There are no direct flights from the UK to Botswana – yet – but Gaborone Airport has been extended and improved (2016) and looks ready for international flights. Meanwhile, the journey requires a flight, first to Johannesburg (South Africa) and then a separate flight to Gaborone.
We suggest flying from your regional airport (eg Birmingham; Manchester ) to Paris (Charles de Gaulle Airport) and then fly to Johannesburg overnight. We recommend Air France who fly from Birmingham, Southampton, Newcastle, Edinburgh and Manchester.
If Gatwick or Heathrow suit you, there are direct flights by several airlines to Johannesburg but we haven’t tested these.
Choose a regional airport that is easily reached. For example, for Birmingham go by train to Birmingham International and catch the frequent tram (driverless; only a few minutes) to the airport. This saves the costs of car parking.
If you choose our suggested option, the flight to Paris takes about 1.5 hours (eg from Birmingham) and the overnight flight to Johannesburg takes about 10 hours. We recommend flying overnight because, with a set of earplugs, an eye mask and neck support, you will able to sleep and when you wake up, you’ll be in Johannesburg, with no jet lag.
The time difference is small: only one hour ahead of British Summer Time in Paris, Johannesburg and Botswana; two hours ahead of Greenwich Mean Time (ie the rest of the year).
The recommended flight from Johannesburg to Gaborone is by Air Botswana. It takes about one hour.
If you choose the overnight option to Johannesburg, it’s worth paying extra for a pair of seats at the back of the plane in economy class. You won’t then be disturbed in the middle of the night by other passengers trying to clamber out to get to the loo. You can sprawl across your seats and stretch your legs to the side to get comfortable without upsetting other passengers. The airline’s website will show you a diagram of the seating arrangements so you can make your choice. There will also be a menu choice if you have any food intolerances.
Some further advice:
When you do your first check in, make sure that your luggage is enabled to travel all the way from your first UK airport to Gaborone so that you don’t have to deal with it at each change of plane. This will work even for a change of airline, eg at Johannesburg when you are to travel to Gaborone by Air Botswana.
When booking your flights, take careful note of the timings as Paris, Johannesburg and Gaborone time is two hours ahead of the UK GMT (ie one hour ahead of British Summer Time).
Allow plenty of time (at least two hours) between flights to give time for leaving one plane, negotiating the airports’ arrival and departure gates, passing through customs and checking in for the next flight.
 Your airlines will tell you how to save time at airports by doing your check-in on line.
You don’t need visas for these journeys but you do need at least six months on your passport before it is due for renewal. It’s worth checking your passport and, if necessary, renewing it before making any bookings.
If you are taking children, there’s an extra requirement: children travelling to Botswana must have a certified copy of their full birth certificate. If the child is traveling with one parent or another adult, the parent(s) who are not present must provide an affidavit giving their consent for the child to travel.
NB We don’t receive a commission from Air France, Air Botswana or the hotels. We recommend them as the services we use ourselves.
Useful websites:
Air France: www.airfrance.co.ukÂ
Air Botswana: www.airbotswana.co.bwÂ
The UK Passport Office: www.gov.uk/apply-renew-passportÂ
Beware of spoof websites that will charge you extra to process your passport renewal.