Ways to Get Around in Gaborone

Published: 28 April 2026

Botswana is a country of cars and it’s common to drive or be driven anywhere you go. But beyond the Fit’s & Demio’s and the Hilux or Landcruiser, there always is the option to catch a combi, and to cycle or even walk the city. And then there’s the apps, though no Uber, but other convenient and affordable options to choose from and ride with across town.

Modes of Transport:

• Driving

• Cabs & Apps

• Combis

• Shared Taxis

• Cycling

• Walking

• BONUS

Driving

Botswana is a car-land with dual carriageways, big parking bays and a whole lot of robots (traffic lights). As Gaborone is a big city with a small population, a fairly wide spread metro area where places tend to be far from each other. This results in driving possibly being one’s best option to get around.

When intending to rent a car, there are plenty of options around the city, from the international car rental companies at the airport (ie. Hertz, Avis, Europcar, Budget) to locally established firms like Western, Ways or Destiny, among others.

For someone interested in buying, it is most common to go through Facebook ads or pass by one of the countless car shops on the main road in Mogoditshane (see approximate location) with many local and foreign sellers of mostly used cars coming in from South Africa (prices to be negotiated down). It goes without saying, that it is always advisable to check out and test drive cars with a trusted mechanic or expertly friend.

There are also all kinds of car dealerships and branches of popular brands from Asia and Europe, with the biggest located either along Tlokweng road in Village, in Commerce Park near Game City, or near Fairgrounds Mall. Apart from heritage brands like Toyota and Volkswagen, newer brands out of China have recently taken the spotlight in Botswana with their well designed cars and attractive price point. Examples include Jetour, Haval, Chery, Omoda, Tank, and more.

Explorer’s note:‍‍ ‍There are two cars that are most common on the streets of Gaborone, and the most affordable options one will find: Honda Fit and Mazda Demio (much to the amusement of South Africans in popular media) – two reliable cars that can go for as little as p20’000 in ok shape, and for p50-60’000 in great condition. On the higher end, it is very common to see large Toyota bakkies (pickup trucks) like your distinct cream-colored Landcruiser or a Hilux in all colors and ages.

Cabs & Apps

As outlined in our separate list Taxi Apps in Gaborone, and as common in today’s day and age, people popularly move around using ride-hailing apps made famous by Uber. In Gabs, however, we use one of the following two:

InDrive: The most known and used app in the city, InDrive has plenty of drivers all around town and offers good pricing in a unique model where you suggest a price for the route you choose, and the drivers will then bid and counter-offer their price for you to choose from.

Yango: More similar to the traditional Ubers and Bolts of this world, with Yango you simply choose where to go and the app will put a price to it (very attractive prices, maybe too low for drivers) and link you to a driver directly. Depending on time, day and location, you might have to wait a bit longer or not find a driver altogether, but it’s a great and even more affordable option to InDrive.

Asides of the apps, there are also a number of traditional cabs around the city. Especially from the bus rank and airport, it is common to be approached by a cab driver asking to take you to your destination. While within the city and from the bus rank, they offer mostly fair prices (which can and should still be negotiated), many experience rather inflated prices offered when arriving at the airport.

Explorer’s note:‍‍ ‍Find more on this topic in our list of Taxi Apps in Gaborone.

Combis

One of the most common ways to get around town at the best possible rate is, what we call Combis in Botswana. They carry different names in different countries but it’s essentially the same concept of small busses on dedicated routes taking passengers for a fixed (government defined) fare. Currently the fare for any ride is p9, recently increased from p7 up to April 2026. The combis are mostly marked on the front with the neighborhood they originate from, and a number for the particular route they’re servicing (eg. Broadhurst 2 or Tlokweng 5).

They drive without fixed schedules but very frequently and can just be flagged down and hopped on. Once the stop comes where one would like to get off, you simply tell the driver and pay the fare as you exit.

Explorer’s note:‍‍ ‍Though there is no official route map or list online, the best we have found is this map of Gaborone with nicely lined out combi routes – though probably a few years old and not fully accurate anymore. Alternatively, simply search for 'Combi routes Gaborone' on Facebook for the most recent data.

Shared Taxis

Another very common way to get around town is the shared taxis. Similarly to combis, they have fixed government-defined rates, currently standing at p10 per trip. While combis drive along fixed routes, taxis are more flexible, though they might head in a general direction, and one can simply talk to the driver to see if the destination could align. Also important to note, is that shared taxis operate only within cities/villages and not between them, so a taxi wouldn’t take you from the city to Tlokweng or Mogoditshane, but rather there is Gaborone taxis, Tlokweng taxis, etc. (you get the gist).

Just spot one of the small cars (most all of them to be Honda Fit’s) with the yellow taxi sign on the roof, and flag them down, possibly indicating your direction, and talk to the driver to see if they could take you.

Explorer’s note:‍‍ ‍What to many internationals would look like a traditional cab/taxi with the yellow sign on top rather is a shared option in this corner of the world, whereas your cab would likely be a private car without a sign.

Cycling

There is a growing number of cyclists in Gaborone and going around town with a bicycle or mountain bike can be a good option here. The city is mostly flat, has wide streets and sometimes even dedicated bike lanes, and has a lot of calm neighborhoods to cycle through. Though it is important to mention that traffic can be hectic at times, with riders not considering bikes, not indicating when changing lanes or turning, and altogether a city traffic that isn’t much used to bicycles and motorbikes. Despite that, when staying vigilant and opting for calmer routes or lanes on the side of big roads, cycling is a great way to get around Gabs.

The dedicated bike lanes mentioned above are mostly found around the CBD (as in, literally circular around the business district) and along neighboring blocks and areas like along New Lobatse Road and Nelson Mandela Drive, and few in the Extensions around Main Mall.

When looking to buy a bike or have it repaired, there are a few bike shops in town, namely BK Cycles in G-West Industrial along Old Lobatse Road, or Ultimate Cycle Base in Block 10/Setlhoa at Sebele Shopping Mall.

Explorer’s note:‍‍ ‍Given that the CBD in Gaborone is fairly calm with little traffic, it is a popular place to go for a bike ride where you’ll even find cyclists with their pro road bikes in the evening before sunset or for an early morning ride along the loop from The Fields Mall all the way to the Industrial Court.

Walking

Gaborone is a small city by population, but a large city by area, and this creates a bit of a paradox. Nevertheless, there is many walkable parts of town and depending on where you are and where you are going, walking can be a great option to get from A to B and take in the Gabs surroundings along the way. Most major roads in Gaborone have sidewalks and smaller streets are often calm enough to allow for comfortable strolling.

While walking should be safe pretty much everywhere during daylight hours, it is advisable not to walk at night, especially in the Phases, some of the Blocks, Bontleng/Newstance, White City, Old Naledi, and Mogoditshane & Tlokweng, among others. Meanwhile Village, the CBD and the Extensions around Main Mall could be considered safer, though it is still best to keep the walking for the brighter hours of the day.

Explorer’s note:‍‍ ‍Gaborone is great for walks around sunrise and sunset hours, when the temperatures are comfortable and the light is beautiful. Our favorite neighborhoods for a casual stroll are Extension 5/9/11 north of Main Mall, the Central Business District, and Village/Fairgrounds.

BONUS: Hiking (aka Hitchhiking)

One additional option to get around is what we call Hiking in Southern Africa – for others to be known as Hitchhiking and not to be confused with the hills and mountains kind of hiking. With Botswana being the safe and friendly country that it is, just standing on the roadside and flagging down a car or bakkie (pickup truck) can get you far across the city and beyond. Sometimes for free, and sometimes to chip in with a bit of a fuel contribution, it is always best to talk to the driver and find out what’s expected.

Explorer’s note:‍‍ ‍Again contrary to other parts of the world, it is common here to jump in the back of a bakkie or small truck and the police won’t mind.