Francistown: Botswana's Capital of the North

Most travelers pass through Francistown without stopping — it's the natural halfway point on the road north, whether you're heading to Maun and the Okavango Delta, Kasane and Chobe, or Victoria Falls. That's a shame, because Botswana's second-largest city has more history behind it than its highway-stop reputation suggests.

A gold rush city

Francistown takes its name from Daniel Francis, a British prospector who acquired mining licenses here in 1869 and went on to direct the Tati Concessions Company. He and other prospectors weren't working from scratch — they followed ancient gold-mining shafts already dug generations earlier, using them as guides to where the gold actually was. The city that grew up around that gold rush is now home to a large Kalanga population and carries the informal title "Capital of the North."

Domboshaba

A short, easy drive from Francistown — no 4x4 required — Domboshaba is one of Botswana's oldest gazetted national monuments, protected since 1938. The stonewalling here dates to around 1450 AD: walls up to two metres thick, built entirely without cement, some still standing after nearly six centuries. Climb further up the hill and you can make out the floor plan of what's believed to have been a chief's residence, surrounded by the earthen floors of a community that once lived here.

Supa Ngwao Museum

Back in the city, the Supa Ngwao Museum — the name means "to show culture" in Setswana — houses Kalanga pottery, woodcarving, basketry, and musical instruments, alongside the story of Francistown's early gold-rush years. Its craft shop supports roughly 200 local craftspeople, and the museum runs guided walking tours covering the city's key historical sites.

Why stop here

Sitting near the confluence of the Tati and Inchwe rivers, just a few kilometres from the Zimbabwe border, Francistown works as more than a fuel stop — it's a genuine window into the gold-rush history that shaped this part of Botswana.