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Border
posts -
- Namibia = Buitepos
/ Botswana = Mamuno - 07:00 -> 24:00
- South Africa
=
- Skilpadshek
/ Botswana = [Lobatse] Pioneer Gate - 07:00 -> 24:00
- Ramatlabama
/ Botswana = Ramatlabama - 07:00 -> 24:00
- No hunting
rifles are permitted through Botswana
- No fresh
meat, fish or dairy products may cross the Botswana border
without a permit
- No firewood
may be taken across the border in either direction
BOTSWANA
NOTES
Vehicle
requirements -
- You will be
required to purchase third party insurance for every vehicle at the
Botswana border post. The cost of this insurance is 20 Pula per vehicle,
and the disk is valid for the year of issue. This
applies to trailers and caravans as well.
- A 'wheel tax'
is payable on all vehicles passing through Botswana. It is possible
to pay for your return journey at the point of first entry, thereby
saving time on the return.
- It is advisable
to carry proof of ownership and registration of the vehicle/s with
you. [I have personally never had to produce these, but it is little
enough trouble]
- Should you be
driving a rented vehicle, a police clearance certificate may be advisable.
[Be guided by the rental company]
- Towing a boat
through Botswana requires a permit. This
permit cannot be obtained at the border post but must already be in your posession.
- The wearing
of seat belts by all occupants is compulsory in Botswana.
Money
matters -
- The Namibia
Dollar (NAD) is not legal tender in Botswana. (It is now accepted
by selected service stations and border posts, but not necessarily
at an advantageous exchange rate. — January
2007)
- The South African
Rand (ZAR) is accepted most everywhere in Botswana, but not always
at an advantageous exchange rate.
- Visa and Master
Card are widely accepted in Botswana. Be aware that Service stations
and shops are at times unable to process Credit Cards. You are
strongly advised to have either Pula or Rand available to cover this
eventuality.
- Credit cards
are no longer accepted
at the
Kang Ultra Stop.
(October
2008 )
- Cards are not
accepted at the Ramatlabama BP service station.
(June
2007)
- Garage/Petro/Motor
cards are not accepted at fuel stations, but mostly fuel can be purchased
using either Visa or Mastercard.
- Both petrol
and diesel are, as a rule, cheaper in Botswana than in Namibia and
South Africa.
- See the Trans
Kalahari Map for fuel stops - we update this regularly.
General
-
- The Batswana
are a friendly people and proud of their country. They don't take
kindly to littering, and have laws in place to combat this.
- Cellphone coverage
along the route is provided by Orange or MASCOM from
Pioneer Gate through Lobatse, Kanye and Jwaneng up to Sekoma. Coverage
in the immediate vicinity of Kang, Tsootsha and Charles Hill is also
provided. On the Namibian side, cellphone coverage starts from Buitepos.
- A stop-over
just outside Kang (Midway between the border posts) offers chalets,
camping/caravan sites, rooms, shop and a restaurant in addition to
the normal Service station facilities. They accept Namibian- and South
African currency.
- B&B facilities
are available in the village of Kang, a little way off the highway.
- Jwaneng has
a casino with accommodation as well as the Cezar's Hotel on
the highway.
- The standard
of the Trans Kalahari Highway is good, albeit boring due to lack of
sights.
- The long straight
stretches entice you to speed - DON'T
! - The traffic police have been known
to place their electronic traps at unexpected places (like at the
speed-limit sign) and speeding could prove an expensive and time-consuming
exercise. Traffic fines need to be paid in
cash on the spot, and then in Pula.
- Much of the
highway is not fenced. Be on the lookout for stray animals at all
times. (The standard, and frequency of fencing improves everytime
I travel the route — June 2007)
- Pedestrians
may be expected close to settlements. [Which is why most settlement
areas call for at most 80kph]
- When using the
Ramatlabama border post we find the route to Kanye via Lobatse
to be the easier and quicker one. There are fewer speed restrictions
on it, and it bypasses Kanye. The signage at the new Lobatse traffic
circle proves to be somewhat confusing, requiring careful consideration.
(Nov 2007)
NAMIBIA
NOTES
-
Official motorcades
can be expected anywhere in Namibia, and are normally easily identified
by the outriders on motorcycles, flashing blue lights and sirens.
These motorcades mostly travel at excessive speed.
-
Take note that
by law you are prohibited from overtaking an official motorcade,
regardless of the speed at which it may be travelling.
- It is further
required of all vehicular traffic (both directions) to stop off
the road surface when a motorcade approaches from the front or
rear.
- Roadblocks should
be considered part of the Namibian scenery and, as a rule, do not
cause too much of a delay.
- Do yourself
a favour and approach these little hassles with a sense of humour
— it is no fun to fall foul of the law in Namibia.
Updated
4 November, 2008
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