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Driving in Botswana
The rules of the road as our desk recorded them, native unit first.
Driving side
Left
Speed limits
60 / 120 / 120 km/h · 37 / 75 / 75 mph
urban / rural / motorway
International permit (IDP)
Not required
An English-language licence is accepted; other licences need an IDP alongside.
Blood alcohol limit
0.08%
Tolls
None.
Headlights
Not required by day.
Child seats
No effective requirement.
Park tracks are deep sand and demand a proper 4WD, low-range gearing and tyre-pressure management - this is not a country to learn off-road driving in. Elephants have right of way and mean it. Foot-and-mouth control gates require you to drive through disinfectant and declare meat and dairy; they are on the main routes and are not optional.