Gathered by the river: A herd of elephants with calves grazes on the Chobe riverbank meadow. The river glitters behind them.

Water and elephants

Self-drive safaris in Botswana

Botswana is the step up. Deep sand, water crossings and camps far from the next town. This is the country where the vehicle and the preparation genuinely matter.

Parks I have driven myself

Chobe National Park

Elephants in numbers that are hard to describe before you have seen them. The river shapes everything here, including where you can and cannot drive.

Proud gaze in the evening light: With his still-growing mane, the young lion already looks almost like a little king.

Worth knowing

Four-wheel drive without exception. High ground clearance, decent tyres and a route that takes the season into account.

Entry

No visa needed with a German passport: the entry permit for tourist stays is issued free of charge at the border, for up to 90 days per calendar year.

Driving

Left. Away from the tarred main routes there are only gravel or sand tracks. Botswana should only be travelled in a four-wheel drive.

Money

Pula. Bring cash: outside the towns, card payment gets harder.

Malaria

Especially in the north (Chobe, Okavango): risk all year, higher in the rainy season.

Best months

The dry season, when the game concentrates on the rivers

Current entry rules from the German Foreign Office (in German)

As of October 2026. Entry rules change, so check with your own foreign ministry before you travel.

Where that is

Borders: Natural Earth

Ask for a route in this country

What you need for the planning

Chobe National Park

How long

2 to 3 nights

In the park or in Kasane. That gives you time for a boat trip, at least two game drives along the river (morning and late afternoon) and a buffer in case a track is closed. If you add the Victoria Falls, count one more night: about 80 km, a day trip from Kasane. Guided tours can be booked locally and are often easier than an extra border crossing in a rental car.

When

May to October, dry season

The time for the elephants on the river. The interior dries out, buffalo and elephants move to the water, and the tracks are at their most drivable. The campsites are booked up early. In September and October it gets hot, but that is when the concentration of animals at the water is highest.

Driving

A four-wheel drive with high ground clearance is a must here. The riverbank tracks are sandy, and experience of driving in sand and a calm foot on the throttle help.

What you see here

Where routes go wrong

Planning only one afternoon for the Riverfront. A visit pays off above all in the morning and late afternoon, ideally with a boat trip as well. A single afternoon leaves out most of it.
Assuming a high-clearance 2WD will do. On the riverfront maybe. Between the sections, no.

Questions about this country

Do I really need a 4×4? Chobe National Park

For the park itself, yes. The riverbank tracks are sandy, and in the rainy season there are muddy stretches as well. If you would rather not drive yourself, you can see the river by boat or on a guided tour.

When should I go? Chobe National Park

May to October, because of the elephants at the water and because the sand is most drivable then.

Is it a malaria area? Chobe National Park

Yes, and more so in the wet season. Same rule as Kruger: a conversation with your doctor before you book.