Hotels in Botswana

Hotels in Botswana: your guide to where to stay

How much does a hotel in Botswana cost?

The price depends on the standard, the city and the dates. The table shows indicative nightly rates for a double room. The cheapest month is usually March, while November and December are the priciest. Rates at safari lodges can be far higher than at city hotels.

Indicative rates, updated periodically. For exact prices and availability, select your dates in the search above.

Where to stay in Botswana: most popular cities

Botswana has several centres, some of them gateways to the national parks:

• Gaborone. The capital and business hub, with the widest choice of hotels and the main airport. This is where most guests stay.
• Kasane. The gateway to Chobe National Park, famous for its herds of elephants. Hotels, lodges and riverside resorts.
• Maun. The base for the Okavango Delta, with an airport serving flights to safari camps. From guesthouses to luxury properties.
• Francistown. The second-largest city in the north-east, a transit point and business base.

Nightly rates vary between cities. Here are indicative prices per night for a double room:

What to see in Botswana

Botswana is above all about safaris and wildlife.

• Chobe National Park. Famous for the largest elephant herds in Africa, plus lions, leopards and antelope. The base is Kasane.
• Okavango Delta. A unique inland delta explored by mokoro canoe, on foot or by 4x4, home to all of the Big Five.
• Tsodilo Hills. Hills in the Kalahari with ancient rock art, on the UNESCO list.
• Deception Valley. A valley in the Central Kalahari Game Reserve, good for spotting wildlife in open terrain.
• Tswapong Hills. A green microclimate with lagoons and waterfalls, a contrast to the dry plains.

How much does a trip to Botswana cost

Beyond the room, daily costs in the cities are moderate, but the safari itself can raise the budget sharply. The currency is the pula. Cards are accepted at chain hotels and larger shops, while cash is handy at markets and outside the cities. ATMs are in the larger towns. The Cresta hotel chain is present in most cities and can be a convenient reference point.

When is the best time to visit Botswana

The best time is the dry season, May to October, when temperatures are pleasant. For wildlife viewing, June to September is best, when the vegetation is thinner and animals gather at waterholes. The cheapest month for a room is March, while November and December, at the start of the rainy season, are the most expensive.

Getting to and around Botswana

The main airports are Sir Seretse Khama in Gaborone and the airport in Maun, served by Air Botswana and regional carriers. You can enter by road from South Africa (Intercape buses) and from Zambia via Francistown. Within the country you travel by local minibuses called kombis and by buses between the larger cities, though timetables depend on the state of the roads. To the camps in the Okavango Delta, most people fly in on a small plane from Maun.

Example hotels in Botswana

A few recognisable properties for reference:

• Avani Gaborone Resort & Casino and Peermont Mondior in Gaborone (upper tier, from approx. 1,200 P).
• Cresta Mowana Safari Resort & Spa in Kasane on the Chobe River (from approx. 5,500 P).
• Protea Hotel by Marriott Masa Square in Gaborone and Cresta Thapama in Francistown (from approx. 1,000 P).