---
title: Do Solo Travellers Pay More on a Botswana Safari? Single Supplements, Explained
date: 2026-07-04T02:24:40Z
modified: 2026-07-04T15:20:41Z
permalink: "https://www.thesafaripartners.com/do-solo-travellers-pay-more-on-a-botswana-safari-single-supplements-explained/"
type: post
status: publish
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wpid: 333860
categories:
  - Blog
  - Southern Africa
---

By Chris Ronneseth, The Safari PartnersLast updated: 03 July 2026 THE SHORT ANSWERSingle supplements in Botswana typically run 30% to 50% of the per-person rate, and in peak season some camps simply charge the full double rate. But the waivers are generous if you time it right. Wilderness and the Jao Collection charge no supplement for the first two single rooms in a booking outside the peak months, and Ker & Downey Botswana, Desert & Delta and African Bush Camps charge none in the low and shoulder seasons, while Great Plains applies the supplement only from the second single room. Travel outside the peak season and a solo traveller can pay the same per-person rate as a couple at some of the best camps in the Okavango Delta. Botswana is the most expensive major safari destination in Africa by design. Its long-standing low-volume, high-value tourism policy keeps camps tiny and visitor numbers low, which is exactly why the Okavango Delta feels the way it does. For solo travellers, though, that model sharpens the single supplement question, because the per-night rates the percentage applies to are higher than anywhere else on the continent. Getting the timing and the brand right matters more in Botswana than in any other country we book. We are a full-service safari consultancy based in Vancouver, and we plan and book trips across East and Southern Africa for travellers in Canada and the United States. We have covered how single supplements work in East Africa in a companion guide; this one is for Botswana specifically, the Delta, the Linyanti, the Kalahari, and the brands we work with most at the four and five star level. Why are single supplements higher in Botswana? Because the camps are smaller and the beds are scarcer. A typical high-end Botswana camp has six to ten tents, sits alone in a vast private concession, and flies its supplies in. Rates are built on double occupancy, and every tent carries the same fixed costs whether one guest or two sleeps in it. When a camp has only eight tents to sell for the entire year, an empty bed is a bigger share of its revenue than at a forty-room lodge, so supplements trend toward the top of the 30% to 50% range, and peak-season camps often charge full double occupancy rather than discount the space at all. There is one piece of good news built into the Botswana model. Because trips run camp to camp by light aircraft on per-seat rates, and game drives are shared camp activities led by the camp’s own guides, a solo traveller pays no vehicle or transfer premium at all. You buy one seat on the plane and one seat in the Land Cruiser, exactly like each half of a couple. The supplement on the bed is the only real solo cost, which is why the waivers below matter so much. Which Botswana brands waive the single supplement? Most of the majors now publish some form of solo relief, each with its own mechanics. Wilderness, whose camps define the high end of the Okavango Delta and the Linyanti, charges no supplement for the first two single travellers in a booking during the low and shoulder months, typically November to March, though for Botswana the offer excludes May, peak and festive dates. Great Plains Conservation builds it into published rates: in shoulder and low seasons the first single room carries no supplement, with the charge applying only from the second single room. Ker & Downey Botswana and its sister company Desert & Delta Safaris charge no single supplements in the shoulder and low seasons; note that their peak season begins in May for 2027 travel, so the waiver window is tighter than it once was. African Bush Camps likewise charges no supplement in the low and shoulder seasons. The Jao Collection, which operates six camps within the private Jao Reserve in the western Delta, confirmed its 2027 rates to us directly: no single supplement on the first two single rooms per booking through its green and shoulder seasons. The reserve has also simplified its seasonal calendar for 2027 into green, shoulder, shoulder high and peak, with October now classed as shoulder high, which makes one of the Delta’s most rewarding months noticeably better value even where the solo waiver does not apply. The table below summarizes policies as of mid 2026. BrandSolo policy (published or trade-confirmed)WildernessNo supplement for the first two single travellers per booking in low and shoulder season, roughly November to March; excludes May, peak and festive dates in BotswanaGreat Plains ConservationIn shoulder and low seasons, the supplement applies only from the second single room in a bookingThe Jao Collection (Jao Reserve)No single supplement on the first two single rooms per booking in green and shoulder seasons, per 2027 rates (travel 6 January 2027 to 5 January 2028)Ker & Downey BotswanaNo single supplements in shoulder and low season; peak season begins in May for 2027 travelDesert & Delta SafarisNo single supplements in shoulder and low season, same policy as sister company Ker & DowneyAfrican Bush CampsNo single supplement in low and shoulder seasons Treat those policies as a snapshot rather than a promise. Botswana brands re-cut their seasonal calendars more often than most, waiver windows shift from one year’s rate sheet to the next, and several of the offers above apply only to the first one or two single rooms in a booking. When we quote a solo Botswana itinerary, we confirm the current policy at every camp before you commit, and we often find unpublished trade offers that never appear on public rate sheets. When is the best time for a solo safari in Botswana? The green season, roughly December to March, is when the waivers and the lower base rates stack, and it is a far better time to visit than its quiet reputation suggests. The Kalahari is at its liveliest, with zebra on the move and predators following, the birding is exceptional, and afternoon storms build skies that photographers dream about. Rates at the same camp can be a third of peak pricing before the solo waiver is even applied. The trade-off to understand is water. The Okavango’s flood arrives from Angola months after the local rains, so the Delta’s water levels typically peak from around June to August, which is also peak season and peak pricing. If a mokoro through flooded channels is the heart of your Botswana picture, some water activities in the green season depend on the camp and the year, and we will steer you to camps on permanent water. If your picture is big game, big skies and value, the green season is one of the best-kept secrets in southern Africa. Is Botswana a good destination for travelling alone? It is one of the best, provided the budget works. The fly-in model means you are handed from pilot to guide to camp manager all the way down the line, with no self-driving and no logistics to manage. Camps are small enough that solo guests are folded into camp life within a day, dinners are hosted and communal at most properties, and the shared activity model means you are in the vehicle or the mokoro with other guests by default. For solo women, that end-to-end structure is a big part of why Botswana books so well. I would add one honest note about atmosphere. Botswana’s smallest and most exclusive camps draw honeymooners and private groups in peak season, and a solo guest at an eight-tent camp full of couples can feel like a spare wheel on a bad night. It rarely plays out that way in practice, but if it is a worry, we will point you toward camps with bigger communal energy and hosts who are known for weaving a table together. When is paying the supplement actually worth it? Sometimes the right move is to pay it and not look back. If you want the Delta in full flood, July to October is when Botswana does the thing only Botswana can do, and supplements or full double rates are simply part of the price of that window. The same logic applies to specific camps. If the camp you have dreamed about is the trip, a waiver-chasing itinerary built around lesser camps to save the supplement is a false economy. A supplement on the right camp beats free nights at the wrong one. Our advice is to decide what your Botswana picture actually is, water or wildlife density or value, and let that drive the season. The supplement math follows from there, not the other way around. Frequently asked questions How much is a single supplement in Botswana? Typically 30% to 50% of the per-person rate, higher than the East African norm, and some camps charge the full double rate in peak season. How can a solo traveller avoid the supplement in Botswana? Travel in the low or shoulder season, roughly November to March, when Wilderness, the Jao Collection, Ker & Downey Botswana, Desert & Delta and African Bush Camps waive it and Great Plains exempts the first single room. Do solo travellers pay more for Botswana’s light aircraft transfers? No. Inter-camp flights are sold per seat, and game drives and mokoro outings are shared camp activities, so a solo traveller pays exactly what each half of a couple pays for everything except the bed. Which season is cheapest for a solo Botswana safari? The green season, December to March. Base rates drop sharply, single supplement waivers are widest, and the Kalahari and birding are at their best. Water-based activities vary by camp and year in those months. Is Botswana safe for solo female travellers? Yes, among the safest safari models anywhere. The fly-in circuit hands you from pilot to guide to camp host end to end, with no self-driving, and camps are staffed around the clock. Do the waivers apply to more than one solo traveller in a group? Usually only the first one or two single rooms in a booking are covered. Wilderness applies its waiver to the first two single travellers, and Great Plains exempts the first single room only, so a group of friends each wanting their own tent should have us confirm the numbers before booking. Botswana rewards planning more than any destination we book, and that is doubly true for solo travellers. Time the trip to the waiver windows and the country’s famous price tag softens considerably; chase the flood in peak season and the supplement is simply part of an experience that has no substitute. Either way, the right answer starts with what you want the trip to be. If you are thinking about Botswana on your own and have questions about seasons, camps or costs, please feel free to let me know.