Study Abroad Programs in Botswana

The capital city, Gaborone, is located along the border of Botswana and South Africa and is by far the most popular city for studying abroad in Botswana. Born from the discovery of one of the richest diamond sources on Earth, Gaborone is a mid-sized city of nearly 300,000, located right where the blue tones of the Okavango River Delta meet the sands of the Kalahari Desert.

A tour of the city can include everything from game reserves filled with baboons, giraffes, elephants, and zebras to modern malls and restaurants. The city has excellent public transportation within as well as transport to connect you with the rest of Botswana. The divisions within the city can be a bit confusing when you first arrive, but will quickly become second nature after cruising through the streets in combis and talking to the locals. 

Gaborone is the main base for the University of Botswana, which is Botswana’s first institute of higher education. The university has four campuses, two of which are in Gaborone. The National Stadium is located right next to campus and is typically filled with football matches.

Maun has a truly unique feel that is the result of a rough and tough “Wild West” location that is officially still a village becoming a popular tourist hub. Local tribesmen still bring their cattle to town for sale, tourists come from around the world, and huts stand next to skyscrapers. It has a slightly infamous and charming reputation for having more donkeys standing around town than people, but is also known as the “tourist capital” of Botswana.

Rural Areas. Perhaps the best location for studying abroad in Botswana is not one location at all. Rural areas are excellent locations for “getting off the grid” and gaining fieldwork experience in Rural Health Care, Wildlife Migration, and Environmental Research. The Chobe-Linyanti-Zambezi Wetland and the Okavango Delta draw scientists from around the globe.