I just keep finding reasons to post - sorry for so many questions, but first Africa trip. I am going to Botswana with my family in June. Husband and I are flying in to Jo Berg on a different flight and meeting up with parents before going to Zambia. Once in Botswana we will be at different camps for the first five nights and will meet at the end of the trip to spend our last three safari nights together. This was done due to our differing interests and financial situations. My parents are approaching 70 (very fit), but would prefer a "life line" in terms of being able to be in contact with me. So with that very long prelude:

Are there any phones that will work in SA and Botswana? If so, what is the most economical way to set this up.

Thanks as always,
Laura

I doubt that any cell phone works in the remote areas of Botswana.
We´ve been lucky at Lebala, sometimes we were able to receive net via Namibia, which is pretty close to Lebala.
Thomas

If you have a GSM phone with the correct bands, you should be able to either roam on your carrier, or buy a prepaid sim there. Of course, getting signal in the remote areas may be an issue.

When we were camping at the Ihaha campsite in Chobe NP this past August, we were astonished to discover that the German couple on the next campsite were talking to their family back home on a cell phone (brought from home, not rented locally). We thought we were in the middle of nowhere, but not quite! Robin

We had no GSM service in 2006 in the Okavango Delta. The camps can be contacted through their communications links so if you have a major problem they will be able to help you. There was a wildfire at another camp while we were in Botswana and they made all the arrangements to transfer the people to and fro so I know they have communications. Our GSM phones worked everywhere else, but it was (shockingly) cheaper to use the hotel phones than our cells - by a lot! If you HAVE to have a lifeline, you'll have to invest in satellite phones for both parties to be sure.