A calm capital on the edge of the Kalahari
Gaborone was built as a new capital around the time of Botswana's independence in 1966, and remains a relaxed, low-rise city. The Three Dikgosi Monument honours the chiefs who travelled to London to secure British protection in the 1890s, and the National Museum and Art Gallery covers the country's history and crafts. The Gaborone Game Reserve and Mokolodi Nature Reserve, just outside town, offer rhino tracking and walks. Most visitors pass through on the way north to the Okavango and Chobe.