Lobatse lies in a long valley between rocky hills, about 70 kilometres south of Gaborone and close to the South African border. It's one of Botswana's older towns, and before Gaborone was built it was an important seat of government. The country's first parliament met here, and the High Court still sits in the town. Lobatse is also a meat town. The Botswana Meat Commission's abattoir, one of the largest meat processing plants in Africa, has long handled beef from the cattle ranches of the south and west.
Around the valley
The hills that ring the town make for a good morning's walk, with views along the valley. North on the Gaborone road, the cliffs above Otse hold a colony of Cape vultures, and Otse Hill is often cited as the country's highest point. A few kilometres south of town, the Trans-Kalahari Highway meets the main road north. Eastbound, it runs to the Pioneer Gate border post, and westbound it crosses the Kalahari through Kanye and Jwaneng towards Ghanzi and Namibia. Kanye's Pharing Gorge and the rock paintings near Manyana are both an easy drive away.
Booking on adventuro
For the capital and the villages around it, see our guide to Gaborone and the south-east. Use the Book here tab to see live dates and prices.
