01Free
The 30-second card
Visa · United States passport
No visa needed · up to 90 daysSource: U.S. Department of State · Checked 25 Oct 2026 ↗SIM and eSIM
Buy mobile data bundles from your phone; 4G in and near cities, dropping to 3G or 2G in remote areas.Source: Wikivoyage · Checked 24 Oct 2026 ↗Money in Botswana
Botswanan Pula · P · BWP
Driving in? Border road levies have not taken foreign cash since August 2019, so have pula or a card ready.
A foreign car up to 3,500 kg and 15 seats pays P50 plus P52 in levies at the border.
Shared city taxis are very cheap: about P9.00 a ride in 2022, roughly 0.80 US dollars.
Ask the bus fare before boarding; it depends on where you get on and off.
Collect Botswanan Pula in CointryOur sister app for coin and banknote collectors · cointry.appOpenPublic holidays in the next 12 months
Fri, 25 Dec 2026 · Christmas Day
Sat, 26 Dec 2026 · St. Stephen's Day Boxing Day
Fri, 1 Jan 2027 · New Year's Day
Fri, 26 Mar 2027 · Good Friday
Mon, 29 Mar 2027 · Easter Monday
Sat, 1 May 2027 · Labour Day
Thu, 6 May 2027 · Ascension Day
Thu, 1 Jul 2027 · Sir Seretse Khama Day
Mon, 19 Jul 2027 · Presidents' Day
Thu, 30 Sept 2027 · Independence Day
Fri, 1 Oct 2027 · Botswana Day holiday
02Free
Safety today
Germany, the US and the UK publish their travel advice openly. Here is what those that cover Botswana say, side by side, checked daily.
German Foreign Office says
No travel warning
Calm ●
Caution
Serious
Don’t go
Source: Auswärtiges Amt
Updated 13 Oct 2026 · Checked 24 Oct 2026Official page
Updated 13 Oct 2026 · Checked 24 Oct 2026Official page
U.S. Department of State says
Exercise increased caution
Calm
Caution ●
Serious
Don’t go
Level 2 of 4
Source: travel.state.gov
Updated 16 Jun 2026 · Checked 24 Oct 2026Official page
Updated 16 Jun 2026 · Checked 24 Oct 2026Official page
UK Foreign Office says
No advice against travel
Source: GOV.UK
Updated 1 Jun 2026 · Checked 24 Oct 2026Official page
Updated 1 Jun 2026 · Checked 24 Oct 2026Official page
Scams to know
Car targeted at traffic lights
Keep doors locked, windows up and bags and phones hidden, above all at traffic lights.
Source: GOV.UK · Checked 24 Oct 2026 ↗Countrywise is a summary. The official page is authoritative.
03Free
Health
Routine jabs plus hepatitis A and B advised; yellow fever proof if from an endemic country. Malaria in parts.
Vaccinations
Keep routine vaccines current; CDC also recommends hepatitis A and B, and a yellow fever certificate is required when arriving from a country where the disease is endemic.
Malaria
In some regionsTalk to a travel clinic 4–8 weeks before you go.
Source: U.S. Department of State
Checked 25 Oct 2026Official page
Checked 25 Oct 2026Official page
Summarised from the CDC’s Travelers’ Health pages. Using them does not mean the CDC endorses Countrywise.
04Travel layer
In the app: the travel layer
The travel layer
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What’s different from home, and what’s the lawMust-see places, free entry and World Heritage sites20 words to remember, with pronunciationStrange and surprising factsThe anthem and national symbolsSaved for offline use
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Deep facts
| GDP | ≈ $19.9 billionSource: World Bank · 2025 figures · Checked 23 Oct 2026 ↗ |
|---|---|
| Per person | ≈ $7,778Source: World Bank · 2025 figures · Checked 23 Oct 2026 ↗ |
| Top exports | diamonds, copper ore, insulated wire, carbonates, cattle (2023)Source: The World Factbook (archive) · as of 2025/26 · Checked 23 Oct 2026 ↗ |
| Population | 2.6 millionSource: World Bank · 2025 figures · Checked 23 Oct 2026 ↗ |
|---|---|
| Median age | 25.8 yearsSource: The World Factbook (archive) · 2025 figures · Checked 23 Oct 2026 ↗ |
| Life expectancy | 66.4 yearsSource: The World Factbook (archive) · 2024 figures · Checked 23 Oct 2026 ↗ |
| Religions | Christian 79.1%, Badimo 4.1%, other 1.4% (includes Baha'i, Hindu, Muslim, Rastafarian), none 15.2%, unspecified 0.3% (2011 est.)Source: The World Factbook (archive) · 2011 figures · Checked 23 Oct 2026 ↗ |
| Area | 581,730 km²Source: The World Factbook (archive) · as of 2025/26 · Checked 23 Oct 2026 ↗ |
|---|---|
| Climate | semiarid; warm winters and hot summersSource: The World Factbook (archive) · as of 2025/26 · Checked 23 Oct 2026 ↗ |
| Terrain | predominantly flat to gently rolling tableland; Kalahari Desert in southwestSource: The World Factbook (archive) · as of 2025/26 · Checked 23 Oct 2026 ↗ |
| Type of government | parliamentary republicSource: The World Factbook (archive) · as of 2025/26 · Checked 23 Oct 2026 ↗ |
|---|---|
| Calling code | +267Source: libphonenumber · Checked 23 Oct 2026 ↗ |
About the data
Written from the sources we link, and checked against them before each release. Countrywise summarises public sources. We are not an official source. For safety and entry rules, always follow the official page we link to.
From your foreign ministry when it publishes its advice openly (Germany, the US, the UK). Otherwise we show those three side by side. Checked daily, with the date next to every entry.
GOV.UK · 24 Oct 2026 ↗IANA Time Zone Database · 23 Oct 2026 ↗libphonenumber · 23 Oct 2026 ↗Nager.Date · 23 Oct 2026 ↗The World Factbook (archive) · 23 Oct 2026 ↗U.S. Department of State · 25 Oct 2026 ↗Unicode CLDR · 23 Oct 2026 ↗Wikidata · 24 Oct 2026 ↗Wikivoyage · 24 Oct 2026 ↗World Bank · 23 Oct 2026 ↗
Flag artwork from flag-icons (MIT licence).
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