Do you want to see one of the seven natural wonders of Africa, a place as famous as Serengeti and Kilimanjaro? Look no further since what you’re looking for is in Botswana.
Being one of the safest and most stable countries in Africa, in addition to the sublime beauty of the natural surroundings, is a good combination. So, if you want to find out where to stay in Botswana, make sure to read this short but very informative guide.
The 3 Best Places to Stay in Botswana
Botswana may be a relatively big country, but around 70% of it is covered in rock and sand, belonging to the mighty and very barren Kalahari desert. Simply put, it’s one of the most sparsely populated countries in the world, with a relatively small population and a low number of cities.
However, the three areas presented in our guide are more than suited for potential tourists. Maun and the capital Gaobrorone are usually the go-tos, but Francistown is a pretty decent option too.
To recap, Botswana’s best areas include:
- Maun: Also known as the “tourist capital” of Botswana, this small city is located very close to one of the seven natural wonders of Africa, the Okavango Delta, making it an obvious choice for first-time visitors to the country.
- Gaborone: The official capital of Botswana, and its administrative, economic, and cultural center, the most populated city in the country is mostly suitable for city-dwellers and visitors who travel with their families.
- Francistown: Finally, the second largest city in the country, and a former pioneer city during the gold rush, it’s the best location in Botswana for shopping.
The Best Areas & Hotels in Botswana
Botswana is crowded with tourists between May and December, mostly from its neighbors — particularly South Africa — as well as adventure travelers from all around the world.
That means that it has slowly developed a serious and capable tourism industry, with great infrastructure and plenty of accommodation options. The most tourist-friendly city in Botswana is Maun, the so-called “tourist” capital of the country.
Most visitors come here anyway, and the city is packed with accommodations in all price ranges. Gaborone is the capital, and that has its own advantages, like having the only really luxurious five-star hotels.
Finally, Francistown is not a tourist hub, but it’s a decent alternative to the other two cities. It mostly offers very cheap and not very special three-star apartments and hotels.
1. Maun
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There are few better places to be in Africa between May and October than in the small town of Maun in northern Botswana.
There’s a simple reason for that: Maun is the so-called “tourist capital” of Botswana, and it’s located very close to the Okavango Delta, one of the seven natural wonders of Africa, like the Nile River and the Serengeti National Reserve in Tanzania and Kenya.
Between May and October — to go back to our first assertion — the Okavango Delta gets flooded, and the former deserts become wetlands and marshes brimming with life.
The Okavango Delta is basically an inland delta formed around the mighty Okavango River. A central part of the huge Kalahari desert, it’s a UNESCO World Heritage Site and one of the richest places in terms of plant life and animals in the world.
That makes Maun the best option for first-time visitors to Botswana.
It’s also home to all the so-called “Big Five” — the elephant, the rhinoceros, the buffalo, the leopard, and, of course, the lion. It also boasts giraffes, gazelles, cheetahs, hippopotamuses, and much, much more, including more than 400 types of birds.
Maun, on the other hand, is overshadowed by the Okavango Delta, and it’s mostly famous because of its proximity to one of the wonders.
During the flooding months, it’s packed with tourists, so make sure to book your accommodations upfront. After all, it’s a small town (even though it’s the fifth largest in Botswana) with a population of around 30,000 people.
Today, because of the immense influx of tourists, it’s fairly developed, with great infrastructure, numerous hotels and restaurants, and even a shopping center.
The accommodation options, for example, are both decent and relatively fairly priced. But, much like West Yellowstone in Montana, it’s famous and well-known because of the surrounding nature.
Maun Budget Hotels
- Sedia Riverside Hotel is a gorgeous but very cheap two-star hotel with an outdoor swimming pool. Particularly suitable for couples, especially on a romantic trip, it boasts beautiful rooms, a restaurant and bar on the premises, and tasty breakfast in the morning.
- Maun Nest Hotel is another decent two-star hotel with an outdoor swimming pool, located two and a half miles from the important Nhabe Museum. There’s free parking on the premises and a nice bar, while the rooms have air conditioning and free Wi-Fi.
Maun Mid-Range Hotels
- Maun Lodge is a three-star hotel located right next to the Thamalakane River, offering an excellent view of the natural surroundings. The hotel offers an on-site restaurant, a bar, and a fitness center and provides free transportation from and to the airport for every visitor.
- Signature Boutique Guesthouse is a three-star complex of apartments with an outdoor swimming pool and rooms equipped with all the amenities. Aside from the great location and close proximity to the airport (around 5 miles), the accommodation provides a bar and tasty breakfast in the morning.
Maun Luxury Hotels
- The Waterfront, Maun is an authentic but slightly more expensive four-star lodge, located in a stunning natural setting, slightly further away from the center of Maun. Particularly suitable for couples, it also offers a romantic terrace and a beautiful garden.
- The Maun Studios is the second four-star accommodation in Maun. It’s definitely one of the best places to stay in the tourist capital of Botswana, completely surrounded by incredible birdlife. There’s also a nice outdoor swimming pool and an incredible breakfast to prepare you for the day.
2. Gaborone
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It’s always a good idea to stay in the capital, no matter where you’re going. Located in the southern parts of Botswana — around 550 miles from Maun — it’s the administrative and economic center of the country and its largest city with a population of more than 200,000 people.
Fairly developed, with nice infrastructure, plenty of hotels, restaurants, and a lot of cultural institutions worth visiting, it’s definitely your best choice if you’re looking for an urban experience in Botswana or a family-friendly town to spend a relaxed vacation in.
To start with, Gaborone is located between two hills — Kgale Hill and Oodi Hill — and near the junction of the Notwane River and the Segoditshane River.
Kgale Hill Public Park is one of the most beautiful urban parks in Africa and a big magnet for both tourists and locals. It’s a great place to have a picnic or a stroll and provides the best view of the city.
Gaborone is also packed with nice restaurants, offering food from all sides of the world; the variety in terms of accommodations is also wide, including a couple of truly luxurious five-star hotels.
We’ve saved the best for last — what makes Gaborone attractive to tourists is the close proximity to the Mokolodi Nature Reserve (a little more than 10 miles). It’s a relatively small, private non-profit reserve populated by rare indigenous birds, reptiles, and game.
There are hippopotamuses, nile crocodiles, hyenas, giraffes, and leopards, but also a lot of unique and dangerous reptiles, like the black mamba, the Mozambique spitting cobra, the puff adder, and the snouted cobra.
Suffice it to say that you won’t have visited Botswana if you don’t go to one of its reserves, even when staying in a town like Gaborone.
Gaborone Budget Hotels
- Gaborone Hotel is a very cheap two-star hotel located in the southern parts of the capital of Botswana. There’s a bar on the premises offering a wide variety of drinks, as well as a pretty decent restaurant. Aside from that, the hotel provides a free airport shuttle to every visitor.
- Rosenia Boutique Hotel is a great but cheap three-star hotel in the center of Gaborone. It has a pretty garden and offers free Wi-Fi and parking to every visitor. It also has a restaurant and bar on the premises, as well as a great English breakfast in the morning.
Gaborone Mid-Range Hotels
- Yarona Hotel is a gorgeous three-star hotel with an amazing swimming pool and a beautiful garden surrounding the premises. It’s a perfect choice for visitors who prefer peace and quiet.
- The Capital Guest House is an amazing-looking but not very expensive four-star hotel located around half a mile from Gaborone’s city center. It offers the usual: a nice garden with a swimming pool in the middle and a room equipped with all the amenities, including satellite TV.
Gaborone Luxury Hotels
- Peermont Walmont at the Grand Palm, Gaborone is a five-star hotel and probably the most expensive and most luxurious accommodation in Gaborone that you can find. Located to the southwest of the city center, it has a huge outdoor swimming pool, a fitness center on the premises, as well as an upscale restaurant and bar.
- Manong Game Lodge is a gorgeous five-star hotel located in the utmost center of Gaborone. In close proximity to some of the city’s best restaurants, shops, and cafes, the hotel also has a swimming pool and a spa and wellness center. It also provides free airport transport.
3. Francistown
BOTSWANA, FRANCISTOWN, OCTOBER 28: Peoples on street in the second largest city in Botswana, October 28, 2014, Botswana/Artush/Shutterstock
Finally, we have reached the third and final area on our list, the second largest city in Botswana, called Francistown.
There are a couple of things you should know about this charming little town located near the border of Zimbabwe: it has a population of around 100,000 people, it’s the only city in Botswana with an English name (there are a few villages, but not towns), and it’s definitely the best option in the country for shopping.
It also offers the cheapest available accommodations in Botswana, so it’s a great choice for budget travelers.
Aside from that, it’s not really exciting: the countryside is not as striking as near Maun, and the city is not as important (culturally, administratively, and economically) as Gaborone.
But it’s still a potential option for every potential visitor to Botswana. After all, you’re in Africa, so the environment will be no less enchanting.
With that in mind, Francistown also has one more thing going for it: it’s precisely in the middle, between Gaborone and Maun — and that may be convenient for some tourists.
If you’d like to learn more about the history of Francistown, however, there’s quite the story. In the past, it was a typical pioneer town, created during the gold rush that drove the world mad in the 19th century.
That’s why Francistown is surrounded by myriads of deserted mines. The rich history of both the area and the city — spanning way before the gold rush — is embodied in the only museum in the city, the Supa Ngwao Museum.
We said that Francistown is a great place for shopping, and there’s a precise reason for that. The number of shopping malls and centers is unexpectedly high for a city of this size.
Here’s a list of some of them, given in no particular order:
Francistown Budget Hotels
- Lee Bed & Breakfast is an extremely cheap three-star bed and breakfast. It doesn’t offer much, aside from the free private parking and free Wi-Fi, as well as rooms with flat screen TVs, private bathroom, and a small fridge.
- Casa MaSa Inn is another very cheap accommodation option located on the outskirts of Francistown, to the east of the city center. Again, it doesn’t offer much, aside from the free parking and Wi-Fi, but there’s also a nice full English breakfast in the morning and a terrace on the premises.
Francistown Mid-Range Hotels
- THE ENCLAVE HOTEL is a beautiful three-star hotel with a garden, terrace, restaurant, and a bar on the premises. It’s probably the best mid-range option on the site, so make sure to book way up front. There’s also breakfast available in the morning, and some of the rooms have balconies.
- Woodlands Stop Over and Lodge is an amazing, but not very expensive lodge located in the northern countryside of Francistown. The hotel has it all: an outdoor swimming pool, a beautiful garden, barbeque facilities on the premises, and gorgeous wooden-furnished rooms.
Francistown Luxury Hotels
- Ngangane Lodge & Reserve is definitely the only place that’s close to a luxury lodge or hotel in Francistown. Located to the south of the city, near Tachila Nature Reserve, it’s great as a safari base. There’s also an outdoor swimming pool and a bar on the premises of the hotel.
The Best Places to Stay in Botswana: A Summary
Now, as the waters slowly recede from the Okavango Delta, and the Kalahari desert starts, once again, to claim her domain, we must leave Botswana — at least for this season. But, before we wrap up the guide, let’s do a quick recap of the three best areas in this beautiful African country.
| 🏆 Best for First Timers | Maun |
| 👪 Best for Families | Gaborone |
| 🛍️ Best for Shopping | Francistown |
So, with so much to see and do and plenty of amazing areas in which to stay, what are you waiting for — book your trip today and experience for yourself all that Botswana has to offer. Happy travels!