Botswana Packing List

Start here: two things specific to this trip

1. Do not pack camouflage clothing

Camouflage-patterned clothing is restricted for civilians in Botswana, as it is across much of the region, because it is associated with the military. It applies to adults and children, and to a camouflage cap or daypack as much as to a jacket.

Neutral colors are what you want anyway: khaki, olive, stone, brown, gray.

2. Your bag must be soft-sided, and light

Almost every Botswana itinerary uses a light aircraft to reach camp, and those aircraft have strict limits — commonly around 20 kg including hand luggage, in a soft bag with no rigid frame or wheels, because the hold is a shaped locker rather than a box. Your operator will confirm the figure for your aircraft; the shape matters as much as the weight.

Camps do laundry, usually daily and usually free. Pack for four days and wash. This is the single biggest saving available to you.

Clothing

• Layers. The daily range is wide. A warm fleece or down jacket is essential from May to August — the Kalahari can approach freezing before dawn, and an open vehicle at speed is colder still.
• Neutral, muted colors for game viewing. Avoid bright white, black, and dark blue (which attracts tsetse in some areas).
• Long sleeves and trousers for early morning and evening, against cold and mosquitoes both.
• Closed walking shoes with grip, plus sandals or water shoes if you are doing mokoro trips — getting in and out means wet feet.
• A wide-brimmed hat and good sunglasses. Glare off the pans and off water is strong.
• A light rain shell for the green season.
• Swimwear for lodge pools.

Health and insects

• Insect repellent. Malaria is present in the north — the delta, Chobe and the Okavango Panhandle — and the risk is lower in the south. Talk to a travel clinic well before departure; see our Botswana travel safety guide.
• Prescription medication in original labeled packaging, in carry-on, in enough quantity for the trip and a few days more. A camp has a first-aid kit, not a pharmacy.
• High-factor sunscreen and lip balm. The dry air cracks lips within days.
• Moisturizer and eye drops. Desert air is drier than visitors expect.

Kit that earns its weight

• A headlamp. Camps run generators or solar on a schedule and go properly dark. This is the item guests most often wish they had brought.
• Binoculars — one pair per person, not one to share.
• A dry bag for cameras on mokoro and boat trips. A mokoro sits low in the water and you will be at arm's length from it.
• A universal adapter and a power bank. Charging is often central and time-limited.
• A refillable water bottle. Camps provide filtered water and would rather you did not use single-use plastic.

What to leave behind

Camouflage, as above. Hard-shell suitcases. Drones, unless you have specific written permission — they are restricted around parks and reserves. And most of the clothes you were going to bring.

Planning with LABUSA Travel

We send a packing note for your actual routing — the aircraft, the months, and whether your itinerary includes mokoro, walking or the pans, which each ask for something slightly different.