Francistown
Francistown is a city in the Northeast region of Botswana, near the border with Zimbabwe. The city is principally an agricultural services hub, however in recent years, as with Gaborone, there has been a retail boom with several shopping malls opening. Francistown has few tourist attractions of note, however there is sizeable tourist traffic, in particular as a halfway stop for tourists travelling between Gauteng and Maun and the Ocavango delta. Understand[edit]Get in[edit]Francistown is a major transportation hub in Northeastern Botswana and is the gateway to northern Botswana. By Car: A1: Connects Francistown to Gaborone in the south and to Zimbabwe in the north. Note that Francistown is the principal gateway for migrant workers from Zimbabwe - hence the border at Plumtree can get very busy, in particular if a bus from Zimbabwe has just arrived and 50 migrant workers are having their papers scrutinised by Botswanan officials. This risks a 2 hour wait at immigration unless you engage in some shameless queue-jumping. The border near Kasane is considerably quieter. A3: Connects Francistown to Nata and Maun to the west. By Bus: Buses about every hour to and from Gaborone and the trip takes 5-7 hours. Note that there are a handful of police checks on this route which stop all buses and coaches in order to inspect travel documents (for purposes of catching Zimbabweans without work permits). For the tourist this makes for a disturbed journey. Because it is a transportation hub, Francistown connects to most other villages and towns in the northern part of the country. Direct buses travel to tourist destinations like Maun and Kasane. There are also several buses that leave daily for Bulawayo and Harare in Zimbabwe. By Plane: Francistown has its own International airport which is currently undergoing a P500 million expansion. Currently the airport is only served commercially by Air Botswana [7] Air Botswana offers two daily flights to Gaborone, and flights to Johannesburg, South Africa on Tuesdays and Thursdays. By Train: As of April 2009, Rail Botswana no longer offers passenger service. There is rail service from Francistown to Bulawayo, Zimbabwe. The train departs Francistown on Tuesdays, Thursdays, and Staurdays. [8] Get around[edit]Share taxis go all over the city for only 4 Pula (about 40 cents U.S.) See[edit][add listing]Supa Ngwao Museum (New Maun Road) contains exhibitions on the culture and history of the Kalanga people, as well as a photographic exhibition on the early history of Francistown and Botswana. Tachila Nature Reserve covers approximately 8 200 hectares of well preserved natural habitat in an area adjacent to Francistown city. Visitors can enter the reserve for game drives. This is on a self-drive basis, and on arrangement only. Tel: +267 241-2313, or +267 74- 086-277, email [email protected] Domboshaba ruins near Musunga a 50km drive north of town. Modest remains of a settlement thought to be a tributary of Great Zimbabwe. Dry stone walls and the like. There is a lodge with restaurant nearby. Signposted from the tarred road and free entry. [9] Do[edit][add listing]Buy[edit][add listing]Prices are comparable to the U.S.
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