"Home Sweet Home" Francistown by globalsuitcase

Francistown Travel Guide: 1 reviews and 2 photos

Since Forever....

My parents have been in Francistown since before it even had tar roads... this wasnt that long ago my the way! even in the 70's, there were only dirt tracks through Francistown. but as everything does, it changed, it grew..... and now its a massive metropolis (in Botswana terms) of about 200 000 people.... incredible hey? lol

growing up....

i was born in zimbabwe, but as a toddler, lived on our family farm outside Francistown. When it was time to start school, i moved back to Bulawayo and was there until 2001. Moving back to Botswana after several years was s shock! the traffic is unbelievable with taxi's, combis and people walking everywhere. even driving down a one-way street, there will be some clever person driving the other way!

places to stay.......

the first hotel in Francistown still stands, "The Grand".. complete with the hitching post for horses still outside the door. there are countless lodges and hotels, varying from in the middle of the city to bush camps.... however, transport is a mission - especially if you cant drive. the railways run from francistown to Gaborone and to Bulawayo. i would not recommend this to anyone... especially NOT women!!!! Taxis, combis and busses are not as bad, but are loaded "African Style"... meaning 30 people in a 15 seater taxi. best option is to rent a car... some people find it tricky... as we drive on the left hand side of the road - which some Americans we've met find complicated... but its quite easy to get the hand of. there is a movie house, bars, night clubs, sport clubs, basically it caters for the young party animals (yeah!)... but there is also a museum and lots of other things to do for the less wild. Francistown is a mining town. the rush started when gold was discovered several hundred years ago, and now the industry has moved to copper nickel, but there are still running gold mines in the area.

Pros and Cons

Pros:There are lots of good places to stay & things to do....
Cons:For people who are just passing through, a couple of days is more than enough!
In a nutshell:It may look like a dust hole... but gold grows there!