Just landed in Botswana? Your first 7 days

Mobile data is the default way to get online. 4G is solid across Gaborone, Francistown, Maun and the main towns but thins out fast in rural and Kalahari areas, where you may drop to 3G or nothing. Fixed home fibre and LTE exist in Gaborone through providers like BTC and Mascom, but for your first weeks a prepaid data bundle is simplest. Prepaid SIM registration is compulsory and requires your passport.

Typical cost: Prepaid SIM around P10-P20; monthly data bundles roughly P100-P300 depending on volume; home fibre packages from about P400-P900/month.

The currency is the Pula, which means rain, and coins are called thebe. Cards work fine at malls, supermarkets, fuel stations and hotels in the cities, but cash and mobile money are essential for kombis, street vendors, markets and anywhere outside the main towns. Carry small denominations, because change for large notes is not always available.

Opening an account: Opening an account normally requires your passport, a valid residence or work permit and proof of address, so many newcomers wait until their permit is issued and rely on cash and a home-country card until then.

Cash: Orange Money and Mascom MyZaka mobile wallets are widely used to pay bills, buy airtime and transfer money, even by people without a bank account, and many small businesses will send you their number to pay directly.

Tipping: Around 10% at sit-down restaurants if service is not already included, small change for petrol attendants, car guards and porters, and a proper gratuity for safari guides and trackers at the end of a trip.

Where: Department of Immigration and Citizenship (Ministry of Labour and Home Affairs) offices in Gaborone and regional towns.

Your legal obligations are immigration-based: enter lawfully, hold a valid permit for the reason you are staying, and keep it current. Foreign nationals should carry ID and may be asked to show a passport or permit at road checks or by immigration officers. Rather than registering an address, your energy should go into securing and renewing the correct residence and work permits within their validity windows.

Shared minibus taxis, known as kombis, run fixed routes for a few Pula and are the cheapest way around Gaborone, though they can be crowded, slow and stop only at set points. Metered 'special' taxis exist but usually have to be phoned or picked up at ranks rather than hailed on the street. Because the country is vast and towns are far apart, most established residents end up buying a car, and a used vehicle imported from Japan via Durban is the common route.

From the airport: Your options are a hotel shuttle, a pre-booked or rank airport taxi (agree the fare first, around P150), or Yango and inDrive if you have data, which are usually cheaper. There is no train or scheduled public bus link from the airport into the city.

Most expats rent freestanding houses or townhouses in Gaborone suburbs such as Phakalane, Broadhurst, the Village and the numbered Extensions, frequently in gated complexes with a shared pool and security. Listings appear on Facebook groups, through estate agents like Pam Golding and RE/MAX, and on portals such as Property Botswana. Supply of good furnished homes is limited, so start viewing early and be ready to move quickly on a decent place.

Typical rent: A modest one to two bedroom flat runs roughly P4,000-P8,000/month; a comfortable family house in a good suburb P10,000-P20,000+/month, more for large furnished homes in gated estates.

Deposit: Usually one to two months' rent as a deposit plus the first month upfront; leases are commonly 12 months, and agents may ask for proof of income or an employer letter.

Public clinics and hospitals are cheap or free but stretched, with long waits and limited specialist care; complex or serious cases are often referred to South Africa. Private facilities in Gaborone, such as Bokamoso Private Hospital, Gaborone Private Hospital and Sidilega, offer good standards and are where most expats go for anything beyond the routine.

How to use it: For emergencies, call 997 for a public ambulance or, more reliably in Gaborone, a private service such as MRI (Medical Rescue International), who also handle emergency evacuation to South Africa if needed.

Insurance: Botswana Medical Aid Society (BOMAID), Pula Medical Aid and BPOMAS are the main local schemes; expats frequently add international cover so that treatment in South Africa or repatriation is included.

• Botswana is relaxed and polite; keep your voice down, avoid public displays of anger and never rush a transaction, as impatience reads as rudeness.
• Dress fairly conservatively outside nightlife; smart-casual is expected for offices, and modest attire matters for churches, funerals and government appointments.
• Accept hospitality graciously; if offered tea or food when visiting, taking a little is polite, and bringing a small gift when invited to a home is appreciated.
• Show deference to elders and chiefs (dikgosi), who still hold real authority in the kgotla (community meeting) and in traditional settings.
• Learn a handful of Setswana phrases beyond greetings, such as 'ke a leboga' (thank you); the effort is warmly received even when English would do.

• Be patient and deferential in traditional or rural settings; interrupting elders or bypassing local protocol causes offence.
• Avoid loud public criticism of the country, its leaders or its institutions, which is considered disrespectful even in casual settings.