Maun
Almost all tourists entering the Okavango do so through Maun, situated at the gateway to the Delta and Moremi Game Reserve. Maun is the tourism capital of Botswana and the administrative centre of Ngamiland. It is also the headquarters of countless safari and air-charter operations whose signs and offices dot almost every intersection, particularly towards the airport.
Since the town’s establishment in 1915 as the tribal capital of the Batawana people, Maun has had a rough and ready reputation as a hard-living ‘Wild West’ town servicing the local cattle ranching and hunting operations. But with the growth of the tourism industry and the completion of the tar road from Nata in the early 1990s, Maun has developed rapidly, losing much of its old frontier town character. It is now home to over 30,000 people.
Regular supplies of almost everything can be bought in Maun, and the town boasts several good shopping centres, filling stations, a choice of hotels and lodges as well as car and four-wheel-drive vehicle hire. The Maun Airport, which was officially opened in 1996 after extensive renovations, is – if one counts the light aircraft charters to the various Delta camps – one of the busiest airports in Southern Africa.
The name Maun is derived from the San word “maung”, which means “the place of short reeds”. The village began in 1915 as the capital for the Tawana people. The capital was moved from Toteng after glorious victory over Ndebele King Lobengula.
This metropolis is now spread out along the wide banks of the timeless Thamalakane River where red lechwe can still be seen grazing next to local donkeys, goats and cattle.
Streets of Maun
As one crosses the new causeway across the Thamalakane River to the main commercial centre, the Best Western Riley’s Hotel is set on the riverbank to the left of the main traffic circle. This fine hotel is a very popular stopover with tourists travelling into and out of the Delta, and has been an important landmark in the town since the 1920s when Charles ‘Harry’ de Beauvoir Riley first arrived here. In those days it was a gruelling 35-hour haul from Francistown to Maun and when the men (mostly professional hunters) arrived, all they wanted was something cold to drink and a place to relax. Seeing the opportunity, Harry set up a little bar that was the scene of many wild parties.
Other areas of interest in and around Maun include the small Maun Game Reserve which covers just 8km2 of woodland. It follows the Thamalakane riverbank upstream from the Best Western Riley’s Hotel and includes the original “Place of Reeds” from which the town takes its name. The reserve is open every day and is traversed by numerous walking trails for which a small entrance fee is charged.
Related Travel Information
Moremi Wildlife Reserve
Moremi is the most diversified of all the Botswana parks in terms of wildlife and scenery and many people that is the most beautiful. Located on the northeastern part of the Okavango Delta, Moremi contains over 1160 miles (3000 sq Kms) of permanent swamps, islands, floodplains, forests and dry land. The park’s boundaries have been recently extended to the west and the northwest, significantly enlarging its size.
In the riparian forest you may spot elephants, greater kudu, Southern giraffes, impala, buffalo along with such predators like lions, leopard, wild dog, ratel (honey badger), spotted hyena and cheetah. Elephant
Botswana: General Informtion
BORDER POSTS AIRPORTS:
Gaborone
Francistown
Most border posts do not stay open after six in the evening for vehicle transport, and it's therefore advisable to check on operating times, especially the more remote, less used entry points. Generally the times are from six in the morning to six at night daily, but the busier posts may stay open later. Certain airports function as entry points
BANKS
BARCLAYS BANK
Maun and Kasane
Mon - Fri 08h30 - 14h30
Sat 08h15 - 10h45
FIRST NATIONAL BANK
Maun
Mon - Fri 09h00 - 12h45 & 14h15 - 15h30
Sat 08h30 - 11h00
STANDARD CHARTERED BANK
Maun
Mon - Fri 08h15 - 14h00
Wed 08h15
MAKGADIKGADI PANS GAME RESERVE
It is said that both "kalahari" and "makgadikgadi" stem from the same ancient San word for thirst-land. Both share waterless flat rolling grasslands and scrub, but the Makgadikgadi, which ironically has more water in the wet season, has a particularly desert-like ambience.
The area referred to as the Makgadikgadi Pans is composed of two huge salt pans, Ntwetwe and Sowa, and their associated grasslands. Only a tiny section of this vast area - said to be the biggest salt pans in the world - is actually designated National Park. You probably wouldn't even know when you're in
Kubu Island
The magnificent view over the pan from the island was perfectly described by Mike Main in his book "Kalahari": "All about you spreads the harsh glaring surface, but in the middle distance the pan is clothed in a somber symphony of muted greys and whites, toned up or down by the shadows of passing clouds, and merging at the horizon into a simple harmony of cobalt blue and grey". This island was also portrayed on canvas by the artist and hunter Thomas Baines. There are no camping facilities on Kubu or the other islands of southwestern Sowa, but there
THE OKAVANGO DELTA AND THE MOREMI WILDLIFE RESERVE
There are several names associated with incredible wildlife areas, such as the Serengeti, the Galapogos, the Great Barrier Reef. The Okavango Delta is one such. One of the largest inland deltas in the world, the Okavango is a birdwatcher's delight, a fisherman's challenge, a romantic's Eden. Spilling down from the highlands of Angola, the third largest river in southern Africa winds its way south west into Botswana's dry Ngamiland, where it hits a fault line and sprawls like an outstretched hand into the ancient, bleached sands of the Kalahari. Gradually the waters deposit
