The US State Department has some information for Americans traveling to Botswana. Most importantly, you need a passport that is valid for at least six months after entry, with at least three blank “Visas” pages (this does not include the pages that say “Endorsements” on the side). If your passport is expiring before June 2025, or you have fewer than three blank Visa pages, please renew your passport soon! Americans do not need a visa or to make any payment to travel to Botswana for tourism.

The easiest routes to Gaborone (GBE) from the USA mostly transit through Johannesburg, South Africa (JNB). It may be cheaper to book separate flights from the USA to JNB and from JNB to GBE, rather than looking at a single route from the USA to GBE. This also provides an option of a flexible flight schedule for anyone who wants to fly elsewhere for safari (such as Kasane or Maun) then fly back to Johannesburg, rather than booking less flexible round-trip tickets to Gaborone. The only downside to this option is that you will have two different bookings, so you may need to collect your bags at JNB and check in again before transiting to GBE, and the airlines may not automatically reschedule flights if you miss a flight due to delayed arrival.

Therefore, if you look at separate routes from JNB-GBE, we recommend you ensure plenty of time between arrival at JNB and departure for your next flight. We also recommend that you fly with SA Airlink between JNB-GBE, as Air Botswana is known to have more frequent delays. Note that there is also another airport in Johannesburg (Lanseria, HLA), which is far from the main airport, OR Tambo (JNB), so make sure your flights only go through OR Tambo airport (JNB).

Another option for traveling between Johannesburg and Gaborone is the Flight Connect bus. This option is affordable (~$75 round trip), but only has one route per day, departing from Gaborone at 6:00am and departing from JNB airport at 12:30pm. The bus ride is about 5-6 hours long, including time at the border. The land border may be a tiny bit more confusing for people who don’t frequently travel internationally, but if you have questions you can ask the bus staff.

There are only two direct flights from the USA to JNB: from Atlanta with Delta and from Newark with United. Other options that are more affordable include flying through Addis Ababa with Ethiopian Airlines, through Nairobi with Kenya Airways, through Doha with Qatar Airways, through Istanbul with Turkish Airlines, and through London with British Airways. Kayak.com allows for looking through different airlines and different dates for easier and cheaper routes.

If you book separate routes between the US and JNB and between JNB and GBE, you can consider staying at the City Lodge OR Tambo airport. This hotel is connected to the airport and does not require a shuttle (just a five minute walk from international arrivals, without having to go outside).

We recommend that people stay at Travelodge upon their arrival in Gaborone, as this is near Lorato’s parents house where the morning celebrations will take place. We are still negotiating group rates and will share more details on how to book there later. The celebrations during the afternoon and evening of Thursday, November 14th will take place at Crocodile Pools Resort, which is about 15 minutes outside of Gaborone. We recommend people check out of Travelodge and check in to Crocodile Pools on the 14th, and stay there for at least one night. Crocodile Pools has 35 rooms available, so if the number of guests exceeds that we will offer other recommendations nearby.

If people are looking to limit their travel budget, we recommend they look at The Capital Guesthouse, or Airbnbs near Travelodge which may also allow for booking a house for groups and kitchens for cooking your own meals. If you want to book an Airbnb, feel free to reach out to Dominic for suggestions. Similarly, if people want to look into fancier hotels, Dominic can provide additional suggestions.

Most hotels (including Travelodge) offer airport transfers. Otherwise, you can pick up a taxi at GBE airport for 100-200 pula (~$8-16). We will help to arrange vans to transport people from Travelodge to Crocodile Pools, and can help arrange vans for other transportation within Gaborone. For others who want to explore the city on their own, there are taxi services that you can dial that will take you anywhere in the city for about 35 pula (~$3). In addition, while Uber is not available in Botswana, there is a ride hailing app called InDrive that is convenient; however you are usually asked to pay in cash rather than through the app.