Botswana is paradise for curious explorers who are interested in learning more about the country’s rich history and culture. With sights and attractions scattered throughout towns and villages, visitors to Botswana will be taken on a journey of discovery and new adventure.
Botswana is recognised in Southern Africa for its wealth and prosperity and Gaborone, its administrative centre, is said to be one of Africa’s fastest growing cities. Gaborone is colourful and vibrant. It’s a city that is cosmopolitan but traditional, containing both the new and old.
Situated only 15km from the South African border and served by the Sir Seretse Khama International Airport, Gaborone is often the starting point for a holiday in Botswana.
In Gaborone itself, visitors will find evidence of Botswana’s history and culture. The old Village near Tlokweng, where Kgosi (Chief) Gaborone and the Batlokwa tribe settled in the 1880s, offers sightings reminiscent of Botswana’s colonial past. Other sites of interest include the National Museum and David Livingstone’s house at Kolobeng that he built when living with the Bakwena.
Tourists interested in locally made crafts will feel right at home in Gaborone. Botswana craft has several outlets in the city, Camphill charity shop has handmade wooden furniture, local pottery and weavings, and a craft workshop in Broadhurst houses a variety of upmarket craft outlets.
About 12km beyond Kolobeng, a turn-off to the village of Thamaga will take visitors to Thamaga Pottery Workshop, where organic ceramic work and household pottery is produced and sold. Visitors can take a tour during which they will learn about the potting process, picnic under a shady thatched roof or browse around high quality pottery.
Gaborone is located on a flat valley flanked on either side by mountainous areas. On the one side lies Kgale Hill, whose summit offers panoramic views of the city and its dam. On the other side, one will spot Oodi Hills. Here, in a small village, some 20km from Gaborone, local residents weave hand-dyed and hand-spun wall hangings, tablecloths, napkins, jackets, bedspreads and cushion covers depicting village scenes, animals and simple patterns designed by the weavers themselves. These beautiful tapestries tell stories of ancient happenings.
Another attractive and interesting village lying close to Gaborone is Mochudi craft village, where traditional painted houses and an original ‘kgotla’ (tribal meeting place) are signs of the Bakgatla people. Attractions include the Puthadikobo Museum, where old photographs and historical texts teach of the history of the Bakgatla people, the most southerly baobab trees in Botswana and beautiful handmade jewellery.
About 5km north of Mochudi, visitors will find an archaeological site that has been declared a National Monument. There, they will learn about the legend of “Matsieng”, a giant and ancestor of the Tswana who led his people and animals from the centre of the earth to inhabit the world. Unbelievers of the legend attribute the footprints to the Basarwa people (also known as the Bushmen or San) who lived in the area long ago and were known to create petroglyphs.
Further northeast, in Serowe, one will find the home of many of Botswana’s past presidents, including Seretse Khama. Serowe is rich in history and is the traditional centre of the Bamangwato tribe. Once Botswana’s largest village, Serowe has since been overtaken in size by the neighbouring Palapye.
A few kilometres from Palapye, stand the ruins of Phalatswe; an ancient settlement that was the capital of the Bamangwato people in the early part of the 20th century.
To the west are the Tswapong Hills; a relatively unknown area in Botswana. The hills are between 15 and 20km wide and rise 300 to 400 metres above the surrounding plain. The area is characterised by long, winding gorges and has some of the earliest traces of Bantu-speaking people in southern Africa. The hills and its gorges hold evidence of ancient life, including fragments of decorated pottery and collapsed and buried iron smelters.
Northwest from here and near the Namibian border, lies Ghanzi. Ghanzi is home to various ethnic groups of Botswana’s Basarwa communities. Once an area populated only by Bushmen who learnt how to survive in this inhospitable land, Ghanzi is sometimes called “The capital of the Kalahari”.
The nearby Dqae Qare farm is owned and run the by the local Ncoakhoe community and is a great spot for visitors to learn more about the San culture through activities like guided bush walks demonstrating how animals are tracked and plants are used, and evening dancing and story-telling.
Visitors travelling from Ghanzi northeast to Maun, will come across the site of the well-known Kuru Development Trust where distinctive art is produced by local artists and sold along with traditional and modern craftwork.
Northwest from Maun, one will find Tsodilo Hills; a site consisting of four hills that rise about 400m out of the dry expanse of bushveld. It is one of the world’s oldest historical sites and home to thousands of San paintings. Several walking trails provide helpful routes around the painting sites. Visitors should be prepared to spend days exploring the magnificent rock paintings and experiencing the entrancing atmosphere of the hills.
From traditional villages with handmade crafts to beautiful natural surroundings that possess evidence of ancient times, Botswana is a land rich in history and culture.
