Botswana Interesting Facts

Public Holidays

Date 2005 Occasion
January 1 New Year's Day
March 25 Good Friday
March 27 Easter
March 28 Easter Monday
May 1 Labour Day
May 5 Ascension
July 1 Sir Seretse Khama Day
July 15-16 President's Day Holiday* 
September 30 Botswana Day 
December 25 Christmas Day  
December 26 Boxing Day

Weekend  - Sunday

Customs & Duties

Customs and Duties are applicable to visitors who are above the age of 18. You can bring in 400 cigarettes or 250 gm of tobacco, 2 litres of wine and 1 litre of alcohol, 50ml of perfume, a reasonable amount of film for personal use and gifts up to the value of 136-pound sterling. All currency and cameras must be declared on arrival.

Electricity

Electricity in Botswana is AC 220/240 Volts, 50Hz and 13 and 15 Amp plug sockets are used.

Post & Communications

Postal services are good and affordable. You require some kind of identification to pick up your parcels from post offices. A letter outside the country will cost you about US$1. The post offices run from 8:15 am to 4 pm during weekdays. Speed post and courier services are available. Telephone facilities are offered around post offices in the major cities. Internet services and telegram facilities are also available in all the big cities.

Weights and measures

The metric system is used in the country.

Tipping

Tipping is not mandatory. Taxi drivers for instance are not generally tipped. In most places, a service charge of 10% has instead been introduced.

English Language Media

Botswana boasts of 5 English newspapers, which are the Botswana daily news, The Mid-Week Sun, The Reporter, The Botswana Gazette and The Botswana Guardian.