Botswana December 2024

[robert bosch]

After a snotty reply from uys on advise on a Hilux I am a bit reluctant to ask advise on our December trip but here goes:

Our itinerary for December:
2 Days at Crocodile Camp Maun
2 Days Khwai Hippo Pools
2 Days 3rd Bridge
4 Days South Gate
7 Days Savuti
2 Days Ihaha
1 Day Elephant Sands.

I still have to confirm the above and therefor have a little time to change if I have to.

[PAT n WOLF]

After a snotty reply from uys on advise on a Hilux I am a bit reluctant to ask advise on our December trip but here goes:

Our itinerary for December:
2 Days at Crocodile Camp Maun
2 Days Khwai Hippo Pools
2 Days 3rd Bridge
4 Days South Gate
7 Days Savuti
2 Days Ihaha
1 Day Elephant Sands.

I still have to confirm the above and therefor have a little time to change if I have to.

I would do it this way:
2 Days Croc
4 Days South Gate (even though for me that would be an overstay)
2 Days Third Bridge
2 Nights Khwai (2 Night cut from 4 Nights South Gate)
2 Nights Savuti
2 Nights Ihaha
1 Nights Elephants Sands

[Uys]

After a snotty reply from uys on advise on a Hilux I am a bit reluctant to ask advise on our December trip but here goes:
.

Huh?

[Nys]

I would do it this way:
2 Days Croc
4 Days South Gate (even though for me that would be an overstay)
2 Days Third Bridge
2 Nights Khwai (2 Night cut from 4 Nights South Gate)
2 Nights Savuti
2 Nights Ihaha
1 Nights Elephants Sands

I would even cut one more night (if not 2) from South gate and add to Khwai. We spent only 2 nights in Khwai last year. Should have done at least 4. Next time our trip will be centered around Khwai. Get there, stay at least 4 nights, the get back.

Savuti, for us, was a let down.

[robert bosch]

I would do it this way:
2 Days Croc
4 Days South Gate (even though for me that would be an overstay)
2 Days Third Bridge
2 Nights Khwai (2 Night cut from 4 Nights South Gate)
2 Nights Savuti
2 Nights Ihaha
1 Nights Elephants Sands

We have 21 days. We stayed at Savuti last time and quite enjoyed it. Thats why 7 days. The other camps except Croc and ES are new to us and would appreciate advice and recommendations. Botswana Footprints helps us with the bookings but time is running out.

[PAT n WOLF]

I would even cut one more night (if not 2) from South gate and add to Khwai. We spent only 2 nights in Khwai last year. Should have done at least 4. Next time our trip will be centered around Khwai. Get there, stay at least 4 nights, the get back.

Savuti, for us, was a let down.

Savuti is one of the TOP destinations in Botswana. Most travelers DO NOT KNOW how to explore the area to get the best of it.This October, while staying 2 Nights, saw cheetahs, wild dogs , Lots and lots of Lions, even brown hyena. The trick is always leave camp when park opens. Get back to sausages and bacon later.....

[alannymarce]

After a snotty reply from uys on advise on a Hilux I am a bit reluctant to ask advise on our December trip but here goes:

Our itinerary for December:
2 Days at Crocodile Camp Maun
2 Days Khwai Hippo Pools
2 Days 3rd Bridge
4 Days South Gate
7 Days Savuti
2 Days Ihaha
1 Day Elephant Sands.

I still have to confirm the above and therefor have a little time to change if I have to.

Good suggestions from others above. My thought is to spend a couple of days less in Savuti (which is excellent) and add them to 3rd Bridge and Khwai (one each).

[Nys]

Savuti is one of the TOP destinations in Botswana. Most travelers DO NOT KNOW how to explore the area to get the best of it.This October, while staying 2 Nights, saw cheetahs, wild dogs , Lots and lots of Lions, even brown hyena. The trick is always leave camp when park opens. Get back to sausages and bacon later.....

Agree with the 'explore' angle. Very nice area. I was referring to the camp itself. maybe we just had a bad experience with the kids. And the tourist were very aggro.

[Nys]

Good suggestions from others above. My thought is to spend a couple of days less in Savuti (which is excellent) and add them to 3rd Bridge and Khwai (one each).

We really enjoyed Xakanaxa.

[Jules_inAfrica]

We have 21 days. We stayed at Savuti last time and quite enjoyed it. Thats why 7 days. The other camps except Croc and ES are new to us and would appreciate advice and recommendations. Botswana Footprints helps us with the bookings but time is running out.

We love Savuti as well - have you been in December before? We've always been there in the dry season and are not sure if we should go up to Savuti this time or just stick to CKGR, Nxai and South Gate / Xini area and maybe up to Khwai. But I'm always tempted by Savuti

We're planning our December trip as well right now - have you pre booked any camps or are you planning to wing it?
From what we've heard (and checked with some campsites) we'll be more or less fine to pitch up in CKGR, Nxai and South Gate as well as Khwai but not sure about Savuti.

Maybe we'll see each other - I've sent you a PM as well.

[PAT n WOLF]

We love Savuti as well - have you been in December before? We've always been there in the dry season and are not sure if we should go up to Savuti this time or just stick to CKGR, Nxai and South Gate / Xini area and maybe up to Khwai. But I'm always tempted by Savuti

We're planning our December trip as well right now - have you pre booked any camps or are you planning to wing it?
From what we've heard (and checked with some campsites) we'll be more or less fine to pitch up in CKGR, Nxai and South Gate as well as Khwai but not sure about Savuti.

Maybe we'll see each other - I've sent you a PM as well.

I dont know which campsite, would advise travelers NOT to pre book their campsite. Anyway, do yourself a favor and book your favorite campsite in advance. We are always asking people to move out of campsites, because they didnt prebook and were given campsite they didnt like on arrival and decided go to the camp on already booked campsites.

[Jules_inAfrica]

I dont know which campsite, would advise travelers NOT to pre book their campsite. Anyway, do yourself a favor and book your favorite campsite in advance. We are always asking people to move out of campsites, because they didnt prebook and were given campsite they didnt like on arrival and decided go to the camp on already booked campsites.

Maybe I wasn't precise - this was when I checked for South Gate, Magotho etc. for this December. We were told that most days they still have availability.
If we're flexible regarding our route and not set to be in Nxai for 3 instead of 2 days etc. and obviously don't use campsites we weren't given, I'd think we'll be ok?
In high season, I've always pre-booked all campsites obviously, but this is our first wet season.
On the SKL website, you can book or check availability online now and there's not a single day in December they don't have some campsites open for Savute etc. Not all of them obviously, but again, with some flexibility regarding sites and dates, I was hoping we'd at least be able to leave it until just before we get there and maybe see how the rains do in November and try to plan our route according to the zebras.

Would you say this is not possible?

[Tiaandl]

Hi all.
We are new to this but we want to travel to Botswana this December with my new Mahindra ScorpioN 4x4. Non of the gear, none of the idea.
I saw some posts warning of getting stuck in mud in central Kalahari so we will likely cut that out of our original plan. How likely are we to get stuck around Makgakgadi, Nxai, and the drive between Maun and Kasane through Moremi and Chobi. We are going in one car, 2 adults. No winch.
Also, please advise on what we should look at getting as a bare minimum and where we could buy it. I was wondering if there is like a detachable winch system that could use our tow bar.
And would we need to get off-road tyres or will the standard tyres get us through?

Thank you,
Tiaan

[CalDriver]

Hi all.
We are new to this but we want to travel to Botswana this December with my new Mahindra ScorpioN 4x4. Non of the gear, none of the idea.
I saw some posts warning of getting stuck in mud in central Kalahari so we will likely cut that out of our original plan. How likely are we to get stuck around Makgakgadi, Nxai, and the drive between Maun and Kasane through Moremi and Chobi. We are going in one car, 2 adults. No winch.
Also, please advise on what we should look at getting as a bare minimum and where we could buy it. I was wondering if there is like a detachable winch system that could use our tow bar.
And would we need to get off-road tyres or will the standard tyres get us through?

Thank you,
Tiaan

Those are lot of big questions covering a lot of ground. You don't need a winch. I would strongly advise AT tires. Much more than a winch, these will make a huge difference. Air down to ~1.2 bar if you get stuck and most times you can drive out. Bare minimum, um, I suppose a shovel, recovery strap (make sure your vehicle has some place to attach it to), tent, gas bottle, cooker (the simple one that screws onto the gas bottle), cooler, food, water, headlamps. There are a lot of 4x4 shops in Joburg area that you can buy whatever you need. Outdoor Warehouse will give you an idea, but there are many more.

You could definitely get stuck between Maun and Kasane, but assuming you stick to regularly used tracks, if you can't get yourself out someone will come by eventually. There are bad spots in Nxai Pan and Makgadikgadi, but they're obvious and you can avoid them.

There are a lot of threads on the forum with great info, scan the Botswana section and read a few, people have shared a lot of hard won lessons here.

[Kalahari Safari]

Hi all.
We are new to this but we want to travel to Botswana this December with my new Mahindra ScorpioN 4x4. Non of the gear, none of the idea.
I saw some posts warning of getting stuck in mud in central Kalahari so we will likely cut that out of our original plan. How likely are we to get stuck around Makgakgadi, Nxai, and the drive between Maun and Kasane through Moremi and Chobi. We are going in one car, 2 adults. No winch.
Also, please advise on what we should look at getting as a bare minimum and where we could buy it. I was wondering if there is like a detachable winch system that could use our tow bar.
And would we need to get off-road tyres or will the standard tyres get us through?

Thank you,
Tiaan

Don't try with standard tyres, they are virtually useless in mud.
You are at risk to encounter mud from Moremi to Chobe as well as Nxai Pan and Makgadigadi, and reading the track ahead for newcomers is the greatest risk.
So once you are unsure and continue you will get stuck.
In this case you need spade, and recovery gear (like max trax) if you are travelling alone.
Recovery straps will help only if you have someone to connect and tow you out.
Most importantly, on all gear, is to know how to use it.

For camping and cooking, up to your preference, camp fire won't always work for cooking especially in rainy conditions.
So you need "shelter" and some gas cooker set-up as well as fridge and cooler box for supplies.
Think of drinking water, fire starter, protective gear for weather related conditions.

You are allowed to make mistakes, it's part of the adventure to venture out, and learning through doing is the best option.
Keep calm when in trouble, step back a bit and assess the situation before making a bad situation worse.

Have fun.

[Kalahari Safari]

deleted - double post - sorry

[Tiaandl]

Thank you for the responses.
I will put on all terrain tyres. As for recovery, I will buy:
- A compressor so I can deflate and re-inflate
- A recovery kit (kinetic strap, winch strap and buckles
- Sand/mud tracks
- Ratchet puller system (so I can manually 'winch' the car out)

Follow up questions:
- Can we rent a satellite phone?
- How many people are driving in these parks in December? i.e. If we get stuck, and our inexperience and lack of gear leaves us stuck, are we waiting for help for days or hours?
- Can we include the North section of the Central Kalahari back into our plans? i.e. are the roads much worse than the maun->Kasane and Makgakgadi in the wet season?

Thank you,
Tiaan

[Mr Bounce]

We really enjoyed Xakanaxa.

We spent many happy holidays at Xakanaxa in the 80s with our boat, trailer, and 3 young children when I worked at the diamond mine in Orapa. Never anyone around like at 3rd bridge. I thought the site had been taken over by one of the lodges. I'd really appreciate some current info on it. I've always held back on another trip up that way on the basis it would not be the paradise we remember.

[Jules_inAfrica]

Thank you for the responses.
I will put on all terrain tyres. As for recovery, I will buy:
- A compressor so I can deflate and re-inflate
- A recovery kit (kinetic strap, winch strap and buckles
- Sand/mud tracks
- Ratchet puller system (so I can manually 'winch' the car out)

Follow up questions:
- Can we rent a satellite phone?
- How many people are driving in these parks in December? i.e. If we get stuck, and our inexperience and lack of gear leaves us stuck, are we waiting for help for days or hours?
- Can we include the North section of the Central Kalahari back into our plans? i.e. are the roads much worse than the maun->Kasane and Makgakgadi in the wet season?

Thank you,
Tiaan

We always carry a sat phone because we're on our own as well. Haven't really needed it before, but we feel safer that way.
I think no one can comment on the road conditions for December because it all depends on the rains.
I've sent you a PM, well be in the area around the same time, maybe we can meet up

[CalDriver]

Thank you for the responses.
I will put on all terrain tyres. As for recovery, I will buy:
- A compressor so I can deflate and re-inflate
- A recovery kit (kinetic strap, winch strap and buckles
- Sand/mud tracks
- Ratchet puller system (so I can manually 'winch' the car out)

Follow up questions:
- Can we rent a satellite phone?
- How many people are driving in these parks in December? i.e. If we get stuck, and our inexperience and lack of gear leaves us stuck, are we waiting for help for days or hours?
- Can we include the North section of the Central Kalahari back into our plans? i.e. are the roads much worse than the maun->Kasane and Makgakgadi in the wet season?

Thank you,
Tiaan

You can rent a satphone from Sat4Rent, they occasionally post here on the forum, search for their posts for contact info (or Google)

I have not driven Moremi > Chobe in December, so I can't comment firsthand on the roads and number of visitors, but I'd guess there would be people in Moremi, and you wouldn't have to wait more than a couple of hours. At the end of the day or on the most remote tracks, well, then you might be waiting overnight. If you have a sat phone, get the number of someone from the gate when you check into the park.

If you have time, take a 1 day 4x4 class. I found it incredibly invaluable, and it gave me a lot more confidence in my vehicle.