Wildlife safety
Elephants: The most common dangerous encounter. If an elephant mock-charges (ears out, trumpeting), reverse slowly. If it charges with ears flat and trunk down, that is a real charge. Reverse quickly or move off the track. Never get between a mother and her calf.
Hippos: More people are killed by hippos than any other large animal in Africa. Never walk between a hippo and water, especially at night. Hippos graze on land at night and return to water at dawn. If you hear grunting near your campsite, stay in your tent.
Lions: Keep windows up when lions are near your vehicle. Never exit the vehicle near predators. At night in camp, a lion roaring nearby is normal; do not investigate.
In camp: Keep food in your vehicle or in sealed containers. Do not leave anything edible on tables overnight. Baboons and hyenas are persistent camp raiders. Use a torch when walking at night and look for eye reflections before moving.
Vehicle breakdowns
Getting stuck in sand is normal. Getting a puncture from thorns is common. A genuine mechanical breakdown is less common but possible.
- Know how to change a tyre on sand before you leave Maun.
- Know how to use the high-lift jack and compressor.
- Know the basics of tyre deflation for sand driving (let air down to 1.2 to 1.5 bar, re-inflate on hard surfaces).
- Carry a satellite communicator. If you break down and cannot fix it, stay with your vehicle and call for help.
Medical
- Carry a first aid kit with the basics plus rehydration salts (heat exhaustion is a real risk).
- Take malaria prophylaxis. Northern Botswana is a malaria area, particularly during and after the rains.
- Know where the nearest clinic or hospital is at each stage of your trip (Maun and Kasane both have hospitals).
- Travel insurance with medical evacuation cover is not optional. Check that your policy covers self-drive safari in remote areas.
Communication
Mobile phone signal covers Maun, Kasane, Nata, and a few kilometres around major towns. Inside national parks: nothing. A satellite communicator (Garmin InReach or similar) is the only reliable communication in the bush. Most vehicle operators rent them for $5 to $10 per day.
Driving safety
More self-drive trips are spoiled by driving mistakes than by wildlife. The biggest rule is simple: do not drive between towns after dark. Cattle, donkeys, and elephants move onto the tar at night, they are almost invisible until the last second, and hitting a cow at highway speed is often fatal for everyone involved. Plan every travel day to arrive well before sunset.
On sand, let your tyres down to roughly 1.2 to 1.5 bar, keep a steady momentum, stay in the existing ruts, and avoid sudden steering or braking. On corrugated gravel, find the speed where the vehicle rides smoothest (often a little faster than feels natural) but slow right down for bends and blind rises. At water crossings, always stop and walk the crossing first to check depth and bottom firmness before you drive it, and never follow another vehicle in until it is safely out.
Heat, dehydration, and sun
From September to March, daytime temperatures regularly pass 35 degrees and the dry air hides how much you are sweating. Heat exhaustion creeps up through headache, fatigue, and irritability before you notice thirst. Drink at least three to four litres a day, more when active, and carry rehydration salts. Wear a wide-brimmed hat and long sleeves, and schedule the hottest hours (roughly noon to 3pm) for rest in shade rather than activity, which is exactly what the animals do.
Fire safety in camp
A campfire is central to the experience but it is also a real risk in dry bush. Keep fires small and inside the provided fire pit, never leave one unattended, and drown it completely before you sleep or leave. Keep a water container within reach. In the dry season the grass around camp can catch in seconds, and there is no fire service coming. Dispose of ash only when it is cold.
Personal security
Botswana has very low crime by regional standards, and violent crime against tourists is rare. The sensible precautions are the ordinary ones: lock the vehicle in towns, keep valuables out of sight, and do not leave gear unattended at busy spots like border posts and fuel stations. In the bush the threat is wildlife, not people. You will spend most of the trip feeling safer than you do at home.
Camping with children
Families do self-drive Botswana successfully, but the unfenced camps demand constant supervision. Children must never wander, especially at dawn, dusk, and night when predators and elephants move. Keep them inside the vehicle or rooftop tent after dark, brief them clearly on the rules, and consider the easier, partly fenced camps near Kasane and Maun rather than the remote interior for a first family trip.
Your emergency plan
Decide in advance what you will do if things go wrong, because there is no signal to work it out in the moment. If you break down or get stuck and cannot self-recover, stay with the vehicle; it is shade, shelter, and far easier to find than a person on foot. Use the satellite communicator to send your position and situation. Know the location of the nearest clinic or hospital for each leg (Maun and Kasane both have hospitals), and carry written emergency numbers on paper in case the device dies. Tell someone outside the trip your route and expected check-in times.
Emergency numbers and resources
- Police: 999 (or 911 from some networks)
- Ambulance / medical: 997
- Fire: 998
- Your vehicle operator's emergency line: save it before you leave town
- Satellite SOS: your InReach or similar device's SOS triggers a coordinated emergency response
Mobile numbers only work where there is signal, which means towns. In the parks, the satellite communicator is your only link, so test it before you leave Maun or Kasane and make sure everyone in the vehicle knows how to trigger an SOS.