Fuel station locations
Botswana has reliable fuel in its towns, but once you leave the tar, there is nothing. The key fuel stops for self-drivers:
- Maun: Multiple stations. Fill up completely before heading to Moremi.
- Kasane: Several stations. Last fuel before Chobe or the Savuti track.
- Nata: On the A3 highway. Reliable fuel.
- Gweta: Small station near Makgadikgadi. Usually reliable but check availability.
- Rakops: Small town south of Makgadikgadi. Fuel available but sometimes out of stock.
Fuel consumption rates
A Toyota Hilux (the standard rental):
- Tar road: 12 to 15 litres per 100 km
- Gravel road: 15 to 18 litres per 100 km
- Deep sand: 20 to 30 litres per 100 km (in low range)
Sand driving can use double the fuel of tar driving. A 170 km sand track like Kasane to Savuti can consume 40 to 50 litres.
Jerry can strategy
Most rental vehicles have a standard 80-litre fuel tank. For the northern circuit, this is not enough for the longest stretches. Carry at least one 20-litre jerry can, ideally two.
Fill both the tank and jerry cans at every opportunity. In Botswana, the rule is simple: if you see a fuel station, fill up, regardless of how much is in your tank.
Critical fuel distances
- Maun to Moremi South Gate: 100 km (sand). No fuel inside Moremi.
- Moremi (Third Bridge) to Savuti via Mababe: 130 km (sand). No fuel.
- Kasane to Savuti: 170 km (sand). No fuel.
- Maun to CKGR Matswere Gate: 270 km (mix). No fuel inside CKGR.
Calculating your own fuel needs
Do not guess. Work it out for each leg before you drive it. Take the distance, multiply by the consumption rate for the surface, and add a generous margin. For example, the 170 km sand track from Kasane to Savuti at 28 litres per 100 km needs about 48 litres just for that leg, before you have driven a single game drive inside Savuti. Add your planned game driving (easily 40 to 80 km a day in low-range sand) and you can see why a single tank is not enough for the remote circuits. Always plan to arrive with at least a quarter tank in reserve.
Diesel, and why it matters
Almost every rental safari 4x4 in Botswana is diesel, and that is the right choice. Diesel engines give better range, more low-down torque for crawling through sand in low range, and the fuel is more widely available at the rural stations. Confirm your vehicle's fuel type at handover and never assume; putting the wrong fuel in a remote area is a trip-ending mistake with no quick fix.
Fuel quality and filtering
Fuel at the main town stations (Maun, Kasane, Nata) is reliable. At the smaller rural pumps, quality and stock are less certain, and contamination with water or dirt is an occasional problem. If you fill at a remote station, it is worth using a funnel with a filter screen. Keep your tank fuller rather than emptier so any small amount of bad fuel is heavily diluted, and note that modern common-rail diesels are sensitive, so stick to the established stations wherever you can.
What to do if a station is dry
Rural stations in Botswana do run out, sometimes for days. This is exactly why the golden rule exists: fill up at every station regardless of how much you already have. If you reach a planned stop and it is dry, your jerry cans are what get you to the next town. Never drive on toward a single remote station as your only plan, because if it is empty you have no margin. Carry enough in cans that a dry pump is an inconvenience, not an emergency.
Cutting consumption in sand
Technique directly affects how much fuel you burn. Dropping tyre pressures to around 1.2 to 1.5 bar lets the tyres float on the sand instead of ploughing through it, which reduces both effort and consumption. Keep a smooth, steady momentum rather than surging and braking, use the highest gear that holds the vehicle moving, and avoid unnecessary stops on soft ground where you then need power to get going again. Smooth driving can save several litres over a long sand leg.
A northern-circuit fuel plan
A typical Maun to Kasane trip through Moremi and Savuti works like this: fill the tank and both jerry cans completely in Maun (you now carry roughly 120 litres). That must cover Maun to Moremi, several days of game driving in Moremi, the sand leg to Savuti, game driving in Savuti, and the run to Kasane, with no fuel anywhere in between. Only in Kasane do you refill. Reverse the plan for a Kasane start. The Central Kalahari is even more demanding: there is no fuel inside the reserve, so you must carry enough for the entire loop from and back to Maun or Rakops.
Carrying and storing fuel safely
Use proper metal jerry cans, which your operator should supply, rather than plastic containers that swell and leak in the heat. Secure them in the external carrier or a well-ventilated part of the vehicle, never inside the cabin where fumes build up. Check the seals before you leave town. When decanting into the tank, do it with the engine off, away from any flame, and use a funnel to avoid spilling fuel over a hot vehicle.
The golden rule
If there is one principle that keeps self-drivers out of trouble in Botswana, it is this: never pass a working fuel station without filling up, no matter how much is in your tank. Fuel is the one resource you cannot improvise in the bush, distances between stations are long, and sand doubles your consumption. Treat every full tank and full jerry can as cheap insurance against the one scenario you must never face, which is running dry a hundred kilometres from the nearest help.