Botswana Pula: About the Currency, Current Exchange Rates and Botswana Money

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Your Botswana Pula Guide

About the Currency, Current Exchange Rates and Botswana Money

When you visit Botswana for your safari, its a good idea to have some Botswana Pula (our local currency).

There are some services and products that you can only pay for in Pula.

Some of these include:

1. Shopping for groceries

2. Petrol (Gas) or diesel at service stations (some stations accept South African Rands)

3. Taxi fare and bus fare if you choose to travel by bus

It’s also a good idea to have some US dollars, Euros or Pounds because they can also come handy when tipping; since safari tour guides prefer to be tipped in these currencies.

In addition to that Dollars, Euros and Pounds are also accepted in most hotels and safari lodges.

However just to be on the safe side, try to confirm with your travel agent whether or not the hotel or safari lodge you'll be staying at accepts these currencies.

If you are doing your own bookings you could ask the hotel, lodge or the tour operator directly.

Old Notes and New Notes

New Botswana money notes were introduced in 2009 and only these notes can be used to pay for services and purchase goods.

If you happen to have the old notes you can exchange them for new notes at the Bank of Botswana either at Gaborone or Francistown.

Where to Get the Pula in Botswana

There are many places where you can get the Botswana Pula in Botswana.

Here are the most used and recommended places to change your currency to the Pula:

Local Banks
Bureau de change (plenty at airports)
Other certified Money exchange agencies

Safety Tip: Avoid changing your US dollars with illegal currency traders. There are plenty in Botswana, especially at bus stations.

Their rates can really be tempting, but remember that its illegal and if they cheat you (which they will most likely do), you really can’t do much because its illegal.

How to Get the Pula in Your Country

Since the Botswana Pula isn’t a major world currency, there is a high chance that you might not be able to get it from the banks in your country (unless you are visiting from South Africa or other African countries).

The best solution in this case is to change your currency to US Dollars and then change the Dollars to the Pula when you arrive in Botswana.

Euros and pounds can also be easily changed in Botswana.