Although international flights arrive in Gaborone courtesy of several African and British airlines, it's usually cheaper to do your long-haul flying to Harare or Victoria Falls (Zimbabwe), Windhoek (Namibia) or Johannesburg (South Africa), then travel overland. You can enter overland from all of Botswana's neighbours, though you'll have to put your car tyres and your shoes through cattle-dip (to prevent the spread of foot and mouth disease) before Botswana will let you in. The Trans-Namib bus runs between Ghanzi and Gobabis (Namibia). Buses and Minibuses run between Gaborone and Johannesburg. Buses to Zimbabwe include the Gaborone to Francistown, Bulawayo and Harare service and the Kasane to Victoria Falls service. The bus line between Livingstone (Zambia), Victoria Falls and Windhoek passes through Kasane. To get to Zambia otherwise, you need to catch the Kazungula ferry over the Zambezi River.

Flights are scheduled regularly between Botswana's four major cities, but fares are expensive. Botswana has six major bus routes and a good train line running through Francistown, Gaborone and Lobatse with service that's reliable and inexpensive. Overall, however, Botswana's public transport is a joke, and - though it's never entirely safe - this is one country where you may want to hitchhike. The practice of hitching is so institutionalised that it carries a set charge - about US$0.05 per 10 km (6mi). If you're hitching the back roads, make sure you've got camping gear and enough food and water to keep you going for several days of waiting.