Things to Do in Gaborone in December
December weather, activities, events & insider tips
Low Season · Budget Friendly
December Weather in Gaborone
Temperature, rainfall and humidity at a glance
90°F (32°C)
High Temp
65°F (18°C)
Low Temp
2.8 inches (71 mm)
Rainfall
70%
Humidity
⚠ Afternoon thunderstorms bring frequent lightning. Avoid exposed high ground like the Kgale Hill summit from early afternoon onward.
⚠ Heavy downpours trigger quick flash floods on low-lying and dirt roads. Drive with care to outlying sites like the Manyana rock paintings after a storm. Roads turn slick. Plan extra time. Check local radio.
⚠ High UV index of 8 and 32°C (90°F) heat create real sunburn and dehydration risk during midday hours. Seek shade. Drink water. Reapply sunscreen. These hours punish the unprepared.
Is December Right for You?
Weigh the advantages and considerations before booking
Advantages
- + December owns Gaborone's green season outright. The thornveld around Kgale Hill and the bush at Mokolodi Nature Reserve flip from dust-grey to electric green within days of the first storms. The Gaborone Dam swells to a level you will never witness in the dry winter months. Expect brown semi-desert and meet lushness instead.
- + This is the year's finest birding window. Migratory species flood the wetlands around the Gaborone Dam and the Notwane River. Listen for the liquid call of woodland kingfishers that arrive with the rains. Raptors ride thermals over the 1,287 m (4,222 ft) summit of Kgale Hill. Bring binoculars. The dawn chorus alone justifies the early alarm.
- + Crowds vanish and the city slips into holiday rhythm. Most of Gaborone empties as Batswana head to family villages for the festive season. Hotel rates, normally propped up by Monday-to-Friday business travel, soften. You will have trails and game drives almost to yourself.
- + Calving and birthing season plays out across the reserves. At Mokolodi Nature Reserve, roughly 12 km (7.5 miles) south of the city centre on the A1, impala and warthog drop their young in the long grass. Resident leopard and rhino-tracking experiences stay active. Green3Green grass keeps animals well-fed and relaxed. They graze instead of crowding shrinking waterholes.
Considerations
- − The heat is real and the sun punishes. Afternoons climb toward 32°C (90°F) with a UV index of 8. Humidity hovers around 70 percent before a storm breaks. Midday outdoor activity between 11am and 3pm is uncomfortable. Sunburn strikes fast even under thin cloud.
- − Afternoon thunderstorms arrive often and can turn violent. Rain falls on about 10 days across the month. Expect short, heavy bursts with lightning that build from mid-afternoon. Low-lying roads and dirt tracks become mud or flood briefly. An unplanned drive to the Manyana rock paintings, about 40 km (25 miles) southwest, can be scuppered.
- − The festive shutdown catches first-timers off guard. From December 24th through January 2nd, a large share of Gaborone's restaurants, offices, and even some attractions close while staff travel home. The Main Mall pedestrian strip goes quiet. Plan meals and activities around reduced hours.
Best Activities in December
Top things to do during your visit
Kgale Hill Sunrise Hike
Locals call Kgale Hill the Sleeping Giant. At 1,287 m (4,222 ft) it delivers the entire city, the dam, and the green December bush laid out below. Climb it in December specifically because the slopes are soft underfoot and dotted with wildflowers instead of dust. The early light is gentle before the UV index hits 8. Go at first light, around 5:30 to 6am, to beat both the heat and the afternoon storms. Do not be startled by the troop of baboons that own the lower trail.
Booking Tip: No booking is needed for the hike itself. The trail is safer and more rewarding with a licensed local guide who knows the route and the baboon etiquette. Arrange a guided morning walk 2-3 days ahead and confirm a sunrise start time. See current guided options in the booking section below.
Mokolodi Nature Reserve Game Drives
Mokolodi sits just 12 km (7.5 miles) south of Gaborone where the city meets the bush. Expect giraffe, white rhino, kudu, and zebra across rolling green hills in December. The green season is the reason to come now. Newborn antelope, plump animals, and birdsong everywhere look far more photogenic than the bleached dry-season landscape. Morning drives dodge afternoon thunderstorms and catch animals while it is still cool, around 20°C (68°F).
Booking Tip: Book a guided morning game drive 5-7 days ahead, over the festive weeks when staffing thins. Choose operators with insured, trained guides and proper open-vehicle setups. Rhino-tracking walks are popular and limited. Reserve those earlier. Check the booking widget below for current availability.
Gaborone Game Reserve Wildlife Drive
This compact reserve sits right inside the city's eastern edge. It is the easiest wildlife fix in Gaborone. Expect wildebeest, impala, ostrich, and a famous population of warthogs grazing within sight of the suburbs. December turns the grassland thick and the seasonal pans hold water. Waterbirds arrive that you will not see in winter. The reserve is small enough to drive in a couple of hours. Good for a half-day when storms threaten the afternoon.
Booking Tip: Self-drive entry is straightforward. A guided drive 2-4 days ahead secures bird identification and the best sightings. Aim for the gate opening so you finish before the typical mid-afternoon downpour. Current guided tours appear in the booking section below.
Gaborone Dam Birding and Sailing
The Gaborone Dam is the city's water source and its open-air escape. Broad sheets of water are backed by hills, with sailboats leaning into the breeze on calm mornings. December's rains lift the level and pull in migratory birds. Look for kingfishers, herons, and fish eagles whose call carries across the water. The smell after a storm here, wet earth and warm grass, is the smell of the green season. Outboard noise is low and the light at golden hour is extraordinary.
Booking Tip: Birding boat outings and shoreline walks are best arranged 3-5 days ahead through licensed operators with life jackets and weather-aware skippers. Morning slots are calmer and safer before afternoon wind and lightning build. See current options in the booking widget below.
Gaborone Culture and Craft Walk
Spend a humid afternoon between the open-air vendors of the Main Mall, the Three Dikgosi Monument honouring the chiefs who secured Botswana's nationhood, and craft houses stacked with Botswana basketry shaped by mokola palm and dyed with bush bark. December is ideal because it is an indoor-friendly, storm-proof activity. The festive mood brings impromptu music and food stalls. You will smell roasting maize and hear Setswana gospel drifting from shopfronts.
Booking Tip: Book your cultural walk 3-5 days ahead. A licensed guide unlocks the stories behind the monuments and saves you from mass-produced souvenirs. Demand the local tourism office badge. Check the booking section below for current walking tours.
Manyana Rock Art Day Trip
Drive 40 km southwest of Gaborone. Manyana rock paintings wait on granite slabs, ochre eland and human figures painted by San artists centuries ago. Sit beneath the gnarled fig where missionary David Livingstone once preached. December's green hills turn the route scenic instead of dusty. Duck under the rock overhangs for cool shade when the mercury hits 32°C. Half-day escape. Feels remote.
Booking Tip: Secure a licensed guide 4-7 days ahead. You get the rock-art story plus a driver who knows when dirt roads flood after storms. Travel in the morning. Watch the afternoon forecast. Current day-trip options are in the booking widget below.
Where to Stay in Gaborone in December
Hand-picked hotels across price tiers for December travellers.
December Events & Festivals
What's happening during your visit
Late December
Gaborone International Music and Culture Week (GIMC)
GIMC is the city's marquee year-end bash. Roughly a week of jazz, gospel, Setswana dance, theatre, comedy, and a fashion show pack Gaborone venues. This is when the capital buzzes after dark. Expect open-air stages thumping bass into warm night air. Food stalls dish seswaa and grilled meat. Buy headline-night tickets early. Arrive before gates jam. Come for local acts, not just the international names.
Late December
Festive Season and New Year Celebrations
Christmas and New Year revolve around family braais, church services, and street gatherings in residential neighbourhoods. Taste the season: peak seswaa, pap, and morogo. Hospitality is open-armed and easy. The city itself quiets as locals head to home villages. Plan meals around festive closures.
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Insider knowledge and common pitfalls to avoid
Insider Knowledge
Treat the festive shutdown as a planning fact, not a surprise. From December 24th to January 2nd, many Gaborone restaurants and offices close while staff travel home. Stock up. Confirm hotel dining hours. Target Game City and Riverwalk malls. They stay open and double as storm-proof backup plans.
Do everything outdoors before 10am. Storms reliably build from mid-afternoon. Locals front-load their day. Hikes, game drives, and dam outings happen at sunrise. Hot, sticky afternoons are for air-conditioned malls, long lunches, or naps.
December is when Gaborone hotel rates ease. Weekday business travel dries up over the holidays. Flexible travellers score one of the year's better-value windows in a capital that's usually corporate-priced.
Ask for fresh phane, the mophane caterpillars. Green-season rains trigger a harvest. Dried or fresh phane, earthy and chewy, appears at markets and on local plates now in a way it doesn't most of the year.
Avoid These Mistakes
Do not underestimate the sun. Travellers see 'only' 90°F and skip hat and sunscreen. They lose an afternoon to sunburn because the UV index of 8 burns through cloud cover.
Avoid rigid all-day outdoor itineraries. Booking a midday game drive or noon Kgale Hill climb in December usually means hiking into a thunderstorm. Build flexibility around the predictable afternoon rain.
Do not expect safari-postcard wildlife inside the city. Gaborone offers genuine game at Mokolodi and the Gaborone Game Reserve. It is compact reserve viewing, not the Okavango or Chobe. Set expectations. Treat the capital as a base, not a Big Five destination.
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