a journey
Tell us what you want to see and when you can travel — we will suggest the route that fits.
Plan a journeyNo booking yet — just a first conversation. Tell us roughly what you have in mind; we reply within two working days with an honest assessment and a first route.
tuye@african-explorers.comWhatsApp +264 81 292 4206
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