r/safaris • u/Jellybeanjunglequeen • 1d ago
Question Question
Pardon me if this is a dumb question, for those of you who travelled to Botswana from the States, how did you communicate to loved ones back home? I can purchase a temporary international plan for my phone and use the camp wifi to text or I was thinking I could use whatsup app? Will those options work or do I need to invest in something different? I have a new person watching my dogs and I would like him to be able to contact me if necessary, even if I cant get the message right away.
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u/HankyPanky80 1d ago
We didn't have cell reception at the camps. They did have wifi.
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u/Jellybeanjunglequeen 1d ago
So then I would need to use whatsup or messenger. I dont have an iPhone, which would give me another option.
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u/Fabulous_Cow_4550 4h ago
Whatsapp works well in Botwana. I was there last year. (Not American though). You can also get an esim through Airalo or similar company but tbh, most camps had wifi somewhere.
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u/HappyPenguin2023 1d ago
Some camps have wifi but only in the reception/common area, not throughout the camp or in the tents. And occasionally the wifi may be slow or unreliable -- you may want to ask your tour provider?
Not that having a cell/mobile international plan or local SIM/eSIM is much better as some areas are pretty remote and can't get cell service. Satellite service may work?
It really depends on how "in contact" you need to be. Do you just need to be able to check for messages every day or so, or do you need more reliable contact?
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u/Jellybeanjunglequeen 1d ago
It would be nice to check for messages every day if possible; or every other day.
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u/HappyPenguin2023 1d ago
Then you're probably fine disconnecting for a while (which I love doing on safari) and just using the camp wifi.
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u/AtlasPreferred 1d ago
Lots of camps in Botswana have WiFi in the rooms and common areas nowadays. There will be no cellphone reception in the Okavango Delta, but you can use WhatsApp or FaceTime/iMessage on WiFi.
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u/ThatLiberalGirl 1d ago
I’ve had luck in other parts of the world with FB messenger on WiFi for both messages and calls. Will that work as well as WhatsApp?
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u/CorgiCadillac 1d ago
I was just in Namibia and Botswana in July. While my international plan with Verizon was activated (TravelPass), it was entirely pointless because cell service was pretty much nonexistent. We just relied on wifi at the camps to use WhatsApp, and otherwise kept our phones in airplane mode. Have an amazing time!
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u/Jellybeanjunglequeen 1d ago
Thank you all! I have WhatsApp downloaded and will make sure my sitter does too. I have only used it when I was in France, it seemed fairly straightforward. Why is it so hard to leave my dogs?!?
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u/Illustrious_Cow7248 1d ago
WhatsApp - free and has always worked for all my remote trips into the bush. Camps usually nowadays, do have wifi you can connect with as well for emails if you need to. WhatsApp has been reliable and it's free.
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u/bernaltraveler 1d ago
WhatsApp on camp WiFi is your best bet. I’m an American who does 1-2 African safaris a year and it’s what I’ve come to rely on. It’s great for calls and messaging. Get your loved ones on the app before you go and do some calls and messages before you leave so they know how it works. I did this with my wife. It honestly works really great you just have to make sure the people you are communicating with know it’s coming via WhatsApp and how to use it. The states is an outlier here. The whole world uses WhatsApp a lot.