Most travelers heading to Botswana want to see zebras, which is Botswana’s national symbol. Away from the famous Okavango Delta and the deserts of Botswana, sits a charming and prosperous capital city by the name of Gaborone.
After a bus from Pretoria and crossing into Botswana from South Africa at Tlokweng, I based myself in Gaborone for a few days. Gaborone has international bus routes to South Africa and Zimbabwe.
1. Botswanese Parliament: In an area known as the government enclave, sits the elaborate Botswanese Parliament. It sits in a leafy area and the colours of the Botswanese flag adorn even the roadside pillars.
Outside the Botswanese Parliament in Gaborone
There are statues in the parks and boulevards and some visitor information. The first President of the nation Sir Seretse Khama sits proudly in the path that leads to the parliament.
Sir Seretse Khama statue in Gaborone, Botswana.
2. Debswana Diamonds: Botswana is famous for diamonds. Indeed three of my mates from Gaborone work in the diamond industry. Tours are available at the Diamond Trading company.
Botswana is world leader in diamond mining. The economy in Botswana is strong because of this, the fluency of English speaking is also fantastic, Setswana and English are both widely spoken.
Diamonds in Gaborone, Botswana
3. Botswana National Football Stadium: When I was in Gaborone, Botswana had just qualified for their first ever African Cup of Nations.
Nicknamed the zebras, football is the national sport and a trip to the national football stadium was one of my targets when I backpacked in Gaborone. It was actually closed for renovations. Botswana have never made it to the World Cup, but remember there are over 50 countries in Africa and only 5 places up for grabs so it’s competitive.
4. The Mall: Rather than an elaborate shopping mall, Gaborone’s “The Mall” is an outdoor precinct with everything you expect from an African market. Fruit, football shirts, ball point pens and meat.
The Mall in Gaborone is well worth a stroll.
5. Hanging With The Locals: Perhaps the biggest surprise from my time in Botswana was how much the locals love dancing, drinking and partying. A
Jonny Blair is a self confessed traveling nomad who founded and blogs at Don’t Stop Living. He sees every day as an adventure. Since leaving behind his home town of Bangor in Northern Ireland ten years ago he has traveled to all seven continents, working his way through various jobs and funding it all with hard work and an appetite for travel. Don’t Stop Living, a lifestyle of travel’ contains over 1,000 stories and tips from his journeys round the globe. He wants to show others how easy it is to travel the world, give them some ideas and encourage them to do the same but most of all he aims to constantly live a lifestyle of travel. He is currently based in Hong Kong and on Twitter @jonnyblair.
