Hotels

Hotels in Botswana's towns tend to be aimed at visiting business-people, in which case they're functional but boring, regardless of price level. That said, they're also generally clean and rarely unpleasant. Expect costs to be around P180–240 (US$30–40/£20–27) per person sharing per night.

Guesthouses

In the last few years a few guesthouses have sprung up in Botswana's larger towns, including Maun, but these are still very limited, and often so suburban that they're only practical if you've got your own vehicle.

Lodges and camps

Botswana's lodges and camps vary from palatial residences crafted by top designers to simple spots with a few small tents, and a table in the shade. Given that range, the vast majority have rooms which are at least as comfortable as a good hotel room.

When the words 'tented camp' are mentioned, forget your memories of cramped scout tents and think instead of canvas designer chic. En-suite flushing toilets, running hot and cold water and battery-powered lights are standard, while many have electric fans. A few (eg: Gametracker's camps) have air conditioning. Only the odd old stalwarts, like the delightfully simple walking trails camps at Selinda, still use traditional long-drop loos.

Note that expensive does not always mean luxurious. Some of the top camps are very simply constructed. As a quid pro quo, looking for basic, simple camps won't make your trip any cheaper. You're usually paying for virtually exclusive use of pristine wilderness areas, and will find little cost difference between a tiny bush-camp and the largest lodge. In fact, if anything there's increasingly a premium on space in the smaller camps. These need booking earlier as many find these friendlier than the larger ones.