Gaborone - Post Report Question and Answers
What are some interesting/fun things to do in the area? Can you recommend any “hidden gems"?
There are some excellent regional travel opportunities. Victoria Falls, the Okavango Delta, the salt pans, Madikwe Game Reserve, Namibia, Cape Town. All the game drives and camping you could wish for. Some can be very expensive, but it's possible to find last-minute deals. - Aug 2024
The weekend farmers' market at the Serbian church in Phakalane. Pottery making lessons in Gabane. - Dec 2023
I wouldn't call it a hidden gem but my favorite thing to do near Gaborone was visit Etali Lodge at Madikwe and go on Safari. You could go there for the day and for about $75 a person get a great breakfast, 2 1/2 to 3 hour safari, and a great lunch then drive back to Gaborone. You rented the entire safari vehicle so just get 4 or 5 friends from the Embassy and have a blast. - Jul 2019
The Gaborone Game Reserve is great!! It is a game reserve right in the middle of the city. It only cost $1 per person and $1 per vehicle, and you can drive around for hours. There are no big game there, but plenty of zebras, monkeys, warthogs, ostriches, and deer-like creatures. Bring a six pack of beer for you and you friends to drink at one of the picnic areas or game viewing blinds and you've got a great afternoon. You can also barbecue at the picnic areas, but watch your meat carefully, as monkeys will try to steal it right off the grill. - Apr 2017
The Okavango Delta is one of the most spectacular places in the world. It should be on everyone's bucket list. The prices are also extraordinary. Doesn't matter. Save up and go. You will never regret it or forget it. - Jul 2016
Not really. There are a few decent restaurants, a few movie theaters, a game park near the city where you can picnic and go mountain biking. - Mar 2015
Moremi Gorge, Kgali Hill, Mokalodi Game Reserve, Moremi Gorge, Mmamotshwane Gorge, Lion Park, Salt Pans, Kasane (Chobe National Park), Okavango Delta. I would also recommend going to a Batswana wedding or going to a cattle post with a Mostwana. The #1 Ladies Detective Agency film site is in such ill-repair that it's not worth going to see anymore. - Nov 2013
As mentioned, there are insanely expensive safari options. Even with "resident rates" one can expect to pay US$600 or more -- even up to and surpassing $5,000 -- PER PERSON per night ... for a tent, some scones and stew, and hours of driving around in a truck to see animals. Knowing how low the minimum wage is (around US$1 per hour), it's very hard to justify the exorbitant expense. Of course, if you are really into the safari experience, as some are, it is worth it. Regional airfare is very expensive, around US$500 for a flight to nearby (16+ hr. drive) Cape Town, South Africa. Folks make the 5+ hr. drive to Jo'burg because the flight costs on average US$300 roundtrip. There's not much to do in Gaborone and less (apart from safaris) in the villages and vast open space outside it. Think very hard about your interests, what you can afford and how much time you might have to take off to enjoy it. - Jul 2013
Obviously lots to do regionally. In Botswana, tourism is obscenely expensive. Regionally, you can almost fly back to the US for what you would spend on a ticket to a destination outside of South Africa. That said, the safari opportunities are not to be missed, although for us it was a very rare treat. Gabs has a lot of family-oriented activities, which we enjoyed greatly. - Apr 2013
If you like camping, hunting or safaris, Botswana is an excellent place to be. - Jun 2010
