Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
Time
Botswana is two hours ahead of GMT/UTC, so when it's noon in Botswana, it's 10am in
London, 5am in New York, 2am in Los Angeles and 8pm in Sydney (not taking into ac-
count daylight-saving time in these countries). There is no daylight-saving time in Bot-
swana.
Tourist Information
For many years the tourism industry in Botswana was controlled by a few exclusive oper-
ators who brought guests from abroad and ferried them hither and thither until their depar-
ture date. There was little need for a local network of tourist offices as people simply
didn't require them.
More recently, independent travel to Botswana has been on the rise and the government
is finally acknowledging the need for some sort of network of information offices both in-
side and outside the country.
The Department of Tourism, rebranded in the public sphere as Botswana Tourism
( www.botswanatourism.co.bw ) has an excellent website and a growing portfolio of tourist
offices around the country. These tourist offices don't always have their finger on the
pulse, but they can be an extremely useful source of brochures from local hotels, tour op-
erators and other tourist services.
For information on national parks, you're better off contacting the Department of Wild-
life and National Parks ( Click here ) .
Another useful resource is the Regional Tourism Organisation of Southern Africa (
in South Africa 011-315 2420; www.retosa.co.za ) , which promotes tourism
throughout Southern Africa, including Botswana.
Travellers with Disabilities
People with limited mobility will have a difficult time travelling around Botswana - al-
though there are many people with disabilities living in the country, facilities here are very
few and much of the country can be an obstacle course. Along streets and footpaths, kerbs
and uneven surfaces will often present problems for wheelchair users, and only a very few
upmarket hotels/lodges and restaurants have installed ramps and railings. Also, getting to
and around any of the major lodges or camps in the national wildlife parks will be ex-
tremely difficult given their remote and wild locations.
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