Being young and brash, a well-laid-out city of cinderblock suburbs, Gaborone has all the facilities of any modern capital city. There is a range of hotels, and a choice of cinemas and casinos. Restaurants are numerous and varied, night clubs often host live music by local artists. The National Museum is situated near the centre of town and houses important collections of traditional crafts and southern African fine art. It is also the home of the Botswana Society which has a rich tradition of researching Botswana's pre-history and from whom you can obtain information about various interesting aspects of the country, like the Aha Hills, Drotsky's caves and so on. There is an international airport on the outskirts of the city.
One of the city's more striking buildings is Orapa House at the intersection of Mandela Drive and Khama Crescent. This building has floors specially designed to make maximum use of daylight without direct sunlight for the purpose of sorting and grading Botswana's fabulous diamond wealth.
On the edge of the city, set among hills and dense bush, is the city's main water source, Gaborone Dam. A popular local resort, it is available for non-motorised water-sport , but a Water Utilities Corporation permit is needed. Bass, bream and barbel tempt the avid fishermen in summer, and the Gaborone Yacht Club has it's own swimming pool - not a bad idea since the dam not only has the occasional crocodile that escapes translocation, but bilharzia as well.
A little downstream on the Notwane River and still within the confines of the city lies the Gaborone Game Reserve. This reserve has been in existence since 1988, and due to it's proximity to the city, is Botswana's third busiest game reserve. Well-maintained roads give easy access to viewing of wildebeest, eland, zebra, gemsbok, rhino and kudu among others. A detailed map is available at the entrance gate. There are two picnic sites and a game hide. Bird watching along the river is particularly rewarding. The Reserve is on the western outskirts of Gaborone, and is open from six thirty in the morning to six thirty in the evening.
Those interested in history may be interested in David Livingstone's ties with Botswana. After having served in Kuruman, he established three smaller mission stations, the third of which was in the 1840's at Kolobeng, some 40 kilometres west of Gaborone. From a simple mud-built house here, sometimes accompanied by his wife and children, he set off on his journeys to the Zambezi and beyond. Travelling by ox-wagon under extremely difficult conditions, Livingstone reported the existence of Lake Ngami to the world. He was also the first white man to visit Linyanti. Kolobeng is set in scenic hilly country, and the Livingstone Memorial is near the ruins of the mission station, and the grave of his daughter. The church built here was the first in Botswana.
A dozen kilometres beyond Kolobeng is the village of Thamaga. The famed Thamanga Pottery shop is housed in the Botswelelo Centre. Thamaga bowls, platters and goblets are especially well known and their hazy blue glaze has almost become a trademark, and is sought after by collectors.
50 kilometres west of Gaborone is the town of Molepolole, home of the the Bakwena, one of the principle Tswana tribes. The mixed architecture gives interesting insights into the changing nature of Botswana society as old traditional ways are giving way to more modern practices. Much of the nature of this change is recorded and compared in the town's Sechele Museum.
In the hills to the south of Molepolole is Logageng, a small cave in which David Livingstone spent a night in an attempt to prove to the Bakwena the power of his Christian God which would protect him against the evil happenings which were confidently predicted by Tswana beliefs. It would seem that they were not entirely convinced, since Livingstone is reputed to have made only one convert in his entire life as a missionary. This was Chief Sechele.
MOKOLODI NATURE RESERVE
Officially opened in 1994, the Mokolodi Nature Reserve is 14 kilometres south of Gaborone on the main road to Lobatse. Created by the Mokolodi Wildlife Foundation, a non-profit organisation aiming towards conservation and education, the 6 300 acre reserve is stocked with a various species of game indigenous to south-east Botswana. These include mountain reedbuck and antelope of various kinds, zebra, gemsbok, giraffe, brown hyena and warthog. Mokolodi is home to over a third of Botswana's white rhino population and is engaged in a breeding programme.
The second prong of the Foundation's drive is catered to in the Education Centre. Accommodating up to 80 children at a time, environmental educators use the facilities and the "outdoor classroom" to instil in children for around Botswana a love of nature and an understanding of the importance of conservation.
Self-drive and guided tours are available. For the more athletic and adventurous, guided walks are available with one of the rangers. The reserve is open daily from dawn to dusk and a small entrance fee is charged for individuals and for vehicles. Five thatched and fully equipped, self-catering chalets can be hired for longer stays.
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