Maun

Overview

Maun was once a dusty little frontier town where local people brought their cattle to trade. Today, thanks to the popularity of the Okavango Delta and Moremi Wildlife Reserve, it’s Botswana’s tourism capital and the springboard for safaris into the 15 000 sq km wilderness area. Although the modern city of Gaborone in the extreme southeast is Botswana’s capital, very few travellers pass through that city en route to the national parks. You are more likely to arrive in Maun (for the delta) or Kasane on the northern border with Zimbabwe (for Chobe). Alternatively you can get to Chobe from Maun via the Moremi Wildlife Reserve, but this route is only suitable for 4x4 vehicles. Maun is the base-camp for a thriving tourism industry that markets everything from horseback safaris to mokoro tours in the delta. There are countless safari and air-charter operations whose signs and offices line the dusty streets. Only a few years ago it was little more than a dirt-road rural village. The exceptional growth of the tourism industry has turned Maun from a sleepy backwater into a boomtown. The name Maun is derived from the San word 'maung', meaning ‘the place of short reeds’. The village began life in 1915 as the tribal capital of the Batswana people, and its reputation quickly grew as a rough and ready place of local cattle ranchers and professional hunters with a Wild West atmosphere. In 1920, Harry Riley built the first Riley’s Hotel, which was then nothing more than a small bar catering to the men who arrived from Francistown - a gruelling 35-hour journey by horse and cart. Today the hotel is still an important landmark in Maun. With the growth of the tourism industry and the completion of the tar road from Nata in the early 1990s, Maun developed rapidly along the wide Thamalakane River into Botswana’s third largest town. It’s lost much of its old frontier town character and is now home to over 30 000 people in an eclectic mix of modern buildings and native huts. There are shopping malls, banks, restaurants, a few hotels and some happening bars. Regular supplies of almost everything can be bought in Maun and the town services the various lodges in the delta, sending provisions in by truck or plane. Maun has very few sights as such, and it’s not the most attractive of places: lots of concrete, very few trees, hot, white and bright. Though it still retains some of its rural atmosphere - you might see local tribesmen bring their cattle into town for sale, or the odd red lechwe grazing next to the donkeys, goats and cattle along the riverbanks - the real reason to be in Maun is to prepare for a trip into the delta.

What will the weather be like?

The best time to visit Maun and the delta is during the dry winter months from May to October when there is little or no rainfall and the days are warm and cloudless. The nights can be cold though - a consideration if you’re camping. November to April can get extremely hot with most of the not-very-much rain falling between December and February. Some of the delta lodges close then because of inaccessible roads. The sun in shadeless Maun is very bright, and bounces off the white dust with a harsh glare. This can create something a bit like snow blindness. Sunglasses are crucial.

What can I see and do?

The tiny Thye Nhabe Museum outlines the natural history and culture of the Okavango area. It’s situated in an historic building built by the British military in 1939. There is a crocodile farm open to visitors 12km south of Maun on the Sehitwa road at the Sitatunga Campsite. There are some fine Nile crocodiles on show and the farm provides general information on crocodile farming on a one-hour tour. The Sitatunga Campsite also has a lively bar and offers budget mokoro trips into the delta. The small Maun Game Reserve covers only 8 sq km of woodland. It follows the Thamalakane riverbank upstream from Riley's Hotel and consists of the original 'Place of Reeds' from which the town derives its name. The reserve can be explored on simple walking trails. If you want to fly over the delta this can be organised from Maun Airport, only a few minutes' walk from the town’s main street. There are several aerial companies offering a one-hour flip by six-seater plane, sometimes even by helicopter. Expect to pay from US$50-60 per head, depending on how many people are in the plane, to get a stomach-churning, low-flying view of the delta’s intricate waterways. Pilots have the ability and freedom to swoop low if there’s something of interest on the landscape.

How do I get there?

Despite being tiny, Maun International Airport is serviced by Air Botswana and there are direct flights from Johannesburg in South Africa, Victoria Falls in Zimbabwe and Windhoek in Namibia. Most of the other air traffic is associated with ferrying travellers to the many lodges in the region and the ever-popular game flights over the delta. Maun Airport is actually one of the busiest airports in southern Africa and many international pilots come to Botswana to clock up their air-miles. In season there’s a take-off or landing roughly every three minutes. Botswana does have buses but they are infrequent. Many travellers arrive in Maun on an overland tour from Victoria Falls or Johannesburg.

How do I get around?

Maun is infuriatingly arranged as two centres separated by a couple of traffic circles and a 2km walk. Both have a number of shops, banks, bureaux de change, petrol stations and fast-food joints, and you’re just as likely to find yourself in the north end of town as the south. If you need to get between the two centres then hop on a go-when-full minibus for a few pula, or pay more for a shared taxi. This is a standard car taking four passengers that travels the short distance when it has four bums parked on seats. But you should find everything you need in either of the two sections of town, so getting around should not be a problem.

How safe will I be?

Botswana is generally very safe. Maun’s residents are exceptionally friendly and do not take advantage of the many tourists that visit the town on a daily basis. In saying that, there have been incidents of the odd vehicle, campsite or lodge robbery, which are not necessarily carried out by people living in Botswana. The country shares its borders with poorer Zimbabwe and Zambia, and some individuals come across the border for the rich pickings of Maun’s international tourists. In these incidents, the Botswana police can do nothing but escort the thief, if caught, back across the border. In Maun, watch your valuables carefully and do not leave anything in an unattended vehicle.

Where can I change money?

The easiest and quickest places to change money anywhere in Botswana are the bureaux de change in Maun, as banks charge commission to change both cash and traveller's cheques. ATMs are available in Maun and Kasane towns and take most foreign visa-linked accounts. Barclays and Standard Chartered Bank are the main banks accepting overseas ATM cards. It’s easy to change most forms of currency here including US$, GB£ sterling, Euros and Rands.

Where can I eat and drink?

Most of the best eateries are attached to the accommodation on the outskirts of Maun so you’ll either need to be staying at one of them or have your own transport. In town, you can pick up fast food: chicken at Nandos and Chicken Licken, and ice cream and burgers at Steers. The South African-style supermarkets have great deli counters. The Power Station, located in Maun’s old power station, is a bar and cinema complex and a hang out for hard-drinking ex-pats. One of the consistently best places to eat is the Sports Bar, 5km to the north of town. It has a great atmosphere, large TV screens showing South African sports channels, and an excellent à la carte menu of steaks, ribs, lamb shanks and seafood. But remember the unwritten rule: never eat seafood in a landlocked country! Further out of Maun, about 8km down the same road are a number of lodges and campsites each with their own restaurants. Some are positioned nicely in rustic settings overlooking the Thamalakane River. Twelve kilometres to the south of Maun you will find the Groundhog Bar and Restaurant at the Sitatunga Campsite in a lovely hardwood forest inhabited by monkeys next to a crocodile farm. The Groundhog serves up cold beers, pizzas and burgers and is next to an inviting swimming pool.

How do I send a message home?

There are fast and reliable internet joints in both sections of town. North of the traffic island there’s one in the shopping mall next to the supermarket, and to the south you’ll find internet access next to Riley’s Hotel. You can make international telephone calls from the public coin and card phones positioned on hot and dusty street corners all over town. Maun’s post office is a reliable place to send mail. None of these facilities are cheap, however.