No.1 Ladies Detective Agency Literary Tour (Mma Ramotswe Tour)

This gave me a very helpful overview of the history of Gabarone and Botswana as well as seeing some of the places mentioned in the books. We drove to Zebra ‘drive’ to see the outside of the house that gave inspiration for Mma Ramostwe’s home, and also saw a garage on Tlokleng Road which sparked the location for J L B Matekone’s work location and the later detectives’ office.

We also drove round the university, past the civil servants’ training centre / secretarial college (much larger than I was expecting) and went near the orphan farm (obviously not actually going there as there are vulnerable children inside!)

My favourite bit was going to the Anglican cathedral as we were able to explore inside.

It would have been nice to finish at the President Hotel but that wasn’t an option to book on TripAdvisor so I went separately on another day.

Definitely a good way to get an introduction to Botswana and learning the history really helped give me some context for me week working in this lovely country.

Can thoroughly recommend the tour!

Andy read portions of the book as we approached the sites. But the real highlight was Andy and his wife Auto who owns the company, their kindliness and insights about life in Botswana

We were lucky to have two guides for the two of us! Both Andy and Oto were super friendly and knowledgeable and they were responsive to our many questions about Botswana.
The trip was focused on Number One Ladies but also had lots of history and cultural information and references. There isn’t really enough to fill 3 hours just about Mma Ramotswe and Co but it was a good hook to hang the tour on.
We really enjoyed our 3 hours and would recommend this trip.

Andy was such a wonderful guide. We were totally immersed in the world of Mma Ramotswe. We really appreciated learning about beautiful Botswana. We found that, as Canadians, we had a lot in common with the people of this land, believe it or not.

My mother and I went on this tour together with the wonderful guide Andy!

We had an amazing time! Andy’s tour was above and beyond what we imagined it would be. Andy was so fun to talk with about life in Botswana in general, and birds! and of course the Mma Ramotswe books - you could tell he was really into the books and sharing information about the people and places the stories were based on. Thank you so much Andy! Your tour really was a great way to experience Gaborone and get a behind the scenes look at the inspiration for the books.

(Viator’s options for “who came with you” weren’t applicable since we are family but no teens or young children)

We were picked up from our hotel and taken on our Ladies’ Detective tour in a very comfortable car. The tour guides were nice friendly people who had a good knowledge of the subject. They seemed to know how best to treat their guests. It was a good tour

Guide Andy and his professionalism and knowledge. Efficient, courteous and interesting. Knows his craft, presents well takes feedback on board and has a development plan.

It was pleasantly nice to trace some part of the famous Mma Ramotswe investigative stories! The tour was a blend of No. 1 Ladies Detective... and Botswana cultural history, which we found very interesting and informative. Andy, our tour guide provided excellent narrative through out as well as being able to accommodate questions from children or younger quests! Well worth the visit!

Our guide, Andy, was very friendly and knowledgeable about Botswana history. We were able to see the house on Zebra Way where McCall-Smith wrote the first book, and we met one of the guys who was the inspiration for JLB Matekoni. We also drove around the university area and the hospital, both of which featured in the series, and went to the Anglican cathedral where Mma. Ramotswe worshiped. There was a bit more general history and a bit less about the books than I expected, and it would have been nice to see the mini mall where her office was supposed to be, but in general the tour was interesting and worthwhile.

My guide was most wonderful! So very knowledgeable, accommodating, patient, and what a driver! We experienced and shared a miracle that will forever impact this tour in an incredibly positive way for future participants.

I am blessed to now call my guide my friend.

Andy was a great guide. This is a nice little tour to give some background to Botswana history and culture plus the fun of the book series.

Otto was wonderful helping us plan our tour and Andy was an excellent guide. The day we spent seeing Gabarone, the Matsieng Footprints, and surrounding area has become my favorite touring experience ever.

Andy suggested lunch at the Courtyard Restaurant at BotswanaCraft and it was a meal to remember! If you’re not sure what to order, ask Andy. He won’t steer you wrong!

I would not hesitate to trust Heritage Tours with my vacation plans in the future.

Really enjoyed my time with my guide. He gave me a wonderful tour of the city, including interesting historical facts and key places from the books. A great way to see the city as well as learn more about the books.