Transportation in Botswana

Botswana's transport backbone is the long-distance coach network, clean, reliable, and cheap enough that locals treat it like a moving café. Between towns you'll ride modern coaches that leave main bus ranks early morning and late afternoon. Inside cities, shared minibus taxis swarm the ranks and cost a fraction of a private cab. For comfort and door-to-door speed, metered taxis and ride-hailing apps exist in Gaborone and Francistown, but they're the splurge option. First-timers should know: minibuses only leave when full, so factor in wait time, and luggage goes on your lap or the roof, pack light. The biggest rookie trap is accepting an "airport special" taxi inside Sir Seretse Khama International. Walk past the touts to the official rank or use the in-terminal Wi-Fi to hail a ride-hailing car. If you're heading downtown, the shared shuttle vans parked outside depart once they fill up and cost about the same as two cappuccinos, cheap, cheerful, and faster than you'd expect.