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Capital and largest city of Botswana
Photo: Njengabenngugi, CC BY-SA 4.0 via Wikimedia Commons
Gaborone is the capital of Botswana. It is in the south of the country, near the border to South Africa. Generally it is a clean, safe and functioning city that is spreading ever further outwards into a suburban sprawl that today measures about 15 km from east to west.
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BAPS Swaminarayan Hindu Mission
A large Hindu temple and a major landmark. Major Hindu festivals are celebrated here.
Three bronze statues of the chiefs Khama III of the Bangwato, Sebele I of Bakwena and Bathoeng I of Bangwaketse, who travelled to the Great Britain in 1895, to ask the British to rule Botswana directly rather than letting it be incorporated into the British South Africa Company and Southern Rhodesia. The monument was a gift from North Korea and inaugurated in 2005.
Statue of the country's first president.
Operated by the National Museum, here you can see indigenous plants from all six ecological regions in Botswana.
Do not forget to make the pleasant climb up Kgale Hill, one of Botswana's highest hills (at 1,287 m elevation). It provides a magnificent view over the city and surrounding areas. Be careful of the baboons, though, and do not stray off the path. There are no guides, and there is no entrance fee to worry about. Do go - but only when there are other cars in the parking lot. The best time is M-F 4PM - 6PM. The middle of a weekend day is not a good time. Going up without other cars in the lot near the quarry risks being robbed by knife.
Actually a mountain biking rather than cycling club.
The Gaborone Dam is the only large body of water near Gaborone, the source of water for the city and a recreational area. There are yacht and fishing clubs based here, as well as playgrounds and parks. It's a great place for activities such as birdwatching, windsurfing or angling, but unsuitable for swimming due to the risk of bilharzia and crocodiles.
The highlight of many people's time is a cheetah visit where you can actually pet a cheetah. On a two-hour game drive you might see baboons, giraffe, wart hogs, zebra, elephant, hippo, etc. The guides are always very nice.
One of the smaller game reserves, if you have a car you can just drive yourself around. Mostly birds, but some monkeys, wart hog, ostrich, zebras, wild boars, and kudus. It has picnic spots, but be careful of monkeys and ostriches.
sold all over the government district on weekdays
Quick and simple lunch of rice and veg (P10) or rice, veg and meat (P20). Tasty and filling.
One of the best lunch places in down. Real Italian food. Imported products. Amazing pastas and pizzas. Beef lasagne especially, at P55 for huge portion.
Authentic and good value Chinese with an extensive menu, including such delights as Crispy Pork Intestines with Hot Dry Chili. Also covers more standard 'beef in black bean sauce' type dishes. The Devil Soup at P10 and the noodle dishes at P30 are particularly good value.
Bar & restaurant serves up a range of meat-centred dishes; does a pretty good job.
Unfussy south Asian cuisine serving a range of meat and veg dishes, including several daals. Nice setting overlooking the golf course, with indoor and outdoor seating. Closed Mondays. Mains P40-60.
Perhaps Gaborone's most expensive restaurant. Serves excellent and huge meat dishes, including some game, but beef is in the ascendancy. Desserts are good also (including the lovely malva pudding). Atmosphere is pretty nice for a hotel restaurant, although there are no windows.
Excellent Indian food including southern dishes such as dosas. Not much for ambiance but great food.
One of the few suburban house restaurants in the city. Nominally Portuguese menu including a good selection of seafood, and Mozambican beer. The outdoor patio area has a very nice ambiance. Open for dinner 7 nights a week. Food is a little hit and miss, and the prices are in expat territory, but worth giving a try.
A hidden gem. It's a garden centre that has a large cafe for breakfast, lunch or brunch. Has a children's playground also.
Close to the Mondior Summit, News Café is popular even with outside guests. The menu centres on "European style" dishes, but with some interesting twists. The place really shines in the cocktail department. On Friday and Saturday nights, the music is often cranked up loud even though there is no dance floor, so sit outside if you want to make conversation. Staff are young and sometimes inexperienced, but most of the time the service is quite good. Prices are somewhat above the regular fare in Gaborone, but then so is the quality. They have Happy Hour from 17:00-18:00. Buy 1 get 1 free on all cocktails.
Upmarket restaurant which serves buffet lunch, à la carte lunch and dinner. It seats 96 people inside and has a terrace which seats 120 people. One can also relax in the Pavilion Bar for snacks and beverages.
Excellent Indian food located in the Riverwalk Mall. Note: food can take up to one hour, especially if with large group. Mains around P60.
Botswana's only Ethiopian restaurant. On Fridays through Sundays this cafe serves pretty good injera with all the trimmings for P80. Also does great coffee and is cleaner and quieter than Equatorial Coffee around the corner. Closed evenings Sunday-Thursday.
Set under a thatched roof at the back of the Oasis Motel this place serves up flavoursome Indian & Pakistani cooking. However, perhaps because of its hotel location, prices are a little steep and portion sizes disappointing. Takeaway and delivery possible.
Free wireless, great coffee, delicious and healthy food. A great place for catching up on e-mail or chatting with friends on a lazy Saturday morning. Frequented by expats. Inside Game City.
South African chain coffee and lunch place. Located upstairs in Game City Mall, makes for a noisy indoor shopping mall vibe with adequate coffee.
Nando's is a bit spicy, and much better chicken than at KFC. Costs about P50 for a meal (chicken, soda, chips). It's in the African Mall, Game City Mall, BBS Mall and Riverwalk Mall, one is under construction in the Main Mall, at the east end adjacent to Orange. For a different taste, try Barcelos which is just across from Nandos in African mall.
Pies are flaky dough filled with meat or vegetables (called Patties in some other parts of the world). Costs about P5.50 for a pie, P6.75 for a drink. Wide variety of fillings.
A popular pizza restaurant that also does deliveries.
English pub in north part of [Gaborone]. A common ex-pat hangout big-screen TV and pool tables. Friday night is usually for the younger kids, Saturday night for the adults. The food is excellent, especially the pizza and ribs. The last Wednesday of the month is quiz night (or quizzo) where teams compete on trivia for prizes. Monday night is Rib night and well worth a visit!
Jazz club with decent drinks and great music.
Hidden away down a dusty track to the side of Gaborone dam the Yacht Club bar makes a great sun-downer location. Opening hours are limited, simple food available (e.g., steak-burger & chips P45).
Used mainly to host private or special DJ events such as The Thursdays Hip Hop Night.The event is a great chance to have a taste of local music and drinks on special prices.
Slightly aging compound offering serviced studio, one and two bed apartments and town houses. Daily, monthly and yearly rates available with prices from P9,500/month for a studio up to P13,500/month for a town house. Book well in advance. Internet is available at a price.
Comfortable serviced studio and one-bed apartments offering monthly rentals. Wifi is included. P9,000/month for a double room up to P13,500/month for a one-bed apartment. Pretty popular so book well in advance.
Long running expat houseshare for multi-month long stays.
Camping with own tent. and dorm beds. just off the Gaborone Lobatse highway. has to be the most low cost place to stay in Gaborone.
Small hotel with a larger wing being constructed out back. Basic but charming design. Staff and amenities are still working out some glitches, for instance assuring that plugs on appliances match outlets.
Boutique bed & breakfast.
Small lodge with about 10 rooms a few minutes from Riverside mall. The grounds are quiet, but it does feel a little like a car park. Rooms have a/c and DSTV. No internet or Wi-Fi. Some rooms only have baths (no shower). Not a bad option if looking for somewhere cheap to crash overnight. The prices on the website are long out-of-date.
Good value lodge a 1-km walk from Riverside Mall. Rooms have a/c, flatscreen DSTV, fridge, free wi/fi, and are clean and sunny. There is a small pool and pleasant garden out back, with plenty of birdlife contributing to the atmosphere. Cooked breakfasts also nice.
Opened in 1983 Oasis Motel is one of the older hotels in the city. 110 rooms, good sized pool, internet, a/c and DSTV. It is a bit far from town if you don't have a car, and lots of noise from the road. The Moghul Indian restaurant is on site.
Gaborone's flashy business hotel, opened in 2012 and is something of a landmark. Architecture is akin to what you find in the financial districts of European capitals. The highlight is the rooftop pool.
Once the premier hotel in the city, the Gabs Sun is now getting a little old and flabby, with the better staff having been poached by the Monidor and Grand Palm hotels, and hence service can be a bit grumpy and slapdash. Nevertheless it has a lovely pool and bar area (happy hour 6-7PM), and some of the rooms (in particular rooms 203–231 odd numbers) are nice, catching the morning sun glinting off the pool. Facilities comprise ubiquitous casino (read: slot machines), squash courts, small gym, conference facilities, buffet breakfast, pay-as-you-go internet etc. At P900 and up a night its poor value, but with most guests being Government or businesspeople it can get away with these rates.
Easily the loveliest hotel in Gaborone. Bordering 5-star status, this hotel is a modern oasis with a modern front entrance, a casino to the left and a gigantic and impressive conference centre (The GICC) to the right, marked by an eagle figure flying over a fountain. Out back the hotel has a large swimming pool and a moderately sized lakes that birds frequent. There is also a pool bar that serves food, a children's playground and further afield there is a boma that does barbecue (braai) events and parties. There is also a tennis court and plenty of lush green grass. Inside there is a squash court and a leisure centre.
The cheaper 3-star hotel on the Grand Palm site - but rates are still steep, in part because you can still use all the facilities of the Walmont. Breakfast is served in the F.L.A.G. Café.
With small outdoor swimming pool and jacuzzi. Wifi Internet available in all rooms, for a charge.
Established in 1972 by Swedish apartheid refugee Peder Gowenius this small enterprise produces pleasing tapestries of village scenes and the like (P1,000 for a good-sized piece). Any visitor will be encouraged to see the workshop and chat with the weavers.
Game store in the Game City Mall is the largest super store in Botswana and has got variety of low-cost, medium quality items.
Curiously located in the middle of an industrial estate, Botswana Craft is a little oasis comprising a handful of little cafes and art shops. It's a little too Arikaaner flavoured for some, but an interesting place to browse if you are passing. If you want to buy a Buddhist statue or some scented candles this is the place to go.
Great little bike shop selling refurbished cycles shipped from the US, together with fancy new mountain bikes and accessories. Considerably more professional than nearby Gaborone Garage and Cycles.
By plane
Taxi rides from the airport to the city centre cost P150 (pula). It costs less going to the airport, P60-80.
By bus
You can arrive from most big cities in the country by bus. However, do arrive at the bus station early, as the buses can fill up very quickly, and sometimes just leave as soon as they are full.
By cab
A cab is a private taxi or a "special" which takes you directly from your origin to destination. This may be a public taxi with a blue licence plate or a privately run cab.
By combi
Combis are white vans that are like mini-buses. Combis cost P6, as of 2022.
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Gaborone · International · GBE
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