MINE VISITS

Debswana operates some of the biggest and richest diamond mines in the world. To visit the mines, you need to send in a request at least two weeks beforehand, so that security clearance can be made and to ensure that the dates you propose are suitable. The mines hold general mine tours on Fridays, and VIP tours on an 'ad hoc' basis.

Mine Visit President of The Republic of Sierra Leone Alhaji Dr. Ahmad Tejan Kabbah (right)visiting the Orapa mine, October 2, 2006. Orapa & Letlhakane Mine General Manager, Sebetlela Sebetlela (middle) and the Acting District  Officer for Boteti, Mothusi Mangoye.

The combined production of the four Debswana mines increased from 31.9 million carats in 2005 to 34.3 million carats, making Debswana the world's largest diamond producer by value. Debswana's mines are of significant interest to visitors, and the company receives numerous requests for mine visits from people across the globe. Those who have visited include world leaders such as His Majesty King Letsie of Lesotho, President Levy Mwanawasa of Zambia and President Thabo Mbeki of South Africa.

Debswana's mines include Jwaneng, the world's leading producer of gemstones by value which is situated about 170 kilometers west of the capital city Gaborone Orapa, Letlhakane and Damtshaa, other Debswana operations, are  situated about 550 kilometers north of Gaborone.

The mines can be reached along good tarred roads from the capital. It is approximately two hour's drive from Gaborone through the village of Kanye to reach Jwaneng. Orapa, Letlhakane and Damtshaa mines can be reached after a six hour drive from Gaborone via the villages of Palapye and Serowe. Palapye is along the main road to Francistown. From Palapye you drive west to Serowe and then to Orapa. Alternatively, one can take an hour's flight to Francistown from Gaborone and then drive for two hours to Orapa. Follow the link for a map (Map of Botswana).

Another place of interest is the Botswana Diamond Valuing Company (BDVC) which sorts and values diamonds produced by Debswana mines. BDVC is situated in Gaborone less than five hundred meters south of Debswana Head Office. Due to BDVC being a high level security area, public visits to the premises are discouraged.

Visits are coordinated from Head Office.