Maun is an important village (with town status pending) in Botswana, and major gateway to the Okavango Delta.

Travel to Maun - Visa Requirements

Flights and airtickets to Maun

Air Botswana [1] operates regular services to Francistown, Gaborone, Kasane the South African cities of Cape Town and Johannesburg, as well as to Windhoek in Namibia.

Your can get to Maun using the highway from Francistown

Tours and Getting around Maun

If you want to hire a 4x4 to get around in the parks, kitted out 4x4s equipped for camping can be rented from Maun Self Drive 4x4. http://maunselfdrive4x4.webs.com/

Maun tourist attractions and sightseeing

Maun Education Park is easy walking distance from downtown and well worth 2 to 3 hours either early morning or late afternoon. It is the hidden jewel of Maun - with over 10 giraffes, wildebeest, kudu, impala, zebras, lechwe, warthogs and great birding.

Nhabe Museum has regular exibitions and friendly staff to answer your questions or give advice. Don't miss their gift shop.

see an ancient bridge that is supported by living trees in Matlapaneng,on your way to Moremi Game Reserve. The bridge is in a poor state and you might be the last to see it.

Maun city tours

Maun is a prime take-off location for mobile safaris into the Okavango Delta, Parks and Game Reserves.

• Moremi Game Reserve, a world class game reserve, is only 80 km away, It offers undisturbed game viewing in varies woodland plains environments.
• Afro Trek Safaris operates from Maun. [2] Trips generally range from overnight to 10 days.
• Bush Camp Safaris [3] is another excellent mobile safari company. Many travelers consider mobile safaris the best way to see Botswana and the big game it has to offer.

Maun souvenirs and shopping

Buy

Baskets @ P50
Tswee - alocal vegetable

Maun Restaurants: cheap, moderate and expensive

• Bon Arrivee is just across the street from the airport. International breakfasts, lunches , dinner and a full range of refreshments await you.

• Audi Camp has a great open kitchen, where you can watch your meal being cooked. You eat under one of the largest thatch roofs you may ever see.

• Try Hilary's Coffee Shop near the airport - cheap and cheerful, a regular lunchtime spot for locals because the menu is full of delicious homemade dishes. The menu shows real imagination. Whether planning to eat outdoors on the verandah or inside get there early to enjoy the greatest selection.

• Sports Bar is good for a more formal, European style dining experience.

• Try local dishes such as papa (maize meal- the staple food), magunya (Fried dough balls- available for around 50 thebe), seswa (shredded meat- usually beef or goat), morogo (green, leafy vegetable similar to spinach). These foods are available ready made at most supermarkets or at local eateries such as "Choice" across from Riley's Garage. If you're feeling adventurous, in season, mopane worms (the caterpillar of the mopane moth) are also available in many different forms- dried and salted, stewed or fried.

• Buck and Hunter bar with pub style food, friendly owners. Popular with pilots and ex-pats. Down the road from Bon Arrivee with view of airport runway.

• Food is also available at River Lodge, The Bridge Backpackers, and Crocodile Camp all of which, along with Audi camp, are popular places to stay for backpackers.

• French Connection serves bistro style food, croissants etc.

• RAW serves smoothies, wraps and other healthfood. Nice, different concept for Botswana, doesn't feel like it is in the middle of an African village.

Maun nightlife, bars, clubs and pubs

• Trekkers Nightclub
• Okavango River Lodge
• Audi Camp
• Bar 2000
• Back to the Bridge Backpackers
• Buck and Hunter
• Sedia Hotel

Maun cheap and luxurious hotels, youth hostels and lodging

• Sedia Riverside Hotel is on the banks of the Thamalakane River, 8 km from the airport, tel: +267 6860-177, Email : info@sediahotel.com, [4]. You can stay in comfortably appointed rooms, spacious chalets or pitch your tent in their well wooded campsite. Features include the largest swimming pool in town, a terrace bar, picturesque indoor bar, dining room and bird watchers paradise.
• Audi, Tel: +267 6860-599 , [5]. Offers, camping, bedded tents, and a self catering house for larger groups.
• Okavango River Lodge, Email:info@okavango-river-lodge.com, [6]. simple accommodation, camping, trips into the Okavango Delta. Good if you enjoy a party but can be noisy.
• Back to the Bridge Backpackers, email:thebridge@botsnet.bw, [7]. A unique, comfortable and historic surrounding and friendly owners. Bar can be noisy.
• Crocodile Camp, tel:+267 680 0222 (sales@crocodilecamp.com), [8]. Beatiful chalets, peaceful atmosphere and campiste for overlanders/backpackers.
• Motsentsela Tree Lodge, Tel: +267 686 0822/3 (Email: reservations@motsentselatreelodge.com), [9]. Perfect if you are looking to get away from it all. In a bush setting, peaceful, luxurious and pristine.
• Riley's Hotel. Mauns oldest hotel is centrally located and ideal for the business traveller with conference rooms etc.

Get out

Maun is known as the gateway to the Okavango Delta and this is a must see when in Botswana. Many tour operators ae available and from Maun self drive is possible to either Khwai community area (booking office in Maun) or Moremi with careful research and planning. Other beautiful national parks in Botswana are :

• Central Kalahari Game Reserve
• Chobe National Park
• Kgalagadi Transfrontier Park
• Khutse Game Reserve
• Makgadikgadi Pans National Park
• Mokolodi Nature Reserve
• Nxai Pan National Park

This page was last edited by Wikitravel user Shaund. Based on work by David, Jim DeLaHunt, Mike Sharp, Tim Sandell, David Young, Tom Holland and Felix Gottwald, Wikitravel user(s) Morph, Anonymous user(s) of Wikitravel and others. - Content on this page is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 1.0 license