Botswana on a British Licence — Same Side of the Road, IDP Recommended

Here is the part British drivers will be glad to read first: Botswana drives on the left, exactly like the UK, so there is no side switch to unlearn — the single biggest source of foreign-driving accidents simply does not apply to you here. Your UK licence is accepted for a tourist visit, and an International Driving Permit is recommended as a sensible backup to carry with your passport. Arrange the IDP at home; it is quick and cheap.

With the licence and the side of the road both sorted, the real challenge in Botswana is the landscape, not the rules. This is a large, sparsely populated country, and the gaps between towns — and between fuel stations — can be enormous. Treat fuel as something you plan around: fill up whenever you can rather than waiting until you need to, and carry water. Mobile coverage thins out fast away from the main centres, so download offline maps before you leave Gaborone.

The hazard that catches visitors most is wildlife and livestock on the road. Animals stray onto rural routes without warning, and a collision at speed with anything large is serious. The risk climbs sharply at dawn, dusk and after dark, which is the strongest argument for not driving at night out of town at all. Slow right down through villages, where people and animals share the road edge.

On the documented rules: the town limit is 50 km/h, rural roads 80 and the better highways 100, and the drink-drive limit is 0.08 — the same figure many UK drivers know, but with thin policing and long empty roads, zero alcohol is the only sensible policy here. Fuel sits around $1.02 a litre and the emergency number is 112.

For the full picture, read the Botswana driving guide, and confirm exactly what to carry with the Driving Permit Checker. The Speed Limit Map is a useful reference for long cross-country legs.