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Tips & Traps
Insider advice from Local Friends and travelers. What to do, and what to avoid, city by city.
- TipA place or a move worth it
- TrapWhat to avoid, and how
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Insider advice from Local Friends and travelers. What to do, and what to avoid, city by city.
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Each 30 April the Botswana Society for Jazz Education marks International Jazz Day with an evening concert of local bands and the BOSJE Big Band, plus a guest act. The 2025 and 2026 editions took place at Botswana Craft, while 2023 was at Molapo Piazza, so confirm the venue first. The next day is a public holiday, so…
Gaborone is easy by day, but after dark both Canada's travel advice and local guides say to avoid walking alone. Ask the restaurant or your hotel to call a taxi for the return, and save that driver's number for the end of the night. At traffic lights and corners keep your phone out of sight. Plan evenings so that…
Cabs in Gaborone have no meter, so the price is whatever you agree before moving. Ask the fare first, repeat it back, and confirm the destination by landmark. Official advice favors taxis from reputable companies, booked by phone or through your hotel, over hailing one in the street. If the fare feels off, thank the…
Gaborone's cabs are unmetered, but ride-hailing apps such as inDrive show the route and let you propose a fare, which the driver accepts or counters. They are handy in the evening, when a booked ride beats flagging one down. Send the driver a landmark pin rather than a street name, and keep small notes for tips or…
The yacht club sits on an island in Gaborone Dam, reached by a causeway that works all year, and its open-air bar is a popular sundowner spot. Birdwatchers come for herons and flamingos, and the sun sets behind Kgale Hill. Arrive an hour before dusk, bring a zoom lens for the birds, and ask the club about visiting…
On hot days the dam looks like a beach, but swimming is not allowed or recommended because of crocodiles and bilharzia. Locals use it for birdwatching, fishing and non-motorised water sports through the Gaborone Yacht Club. If you want to cool off, use a hotel pool and keep the dam for sunsets and bird spotting from…
For a night among giraffe and zebra without leaving the capital's orbit, Mokolodi Nature Reserve south of the city has camping and basic lodging, and a restaurant overlooking the bush. Contact the reserve ahead, since bookings are handled by phone, and ask whether you can add a guided drive or walk. It also works as a…
Mokolodi Nature Reserve, a short drive south of the city on the Lobatse road, offers more than a loop drive. Besides two-hour game drives it runs white rhino and giraffe tracking, guided walks and horseback rides. Book activities in advance, and ask when you reserve whether the reserve is open, since it sometimes…
Thapong Visual Arts Centre is a membership-based art space with a gallery and working studios, so you see art on the walls and in the making. Ask staff whether artists are in the studios that day and whether an exhibition is on, since shows change through the year. The centre also runs workshops and hosts…
The National Museum and Art Gallery is more than the permanent history displays. It also hosts temporary exhibitions, from photography to national art shows, and local artists sometimes exhibit in the gallery. Ask at the entrance or the museum's social channels what is on before you go, because the programme changes…
For a handwoven basket, start at Botswana Craft, a Gaborone business founded in 1970 that buys baskets from rural makers, many of them women in Ngamiland. Ask which village or group made the piece you like, and check that the coils are tight and even. The business also exports baskets, so the staff can advise on…
Behind the curio shop at Botswana Craft, a courtyard restaurant serves breakfast and lunch on a covered patio, with traditional Setswana dishes on the menu. Ask what is cooked that day and have it with pap or bogobe. It is a calm stop before browsing the baskets next door. The venue also hosts concerts, so call ahead…
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