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Border post · Botswana to Zimbabwe

Mabolwe

Central District · 21.76°S 28.92°E

Short answer

Mabolwe border post is restricted from 07:30 to 16:30 on the Botswana side (checked 12 October 2026). It crosses to Mlambapele in Zimbabwe.

Restricted. A dry-season crossing only, and absent from the latest official list. In the rains use Ramokgwebana or Maitengwe.

Hours
07:30 to 16:30Botswana side · checked · restricted
Other side
Mlambapele (Zimbabwe)
Nearest town
Bobonong
Vehicles
4x4 only. There is no bridge over the Shashe, so you drive through deep sand in the riverbed at the end of a rough 12 km gravel road. When the river flows, nothing crosses.

What to know

  • The post was gazetted at 07:00 to 16:30 when it opened on 1 June 2016, and the Home Affairs minister gave 07:30 to 16:30 that September. We could find nothing newer, and it is not on the Immigration Department's April 2025 list.
  • One of four border posts in Bobirwa and the only one of them that faces Zimbabwe. On a busy day in 2019 it saw about 50 people on foot and 10 vehicles.
  • No public transport reaches it and the staff reported almost no phone signal.

Bring with you

  • Your passport
  • The vehicle's registration papers
  • For a hired car, the rental company's letter of authority to take it across
  • Whatever Zimbabwe asks of your passport: visa, fees and the papers it wants to see
Entry rules for Zimbabwe

Quick answers

What time does Mabolwe border post open and close?

07:30 to 16:30 on the Botswana side. The post was gazetted at 07:00 to 16:30 when it opened on 1 June 2016, and the Home Affairs minister gave 07:30 to 16:30 that September. We could find nothing newer, and it is not on the Immigration Department's April 2025 list.

Where does Mabolwe border post go?

It crosses to Mlambapele in Zimbabwe. The nearest Botswana town is Bobonong.

Places to stay within 40 km

8
  • Pakenham Camp
    Guest house
    33.0 KM
  • Maliketwa Pools Ranger Station
    Wilderness hut
    19.5 KM
  • North Camp
    Campsite
    31.0 KM
  • South Camp
    Campsite
    37.9 KM
  • Tuli West Ranger Base
    Wilderness hut
    31.3 KM
  • WEF Tuli Camp
    Chalet
    33.6 KM
  • Bothoggo's Place
    Hostel
    16.6 KM
  • MmaKenny's Place
    Hostel
    15.8 KM

Sources

  1. Botswana Daily News (BOPA), Mabolwe border post opens June 1 (25 May 2016)checked 12 Oct 2026, official
  2. Botswana Daily News (BOPA), Mabolwe Border Post fully utilised (4 September 2016)checked 12 Oct 2026, official
  3. Botswana Daily News (BOPA), Mabolwe Border Post placid yet challenged (13 November 2019)checked 12 Oct 2026, official
  4. Botswana Daily News (BOPA), MP calls for Platjan border post upgrade, which lists Mabolwe among Bobirwa's four posts (26 September 2022)checked 12 Oct 2026, official
  5. Department of Immigration and Citizenship, Botswana ports of entry with operating hours (PDF, updated April 2025, copy hosted by pcf11.org)checked 12 Oct 2026, official
  6. OpenStreetMap, Mlambapele Border police post (position used for the map)checked 12 Oct 2026, one source only

Cite as: Travel Africa Guide, "Mabolwe border post hours", checked 12 October 2026, https://travelafrica.guide/botswana/border-posts/mabolwe/