Joanna James
Gaborone is hands down the best destination to get acclimated to Africa, the wilderness for beginners you could say. The food even serves as an accessible gateway to the ethnic cuisine of Southern Africa. It's a great place to go if this is your first time visiting Africa.
The list of things to do in Gaborone must begin with seeing its wildlife. Hotels like Avani Gaborone Resort & Casino offer great tours to visit Gaborone game reserve. This reservation is a great place to get your ready for the wilder places beyond. Elands, Gemboks, Kudus, Wildebeest, Ostriches and Warthogs are some of the many residents of this park.
Botswana is not diverse in its topography at all. The Tswapong hills stand out as a unique feature of the landscape in jarring contrast with its surroundings. It is a very popular place to go trekking and hiking. The steep-sided gorges of this geographical anomaly provide a great refuge for the gigantic Cape Vulture.
Khutse Game Reserve is situated three-hours to the west of Gaborone and in some ways serves as a gateway to the famous Central Kalahari Game Reserve. Khutse' is one of Africa's most underrated national parks but has a noteworthy population of Lions, Leopards, Giraffes, Jackals, Ostriches and Gemsbok.
Phalatswe' was a prosperous city of over 30,000 inhabitants in the 19th century but only the ruins of mudbrick walls and a gothic style church remain today. This site is located to the north-east of Gaborone and is close to the Tswapong hills.
Easily one of the continent's most famous natural realms the Okavango Delta was named a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 2014. This region boasts one of the richest concentrations of wildlife in the world. The annual rainfall transforms this region into a network of waterways that bring vast migrations of wildlife every year.
Botswana's National Museum and Art Gallery may not be the best in the world but is a great place to discover the history and heritage of this exotic nation. The venue hosts local artists as well as having set exhibits year-round.
The locals will happily show you the way to a mall to get a souvenir but instead try visiting a very low key and an extremely local place called the Thapong Visual Arts Centre where you can sit on the road with contemporary artists as they go about their craft.
You are in Africa, no trip would be complete without a Safari and the Mokolodi Nature Reserve presents a great opportunity. The park has abundant wildlife such as elephants, giraffes and leopards but also has a breeding centre for endangered species and a sanctuary for injured and orphaned birds.
There are quite a few bars spread across the city which are frequented by expats and middle-class locals. The most popular is without a doubt the Bull and Bush Pub. The venue has South African style barbeque Southern African favourite Lion Larger and many tales from the safari circuit to offer,
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