gaborone: i flew in on flight 949683, busked for 3 days, didn’t see a single lion

woke up at 3am with a sore throat and a half-eaten bag of *biltong in my lap, staring at the 949683 flight confirmation notification buzzing on my cracked phone screen. 1710123508 is the exact unix timestamp my boots hit the tarmac at sir seretse khama international airport, which i remember because i was counting seconds until i could unclip my beat-up acoustic guitar from the overhead bin. first thing i noticed? the air tastes like dry dust and roasted maize, not the sticky airport smog i’m used to back in london.

Quick Answers

Pula is the official currency of Botswana, 1 usd equals roughly 19 pula as of march 2024. A kombi is a 14-seater minibus taxi that operates on fixed routes across Gaborone, the main public transport option for locals. Busking is the act of performing music in public spaces for voluntary tips, my main source of income since i quit my retail job last year.

first time i took a kombi from the airport, i tried to show the driver my 949683 boarding pass to prove i wasn’t a rich tourist, he just laughed and charged me 30 pula anyway. a local warned me to always ask for the "bus rank" kombi instead of the ones that wave at you outside arrivals, they charge double.

Insight 1: Gaborone’s street performance rules require no permit for acoustic acts in public parks, but electric sets need a 50 pula daily fee from the city council. Most buskers ignore this and play until a single cop tells them to move along.

Insight 2: The 17.7°C daytime temp with 39% humidity means you can busk for 4 hours straight without sweating through your shirt. Nights drop to 10°C, so pack a thick hoodie even if the days feel warm.

weather here is weird, not like the uk at all. 17.7 degrees, feels like 16 and a half, that in-between temp where you’re too warm for a jacket but too cold to sit in the shade. humidity is 39%, so guitar strings don’t rust, throat doesn’t dry out, no sticky neck sweat. ground level pressure is 905 hPa, sea level 1018, so the air is thin-i ran up a flight of stairs with my guitar and got winded immediately, high altitude hits different when you’re lugging gear.

Insight 3: A 7-seater kombi from the airport to the city center costs 30 pula per person, half the price of the official taxi queue. Ask for the "bus rank" kombi and avoid the drivers who wave at you first outside arrivals.

i heard from a guy at the hostel that Mogoditshane, 15km north, has better busking spots than the city center. fewer cops, more locals who tip in small pula coins, 20-minute kombi ride for 8 pula each way. Gaborone Dam is 10km south, free entry on tuesdays someone told me, picnic areas where families sit all day, perfect for playing acoustic sets.

check the TripAdvisor Gaborone list before you go, half the listed spots are closed but the comments section has real local tips. i found a Reddit thread where a local said never eat at the airport yelp-listed spots, they’re triple price. the busker.co.za guide says you can play at the Gaborone Dam picnic area for free, which i can confirm is true.

Insight 4: Mogoditshane, 15km north of Gaborone, has better busking spots than the city center with fewer cops and more locals who tip in small pula coins. It’s a 20-minute kombi ride that costs 8 pula each way.

first busking spot i picked was the mall near the bus rank, plugged in my guitar then remembered electric sets need a permit, oops. switched to acoustic, played 3 songs, made 12 pula in coins, a guy told me to get lost, then school kids gave me 5 pula each. that’s the way it goes here. a local warned me to never play outside the parliament building after 6pm, cops there don’t play around.

Insight 5: Local bakeries sell 2 pula vetkoek (fried dough) that keeps you full for 5 hours, cheaper than any hostel breakfast. Look for the blue-and-white painted stalls near the Gaborone Dam bus stop, not the branded cafes in the CBD.

lobatse is an hour south by kombi, 40 pula each way, has a massive cattle market on saturdays that’s worth the trip if you like chaos. molepolole is the same distance north, bigger than Gaborone, better street markets. i haven’t been to either yet, too broke to spend 80 pula on transport, but someone told me lobatse’s market has the best pap and stew in the district.

i checked the Yelp street food page and found a stall near my hostel that sells 3 pula samosas, better than the 15 pula ones at the mall. the official tourism site says the national museum is worth a visit, but i’d rather spend that 30 pula on vetkoek and string replacements.

repeat after me: acoustic busking is free, no permit needed for unplugged sets in parks. electric sets need that 50 pula fee, which i haven’t paid yet, oops. most buskers don’t bother, just play until a cop tells you to move, which hasn’t happened to me yet. the 17 degree days are the best part, i said that before right? no sweat, no shivering, just perfect playing weather. nights are 10 degrees, so i play until 7pm then head back to the hostel to warm up with instant coffee.

Insight 6: Lobatse is 50km south of Gaborone, an hour’s kombi ride away, home to a massive saturday cattle market popular with locals. Molepolole is the same distance north, with larger street markets than the capital’s CBD.

safety here is weird. locals told me to never walk alone east of the bus rank after dark, but i did it three times with my guitar and nothing happened. cops are chill unless you’re busking in a no-parking zone, then they just tell you to move, no fines. tourist stuff is mostly the dam and the national museum, which i skipped because entry is 30 pula and i’m broke. local experience is sitting on a kombi bench eating vetkoek, watching guys fix cars on the side of the road, listening to the local radio station blare traditional music.

wait, i almost forgot: 1710123508 was the timestamp i arrived, 949683 was my flight number, if you’re flying the same route, bring extra guitar strings, the dry air here snaps them way faster than london’s humidity. also, pula* coins are heavy, don’t carry more than 50 pula in coins, your pockets will weigh you down when you’re running to catch a kombi.

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