Gaborone

• Three Dikgosi Monument

  Three bronze statues, each 5.4 metres tall, of Khama III, Sebele I and Bathoen I, in the Central Business District. It was cast by North Korea's Mansudae Overseas Projects, which annoyed local sculptors, and opened on 29 September 2005. Six plinths at the chiefs' feet summarise Botswana's history from the 1820s to independence.

  Wikipedia, Three Dikgosi Monument
• Botswana National Museum

  The National Museum and Art Gallery opened in 1968, two years after independence, with fewer than five staff. At its 50th anniversary the government promised to refurbish the old building. Work on a new permanent exhibition began in August 2020 and we could not confirm that it has reopened, so check before visiting.

  Botswana Daily News, Millions set aside for museum projects (National Museum 50th anniversary)
• Sir Seretse Khama statue and Parliament

  A bronze of Botswana's founding president stands in the Government Enclave at the end of the Main Mall, facing the National Assembly. The British sculptor Norman Pearce made it, and it was unveiled in 1986 for the 20th anniversary of independence.

  YourBotswana, 10 places to visit in Gaborone
• Main Mall

  The strip of shops and offices the 1960s city was planned around. The Government Enclave, with the National Assembly and the Ntlo ya Dikgosi, lies at its western end, and the Civic Centre and the Pula Arch, which commemorates independence, at the eastern end. Near Parliament is a memorial to the three hundred Batswana killed between 1939 and 1945.

  Wikipedia, Gaborone
• Thapong Visual Arts Centre

  The old magistrate's house of 1902 is now where Botswana's young artists show their work, and not all of it plays safe. Exhibitions change regularly and there are children's art courses from time to time. The coffee house on the site is named after The No. 1 Ladies' Detective Agency.

  Botswana Tourism Organisation, Gaborone (archived copy of 3 October 2026)
• National Botanical Garden

  Seven hectares beside the Notwane River, 3 km south-east of the centre, opened on 2 November 2007 and run by the National Museum. It grows indigenous plants from across Botswana. Open on weekdays only.

  Wikipedia, National Botanical Garden (Botswana)
• Tsholofelo Park

  The grave of the man known as El Negro. French taxidermists preserved the body of a southern African man in the 1830s, and it stood on show in a museum in Banyoles, Spain, for more than 80 years until 1997. The remains reached Botswana on 4 October 2000 and were buried here the next day. The grave is a national monument.

  Wikipedia, Negro of Banyoles
• Kolobeng Mission (Livingstone Memorial)

  The site of David Livingstone's third and last mission, built in 1847, 25 km west of the city near Kumakwane. He converted Kgosi Sechele I of the Bakwena here, and his infant daughter Elizabeth is buried on the site. The Department of National Museum and Monuments looks after it.

  Wikipedia, Kolobeng Mission

• Gaborone means 'it does not fit badly' or 'it is not unbecoming' in Setswana. It was the name of the Batlokwa chief, not a description of the place. source
• The 2022 census counted 246,325 people in the city, a little over a tenth of Botswana's 2,359,609. source
• The man who chaired the township authority during construction said the plan looked like a brandy glass: government offices in the base, and the shops of the Main Mall running up the stem. source
• Debswana's diamonds are sorted and valued at Orapa House, where Khama Crescent meets Nelson Mandela Drive. The building was designed to let in as much indirect sunlight as possible, because that is the light sorters need. source
• The film set for The No. 1 Ladies' Detective Agency was built at the foot of Kgale Hill, and the spot was nicknamed Kgalewood. source
• The Southern African Development Community, the regional bloc of southern African states, has its headquarters here. It was formed in 1980 so that its members could work together economically and depend less on South Africa. source

Checked 12 October 2026.

• likelyImpalaGaborone Game Reserve, on the eastern edge of the city. All year, most active early and late in the daysource
• likelyWarthogGaborone Game Reserve, on the eastern edge of the citysource
• likelyGreater kuduGaborone Game Reserve, on the eastern edge of the citysource
• likelyBurchell's zebraGaborone Game Reserve. The zebra is Botswana's national animalsource
• likelyVervet monkeyGaborone Game Reserve, where it is the only primatesource
• likelyBaboonKgale Hill, where walkers usually see troops on the way upsource
• likelyRock hyrax (rock dassie)On the big boulders in Gaborone Game Reservesource
• likelyWaterbirds (herons, egrets, ibises, African jacana, whistling ducks)The permanent waterhole in Gaborone Game Reserve, and the seasonal ponds that fill in the rains. All year at the waterhole, with more water about in the rainy seasonsource
• possibleOstrichGaborone Game Reserve, on the eastern edge of the citysource
• possibleGemsbok, red hartebeest and blue wildebeestGaborone Game Reserve, on the eastern edge of the citysource
• possibleAfrican fish eagleBy the water in Gaborone Game Reserve, heard more often than seensource
• rareElandGaborone Game Reserve, where they are rarely seensource
• rareGreater flamingoAbout 37 turned up at the main waterhole in Gaborone Game Reserve in March 2024, the first record theresource

Likelihood is for a normal visit of two or three days, from the sources linked. Nothing is guaranteed in the wild.

• Kgale HillABOUT 1 HOUR TO THE TOP

  The summit is 1,287 metres above sea level, and Kgale is nicknamed the Sleeping Giant. Three trails lead to the top and walkers usually meet baboons on the way. Read the safety note on Kgale Hill before you set out.

  Wikipedia, Kgale Hill

Malaria

The US CDC says there is no malaria transmission in Gaborone, and the UK's NaTHNaC rates the southern half of Botswana as very low risk, advising bite avoidance and no tablets. The north (Okavango, Chobe) is high risk from October to May, so take advice before you drive or fly on. source

Street and car crime

The UK government says attacks on tourists are rare but violent crime is rising in Gaborone, Francistown and Maun. Thieves target cars waiting at traffic lights, so keep doors locked, windows up and bags, phones and laptops out of sight. Women are advised not to walk alone at night. source

Kgale Hill

Wikivoyage warns of knife robberies on the hill when it is quiet. Its advice is to go only when other cars are in the car park by the quarry, and to keep to the path. There are no guides. Baboons live on the hill, so give them room. source

Gaborone Dam

No swimming. The dam has crocodiles and bilharzia, a parasite caught from fresh water. The UK government gives the same advice for every river and lake in Botswana. source

Roads

The UK government calls Botswana's tar roads good but warns that stray livestock and wildlife make driving outside the towns dangerous, most of all at night. Speeding and drink-driving cause frequent and often fatal accidents. Plan to arrive before dark. source

Heat

Gaborone averages 74 days a year above 32°C, and October, just before the rains, is often the hottest month. Start Kgale Hill early or late and carry more water than you think you need. source

• Licensed taxis carry blue number plates. A shared taxi runs a fixed route like a combi. If you want to go door to door, ask for a 'special', and do not be shy about discussing the fare. several sources
• Street names are little used. Give a driver the plot number or a landmark such as a mall, and learn which block, phase or extension your hotel is in. one source
• Do not plan on the train. Passenger services on the Lobatse, Gaborone, Francistown line were suspended in 2020 and were still suspended in 2026. one source
• Long-distance buses leave when they are full and standing is common at weekends, so get to the bus station early and take water. one source
• The National Museum's permanent exhibition has been under reconstruction since August 2020, with completion first promised for mid-2021. We could not confirm that it has reopened, so phone before you go. official
• Gaborone Game Reserve is a self-drive park with no guided drives. The loop is gravel but fine for an ordinary car and takes under an hour. Early morning and the hour before dusk are when the animals show. Facilities are basic, so take water. one source

Checked 12 October 2026. Conditions change, so confirm with the park or venue before you go.