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Trains across Botswana
A railway runs from the South African border at Lobatse through capital Gaborone to Francistown and across the border to Bulawayo in Zimbabwe, with onward connections to Victoria Falls or Harare. Unfortunately, there are currently no cross-border trains to or from South Africa. This page explains the train travel options.
Bulawayo - Francistown - Gaborone - Lobatse
Train travel to/from South Africa
On other pages
Useful country information
Bulawayo - Francistown - Gaborone - Lobatse
In early 2009, Botswana Railways announced it was to stop all passenger service on the main line across Botswana because of mounting losses. However, in 2015 they announced that passenger service would be revived, refurbished coaches were procured and an overnight Francistown-Gaborone-Lobatse train service was reinstated on 23 March 2016, see umhambi.blogspot.de/2016/03/botswana-botswana-railways-has-launched.html. In December 2017 a connecting train was introduced between Francistown in Botswana and Bulawayo in Zimbabwe, connecting into & out of the Lobatse - Gaborone - Franciston train as shown below.
UPDATE 2023: Passenger trains in Botswana were suspended in 2020 due to the pandemic and remain suspended in 2023.
UPDATE 2023: The Francistown-Bulawayo train was suspended in 2020 due to the pandemic and remains suspended in 2023.
You can check these times at www.botswanarailways.co.bw.
* The Francistown-Bulawayo train has standard class seats only. It started as a trial on 20 December 2017, running until further notice.
** BR Express. All-air-conditioned 1st class sleepers, business class seats, standard class seats and a buffet car. The train allegedly has WiFi & TV screens, see news item at www.mmegi.bw/index.php?aid=58774&dir=2016/march/23. Also see photos of the train at http://umhambi.blogspot.co.uk/2016/03/botswana-botswana-railways-has-launched.html.
*** Standard class seats only.
How much does it cost?
The fare between Lobatse & Francistown is 102 pula in standard class, 171 pula in business class & 285 pula in first class.
The fare between Gaborone & Francistown is 88 pula in standard class, 146 pula in business class & 244 pula in first class.
The fare between Francistown & Bulawayo is 70 pula ($7) in standard class.
You can take up to 20Kg luggage in Standard Class, up to 40Kg in Business & First.
How to buy tickets
You can buy at the station or book online through www.botswanarailways.co.bw. When you book online you get a reference number, you collect tickets from the ticket office before boarding the train.
Travellers reports
Traveller James Beard used the new Francistown to Bulawayo train in late 2017: "The new service between Bulawayo and Francistown is not the same train as the one that runs between Francistown and Lobatse. It's a connecting service, and when I used it the Francistown to Bulawayo train waited for the train from Lobatse (and so was about an hour late leaving, half of which was made up by not waiting so long at Plumtree). In both directions there were two standard seating carriages and a buffet car, but the buffet car didn't open (I was told there was a delay in getting approval for it to function in Zimbabwe) and we all sat in one carriage, I guess to make it easier for the border formalities. Again in both directions, freight wagons also formed part of the train. The fare is 70 Pula (~USD7) and in Bulawayo you can pay in Pula or USD. The Zimbabwean border formalities are done while the train waits at Plumtree (last/first station in Zimbabwe), and the Botswanan formalities done either there or while the train is moving. The train is very comfortable and clean (I guess the carriages are the same type as those used on the Francistown / Lobatse train), but could be improved by not having piped music. There were only 20-25 passengers in each direction and we were probably outnumbered by staff, if you include the border staff and the people who prepare the train in Francistown."
Traveller Richard Walsh tried the new Francistown to Gaborone sleeper train in November 2016: "I can confirm that the train from Francistown to Gaborone (and Lobatse) is a gem. Absolutely beautiful and very well appointed. We had a first class sleeper coupé, and yes there is a buffet car on board. We even were given drink and sandwiches... Probably only for first class, but maybe also business class. A new station is being built in Francistown. Train left and arrived to the minute. Piped music in the corridor was an unwelcome feature."
The Lobatse - Gaborone - Francistown train
International trains to/from Botswana
South Africa to Botswana by train
There are no trains from Botswana to South Africa, the daily train to Mafeking and weekly train to Johannesburg were withdrawn in 1999. However, you can take a comfortable train between Cape Town and Johannesburg, see the South Africa page for details. Then there's a daily bus between Jo'burg and Gaborone leaving Johannesburg around 12:00 and arriving Gaborone at 19:30. In the other direction, the bus leaves Gaborone daily at 06:30, arriving Johannesburg at 13:55. For times, fares and online booking see www.intercape.co.za.
Zimbabwe to Botswana by train
In 1999, the weekly Johannesburg-Gaborone-Bulawayo train was withdrawn and the daily Mafeking-Gaborone- Bulawayo blue train was cut back in to run purely within Botswana, Francistown-Gaborone-Lobatse. An international train service from Francistown to Bulawayo then restarted in June 2006, which ceased in late 2016. But in December 2017 the :Lobatse-Gaborone-Francistown blue train was experimentally extended to and from Bulawayo and continues today, see the section above - or at least, did so until the pandemic.
Hotels in Botswana
Guidebooks
To
get the most from a trip to Southern Africa, you'll need a good
guidebook - and I think the Lonely Planet guides are about the best ones out
there.
Buy Lonely Planet Southern Africa online at Amazon
Travel insurance & other tips
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Always take out travel insurance
Never travel overseas without travel insurance from a reliable insurer, with at least £1m or preferably £5m medical cover. It should also cover cancellation and loss of cash and belongings, up to a sensible limit. An annual multi-trip policy is usually cheaper than several single-trip policies even for just 2 or 3 trips a year, I have an annual policy with Staysure.co.uk myself. Here are some suggested insurers. Seat61 gets a small commission if you buy through these links.
www.staysure.co.uk
offers enhanced Covid-19 protection & gets 4.7 out of 5 on
Trustpilot.
www.columbusdirect.com
is also a well-know brand.
If you live in the USA try
Travel Guard USA.
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Get an eSIM with mobile data package
Don't rely on WiFi, download an eSIM with a mobile data package for the country you're visiting and stay connected. Most newer mobile phones can download a virtual SIM card so you don't need to buy a physical SIM, including iPhone 11 & later, see device compatibility list. Maya.net is a reliable eSIM data retailer with a 4.5 out of 5 Trustpilot rating and a range of packages including unlimited data.
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Get a Curve card for foreign travel
Most banks give you a poor exchange rate, then add a foreign transaction fee on top. A Curve MasterCard means no foreign transaction fees and gives you the mid-market exchange rate, at least up to a certain limit, £500 per month at time of writing. The money you spend on your Curve card goes straight onto one of your existing debit or credit cards.
How it works: 1. Download the Curve app for iPhone or Android. 2. Enter your details & they'll send you a Curve MasterCard - they send to the UK and most European addresses. 3. Link your existing credit & debit cards to the app, you can link up to two cards with the free version of Curve, I link my normal debit card and my normal credit card. 4. Now use the Curve MasterCard to buy things online or in person or take cash from ATMs, exactly like a normal MasterCard. Curve does the currency conversion and puts the balance in your own currency onto whichever debit or credit card is currently selected in the Curve app. You can even change your mind about which card it goes onto, within 14 days of the transaction.
I have a Curve Blue card myself, it means I can buy a coffee on a foreign station on a card without being stung by fees and lousy exchange rates, just by tapping the Curve card on their card reader. The money goes through Curve to my normal debit card and is taken directly from my account (in fact I have the Curve card set up as payment card on Apple Pay on my iPhone, so can double-click my phone, let it do Face ID then tap the reader with the phone - even easier than digging a card out). I get a little commission if you sign up to Curve, but I recommend it here because I think it's great. See details, download the app and get a Curve card, they'll give you £5 cashback through that link.
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Get a VPN for safe browsing. Why you need a VPN
When you're travelling you often use free WiFi in public places which may not be secure. A VPN encrypts your connection so it's always secure, even on unsecured WiFi. It also means you can select the geographic location of the IP address you browse with, to get around geoblocking which a surprising number of websites apply. See VPNs & why you need one explained. ExpressVPN is a best buy with a 4.7 out of 5 Trustpilot ranking which I use myself - I've signed up as an ExpressVPN affiliate, and if you go with expressvpn.com using the links on this page, you should see a special deal, 3 months free with an annual subscription. I get a small commission to help support this site.
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Carry an Anker powerbank
Tickets, reservations, vaccination records and Interrail or Eurail passes are often held digitally on your mobile phone, so it's vital to keep it charged. I always carry an Anker powerbank which can recharge my phone several times over if I can't get to a power outlet. Buy from Amazon.co.uk or from Buy from Amazon.com.