Six things about a Botswana safari that no itinerary puts a number against.

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The vehicle fee counts days, not nights

The fee for a foreign-registered vehicle under 3,500kg runs around €8 per day — and it is charged for every calendar day including arrival and departure. A three-night stay is billed as four vehicle-days.

Small money, but it is the shape of the charge that catches people, and the same logic repeats across the park charges below.

Park entry is separate from your campsite

These are two different bills, and quotes often show one:

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Euro figures converted from USD-sourced research at approximately €0.93/$1, so treat them as approximate.

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Wilderness campsites cannot be booked on arrival

Campsites inside Moremi, Chobe and the Central Kalahari must be booked in advance, directly with Botswana's Department of Wildlife. They are not first-come, first-served, and this is the step that most often catches self-drivers out.

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The yellow fever trap is about your layover, not your destination

Flying direct from Europe, you do not need a yellow fever certificate for Botswana.

Spend 12 or more hours in a yellow-fever country on the way in, and it becomes mandatory. That makes it a real trap if you are routing through Addis Ababa, Nairobi or Lagos — which many of the cheaper itineraries do.

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Check your layover duration, not just your destination.

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Two common clothing colours are the wrong ones

Blue and black both attract tsetse flies. Bright white simply stands out badly on a drive. Khaki, tan, beige and muted green are the working answer.

On a related note: bring spare batteries and memory cards, because charging is not reliable at remote camps, and plan on at least 3L of water per person per day given six to ten hours a day in open vehicles.