Gaborone (GBE): the tourism board's arrival page is still on pandemic time
Botswana Tourism's Getting There page still says international air travel is limited by the pandemic and lists two airlines that no longer exist. The one line on it that still holds is the taxi rule: agree the fare and check the driver has change before you set off.
- The national tourism board's Getting There page is years out of date. It still says international air travel is limited by the pandemic to a few Gaborone to Johannesburg flights a day.
- It lists Air Namibia and South African Express, both of which stopped flying years ago. Do not plan a connection from that page.
- What it says that does still hold: taxis to Gaborone are available from the airport, and you should establish and agree the fare, and make sure the driver has change, before departing.
- Licensed taxis carry blue number plates. Recognised companies also carry branding and can be pre-booked.
- Canada's advice is to use only reputable licensed firms, ask at your hotel front desk, and not to hail a taxi on the street.
- There is no ride-hailing in Botswana at all. Bolt lists no Botswana city, Uber's country directory has no Botswana, and Yango's country list does not include it either.
- No transport authority publishes an airport tariff, so any fixed airport fare quoted by a guide is invented.
- The airport is about 10 km north of Gaborone, on the civil aviation authority's own page.
- Scheduled airlines at the airport: Air Botswana, SA Airlink and Ethiopian Airlines.
- Most long-haul arrivals connect through Johannesburg. Air Botswana flies Gaborone to Johannesburg, Cape Town, Harare, Lusaka, Francistown, Maun and Kasane.
- There is also a daily coach between Gaborone and OR Tambo, leaving Gaborone at 06:00 and Johannesburg at 12:30 and 16:30, run by a Gaborone operator.
- Check-in closes 30 minutes before a domestic departure and 45 before an international one, and one hour if you are departing from OR Tambo or Cape Town.
Do not plan from the tourism board's page
- Botswana Tourism's own Getting There page still describes air travel as limited by the Covid-19 pandemic, with international service cut back to a few Gaborone to Johannesburg flights a day and Ethiopian Airlines flying to Addis "every few weeks depending on the pandemic situation".
- It also lists Air Namibia and South African Express as ways to reach the country. Neither airline exists any more. Treat the whole page as a historical document.
- The one thing on it that is still the right advice is the taxi rule: taxis to Gaborone are available from Sir Seretse Khama International Airport, and you should establish and agree the fare and check that the driver has change before departing.
There is no app and no tariff
- Bolt's own city directory has no Botswana city. Uber's country directory has no Botswana. Yango's country list has no Botswana. All three ride-hailing firms that cover this region say, in their own material, that they are not here.
- No transport authority publishes an airport taxi tariff in Botswana, so the fare is a negotiation, every time. A guide quoting a fixed airport price is quoting a number nobody published.
- Look for the blue number plate. The FCDO's advice is to use licensed taxis with blue plates; recognised companies carry branding and can be pre-booked. Global Affairs Canada adds: ask at the hotel front desk and do not hail one on the street.
The airport and the route in
- About 10 km north of Gaborone, opened in 1984, with a 4,000 m concrete runway and the largest passenger movement in the country.
- Scheduled airlines: Air Botswana, SA Airlink and Ethiopian Airlines. Most long-haul passengers connect through Johannesburg.
- If the connection collapses, there is a road option: a Gaborone operator runs a daily coach between Gaborone and OR Tambo, leaving Gaborone at 06:00 and Johannesburg at 12:30 and 16:30.
- Air Botswana closes check-in 30 minutes before a domestic departure and 45 minutes before an international one from Botswana, and one hour before a departure from OR Tambo or Cape Town. Non-citizens need a passport even on a domestic flight.
Gaborone (GBE): parking is charged from 30 minutes, capped at five days, and nobody may wait at the door
The civil aviation authority publishes the rules rather than the prices: visitors pay from 30 minutes onward, cars are expected to stay no more than about five days, parking in front of the terminal is not allowed and the departure lounge is closed to anyone without a boarding pass.
- Visitors parking at the airport is charged from 30 minutes onward. The authority publishes the rule and not the rate.
- Cars left by air travellers are expected to stay about five days, and the car park may have separate areas by length of stay.
- Parking in front of the terminal building or in restricted areas is not allowed.
- The authority accepts no liability for damage to or theft of a vehicle or its contents.
- Access to the departure lounges is restricted to travellers with a valid boarding pass. Say goodbye in the public area.
- Only public areas of the terminal are open to non-passengers.
- Liquids, aerosols and gels are limited to 100 ml in a security tamper-proof bag in hand baggage.
- A passenger who has drunk too much will not be allowed into a restricted area or onto the aircraft.
- Parties, rallies and campaign events are not allowed at the airport, and even a formal reception needs approval in advance.
- Loitering and soliciting are not allowed, which is the authority's framing of the touting problem.
- The authority's office at the airport is contactable 06:00 to 18:00 seven days a week on +267 369-2500.
- The Area Control Centre is staffed 24 hours on +267 395 9440, and the airport police officer in charge is on +267 390 9935.
Rules, published; prices, not
- Visitors parking at Sir Seretse Khama is charged from 30 minutes onward. The Civil Aviation Authority of Botswana says so in its public information and publishes no tariff to go with it, which is the same pattern as the taxi fare.
- Vehicles left by people travelling by air are expected to stay about five days, and the car park may be divided into areas by length of stay. Parking in front of the terminal building or in a restricted area is not allowed, and the authority accepts no liability for damage or theft.
Who may go where
- Access to the departure lounges is restricted to travellers holding a valid boarding pass, and only the public areas of the terminal are open to everyone else. Plan the farewell for the concourse.
- Liquids, aerosols and gels are capped at 100 ml carried in a security tamper-proof bag in hand luggage, and a passenger who has taken excess alcohol will not be allowed into a restricted area or onto the aircraft.
- Parties, rallies, campaigns and similar events are not permitted at airports, and a formal reception for a visiting group needs approval and compliance with security requirements in advance. Loitering and soliciting are not allowed, which is how the authority describes the touting rule.
Numbers
- The authority's airport office is reachable 06:00 to 18:00, seven days a week, on +267 369-2500, and its head office 08:00 to 17:00 on Monday to Friday on +267 368-8200.
- The Area Control Centre runs 24 hours on +267 395 9440. The officer in charge of airport police is on +267 390 9935 and the airport manager on +267 391 4401.
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