Shoshong

Shoshong was the Bangwato capital through much of the nineteenth century, a substantial town in the hills that missionaries and traders visited before the move to Palapye in 1889 and then Serowe. What remains of that period is largely on the ground rather than standing: mission foundations, graves, and the shape of the old town in the hills above the present village. Gorges cut back into the hills behind, with springs and walking routes into them.

What you actually see

• The gorges - rock valleys cutting into the hills above the village.
• The old capital site - foundations and graves from the nineteenth-century town.
• The springs - water sources in the hills that supported the settlement.
• The hills - the range the village is built against.

When to go

April to September is the dry season and the most comfortable for walking the gorges. Summer heat is severe and the rocks hold it. Grass is high after the rains.

Honest expectations

Little is standing from the historic capital and the site needs a guide to read. There is no interpretation and no facilities. The road in from Mahalapye is rough.

Nearby

Mahalapye is east, and Serowe is north.