Gaborone
Gaborone is Botswana’s capital, a planned city built from almost nothing in the years around independence and now home to somewhere over 230,000 people in the city proper. It sits in the southeast near the South African border, and it is the political, commercial and academic centre of the country rather than a safari destination. Most visitors pass through it for a night, though a spare day here holds more than the reputation suggests.
The City Built for Independence
Gaborone’s history is unusual among African capitals because almost none of it is old.
The name comes from Chief Gaborone of the Batlokwa, who led his people to this area from the Magaliesberg around 1880. A decade later Cecil Rhodes selected the settlement as the site of a colonial fort, and the abortive Jameson Raid into South Africa is said to have been planned there.
It remained little more than an administrative village until the territory then called Bechuanaland began moving toward independence. Gaborone was chosen as the site for the new capital on strategic grounds: a reliable water supply, proximity to the cross-continental railway, and a location free of the tribal capital politics that would have complicated choosing an existing town.
Construction began in the mid nineteen sixties and the country became independent in 1966.
That makes Gaborone a planned city barely older than many of its residents, which explains both its layout and its lack of a historic centre.
Gaborone was chosen partly because nobody already owned it. Building a new capital avoided raising any one tribal capital above the others, which for a country assembling itself out of several chiefdoms mattered.
The Three Dikgosi Monument
If you see one thing in Gaborone, this is the one that explains the country.
Three bronze figures stand in the central business district: Khama III of the Bangwato, Sebele I of the Bakwena and Bathoen I of the Bangwaketse.
In the late nineteenth century these three chiefs travelled to Britain to petition against their territories being handed to Cecil Rhodes’s British South Africa Company. They succeeded. Bechuanaland remained under Crown administration rather than company rule, and that outcome is why Botswana exists as a separate country today rather than as part of Rhodesia or South Africa. The Matsieng Footprints, a short drive north of the capital, make an easy half-day trip.
The monument depicts them standing side by side, and it is a compact history lesson as much as a photograph opportunity.
It sits close enough to the civic core that you can pair it with a walk around the government buildings and the National Assembly.
For anyone who has visited Old Palapye or Serowe, this closes the loop on Khama III.
Museums and Culture in Gaborone
The cultural offering is modest in scale and better than most visitors expect.
The National Museum and Art Gallery sits near the centre of town and holds collections of traditional crafts, southern African fine art and archaeological material. It is small, and it covers Botswana’s cultural heritage and contemporary art scene properly rather than superficially.
The Thapong Visual Arts Centre supports working artists and shows contemporary Botswana art, and the Maitisong Theatre runs performances across the year.
The National Archives holds the documentary record of the country’s formation.
Main Mall is the pedestrian heart of the older city, good for craft stalls, fresh produce, traditional textiles and street food, and it is the best place in the city for simply watching daily life.
The University of Botswana anchors the academic side of the city and gives Gaborone a student population that shows in its bars and music venues.
Wildlife Around Gaborone
You would not come to Gaborone for wildlife, and there is more of it here than you would think.
Mokolodi Nature Reserve sits a short drive south of the city and holds white rhino as part of a national breeding programme, alongside giraffe, antelope and a range of other species. Guided drives, walks and educational programmes run there, and it works well as a half day.
The Gaborone Game Reserve lies within the city itself and is small, easy and good for birds, with rhino, zebra and antelope present.
Kgale Hill on the southwestern edge is the city’s best walk, rising to 1,287 metres with panoramic views over Gaborone and the dam. It takes most people around an hour to climb.
Gaborone Dam is a recreation area, though both it and Kgale carry safety advice about crime and are best visited in daylight and in company.
None of this compares with the northern parks, and none of it is trying to.
Half a day. Three Dikgosi Monument and the civic core, the National Museum and Art Gallery, and a walk around Main Mall for craft stalls and street food.
A full day. Add Mokolodi Nature Reserve south of the city for white rhino and guided walks, or climb Kgale Hill early for the view over the capital.
Two days. Add Matsieng Footprints north of the city, the Phuthadikobo Museum at Mochudi, or Manyana rock paintings and Livingstone’s Tree to the southwest.
Eating and Staying in Gaborone
The capital holds the country’s only substantial restaurant scene, spread across the malls and the diplomatic district rather than concentrated in one quarter.
For traditional Setswana food, the restaurant behind the Botswana Craft store is the reliable recommendation and lets you combine a plate of seswaa with genuine craft shopping. This is one of the few places a visitor can eat local food comfortably, since Setswana cooking is largely home food rather than restaurant fare.
Beyond that, Brazilian-style grills, Portuguese cooking, South Indian, Chinese and fine dining all operate, alongside the familiar South African chains in the malls.
Accommodation runs from international business hotels to guesthouses and a small backpacker scene, and rates are geared to business travellers rather than tourists, which shows on weekdays.
Most safari visitors stay one night at either end of a trip, and choosing somewhere near the airport rather than in the centre saves time on an early departure.
One thing worth knowing about the rhythm of the city. Gaborone runs on a working week, so the malls and restaurants are busiest on weekdays and the centre empties considerably at weekends, when much of the population heads out to family villages. That makes a Saturday a poor day for the Main Mall and a good one for Kgale Hill or Mokolodi, which is the reverse of what most visitors assume.
Getting Around and Staying Safe
Gaborone is straightforward to move around and asks for the ordinary precautions of any capital city.
Sir Seretse Khama International Airport serves the city with connections to Johannesburg, Cape Town, Harare, Lusaka, Addis Ababa and the domestic network to Maun, Kasane and Francistown.
Licensed taxis carry blue number plates. Agree the fare before setting off, since meters are not universal, and have a hotel call a cab after dark rather than hailing one on the street. Combis serve the city cheaply on fixed routes.
On safety, petty crime is the concern rather than violence. Smash-and-grab incidents at traffic lights are documented, so keep windows up, doors locked and valuables out of sight while driving. Do not leave anything visible in a parked car.
Avoid Kgale Hill and the Gaborone Dam area after dark, and the Old Naledi neighbourhood as a rule. Walking alone at night in unlit areas is not advisable.
Gaborone is roughly a thousand kilometres from Maun and is not a practical starting point for a northern safari. If your trip is the Okavango and Chobe, fly into Maun or Kasane directly and treat Gaborone as a separate visit if it appeals at all.
Frequently Asked Questions About Gaborone
Is Gaborone worth visiting?
For a day, yes, particularly if you are already passing through. The Three Dikgosi Monument explains how Botswana came to exist as a separate country, the National Museum and Art Gallery covers the cultural heritage properly, and Mokolodi Nature Reserve south of the city holds white rhino. It is not a safari destination and it is not a historic city, since it was built from almost nothing around independence, so set expectations accordingly.
How big is Gaborone?
Somewhere over 230,000 people in the city proper, with figures commonly given between about 230,000 and 250,000 and considerably more across the wider metropolitan area. It is Botswana’s largest city and its political, commercial and academic centre, in a country of roughly 2.4 million people. Most of the national population lives in the eastern corridor running from Gaborone through Palapye and Serowe to Francistown.
Why is Gaborone the capital of Botswana?
It was chosen as the site for a new capital in the years before independence on strategic grounds: a reliable water supply, proximity to the cross-continental railway line, and a location that did not favour any existing tribal capital over the others. At the time it was little more than an administrative village. Construction began in the mid nineteen sixties and the country became independent in 1966, making it a planned city rather than a grown one.
What is the Three Dikgosi Monument?
Bronze statues of three chiefs, Khama III of the Bangwato, Sebele I of the Bakwena and Bathoen I of the Bangwaketse, standing in Gaborone’s central business district. In the late nineteenth century they travelled to Britain to petition against their territories being handed to Cecil Rhodes’s British South Africa Company. Their petition kept Bechuanaland under Crown administration rather than company rule, which is why Botswana exists as a separate country.
Can you see wildlife near Gaborone?
Yes, though on a very different scale from the northern parks. Mokolodi Nature Reserve a short drive south holds white rhino as part of a national breeding programme alongside giraffe and antelope, with guided drives and walks. The Gaborone Game Reserve within the city is small and good for birds. Kgale Hill on the southwestern edge offers a walk with chacma baboons, black eagles and panoramic views over the city.
Is Gaborone safe for visitors?
Broadly, with ordinary city precautions. Petty crime rather than violence is the concern, and smash-and-grab incidents at traffic lights are documented, so keep windows up, doors locked and valuables out of sight while driving, and leave nothing visible in parked cars. Avoid Kgale Hill and the Gaborone Dam area after dark and the Old Naledi neighbourhood. Use licensed taxis with blue plates and have a hotel call one at night.
Booking Your Botswana Trip
The safari companies and tour operators listed on this website put trips like this together for a living and know which camps, guides and routes actually deliver. We are an independent guide to Botswana; we do not book or sell tours ourselves.
When you are ready, arrange your safari, tour or holiday with one of the recognised operators listed here. Tell them your dates and what matters most, and a real person, not a form, will handle the itinerary, park bookings and logistics for you.