Wildlife encounters, wide open spaces and welcoming people make Botswana a top destination for overlanding. Manon Verijdt and Tobias van Krieken of Rafiki on Tour share their pictures and answer questions after visiting the country.

What was your experience of Botswana?

Botswana is definitely a country we can recommend to others. Although it can turn nastily expensive for full-time overlanders like us, it offers plenty of opportunities to work around the formal and expensive tourism facilities. 

 The main roads in general are really good, making it easy to navigate across the country to cover large distances. But, even more importantly, the off-road tracks are endless and provide great exploration opportunities. You do have to come well-prepared, as some tracks can take forever. You will have to make your way through deep sand, or take it slowly on bone-shaking corrugation. 

Stock up on enough food and fuel in big cities, but keep in mind that the veterinary fences might prevent you from taking eggs, meat and dairy from one region to another. If you happen to have something that isn’t allowed to cross the fence, you can always make a lunch right there on the spot. The police at the control point will most likely be okay with that, as we found almost everybody in Botswana really friendly.

It’s a great country for self-sustaining travel in your own vehicle. You get to choose between bush camping and luxury campsites, and mesmerising national parks and beautiful reserves. We fell in love with the wildlife in the north, and would definitely recommend exploring the Panhandle and Okavango Delta region. The salt pans are a great place to watch the sunset, and the abundance of wildlife in the Khwai area will take your breath away.

What were some of the memorable moments you experienced in Botswana? 

Oh, Botswana felt like a separate world from anything we’ve seen in Africa before. The wildlife is so abundant and the salt plains so large and unforgiving. The diversity of landscapes in a relatively small region just astounded us. Although nature and landscapes never cease to amaze, the most beautiful moments are those when you’re in connection with the local people.  

We bought a bracelet and woven basket from a woman in Khwai, and we will never forget the connection we had. Likewise, we spontaneously bought a woven hat from a young boy called Mompati, who approached us as we were airing down our tires. Although the hat was too big for us to comfortably take along, we decided against all reason to get it. Mompati’s smile, and how he ran to show his friends that he made some money, gave us an unforgettable feeling of gratitude. 

Coming back to the wildlife part, Botswana offered everything and more. Initially, we were a bit disappointed with the amount of wildlife, as we entered in the southeast and all we saw were cows. Later on, once we reached the north, wildlife was abundant beyond words. We camped with elephants, hyenas and zebras for the first time in our lives. It was incredible to experience the presence of wildlife around our base camp. We had the opportunity to photograph them during the day, and enjoy the calls of the hyenas at night.

Which areas in Botswana could you visit with your dog, Nimba?

As with nearly any country, national parks were a no-go. So in Botswana, we swerved around the national parks. Instead, we focused on bordering regions to still have the adventure, without trespassing on any national park territory. I still believe the parks are highly worth visiting, but Nimba’s safety is always our priority. So if we take a look at the map of Botswana, we entered near Gaborone, then drove northwest towards the Kgalagadi Transfrontier Park, but skirted the park’s northern border. Then we continued towards Ghanzi, followed the Okavango River, and went to Maun and Khwai. We visited the salt plains and part of the Hunter’s Road (on the Zimbabwean border) and then drove back to Maun. We missed most of the east this time, but with Botswana being so beautiful there is no doubt we will return one day.

Travelling with a dog certainly takes some adjusting. Luckily, time is on our side and we always make it work by finding different interesting regions. Although it often takes longer to accomplish a goal, the adventure turns out to be better because of it.

To see more, follow @rafikiontour on Instagram.