Malaria Precautions before you TravelBotswana is a malaria risk area,Anti-malaria medication is a must – and you should consult your doctor in this regard. Anti-malarial medication should commence at least a week before leaving for your trip. Precautions such as long-sleeved shirts and jeans for wearing in the evenings will reduce your chances of mosquito bites. Pack some mosquito repellent, cream or spray, for applying to your hands, face and neck. This will help keep the mosquitoes at bay. Yellow FeverYou will have to be inoculated against this disease at least 10 days before departing for South Africa. At the time of your inoculation you will be issued with a Yellow Fever Certificate which you should keep with all your other travel documents.
Make a photo-copy of your certificate and keep it elsewhere in your luggage.
If you inoculation is administered LESS THAN 10 before departure, or if you are not in possession of your certificate, you can be refused entry in to the country.
This applies to most countries in Africa. Personal SafetyThe tourist areas of Botswana are very safe as they are remote and most can only be accessed by light aircraft. This prevents the spread of criminal activity to the lodges. There is some crime in the major centers but as a visitor you should take all the reasonable precautions for your personal safety, that you would in your home city. About Vetinary FencesThe vet fences were set up by the Botswana government to prevent the movement of wildlife into the domestic beef herds. The European Union, which buys Botswana's beef, stipulated that the country should control foot and mouth disease for the import agreement to continue. As Botswana is a big beef producer [second biggest export] the fences were deemed the solution to protect the beef industry. As to whether the fences will impact a holiday – the answer is a very definite NO! They do not hinder the movement of wildlife anymore. The wildlife has adapted to the fences and there will be no sign to indicate how close you are to a fence from wherever you are staying.
At any Botswana border entry post, travellers are required to walk across a damp mat trough where a pesticide solution will sanitize the soles of your shoes. If you are driving your own vehicle, you will be required to drive it through a dip trough in order to do the same thing for your vehicle tyres. | 
