Maun

Understand

It has shopping centres, hotels and lodges as well as car hire services, although it retains a rural atmosphere and local tribesmen continue to bring their cattle to Maun to sell. The community is distributed along the wide banks of the Thamalakane where red lechwe can still be seen grazing next to local donkeys, goats and cattle.

Get around

thumb|Maun from above The core of Maun, say from Riley's Hotel to the airport, is walkable, but usually hot. Further out than that — and a number of popular camps are to the north-east of town — you will want to get a ride.

There is a roundabout just a few hundred metres northeast of Riley's Hotel and the Tourist office. It is a useful reference point. From here, Tesheko Tsheko road runs southwest past Riley's to the bus station and market (at Tsaro St, ~1.5 km). Sekgoma Road runs southeast, crossing the Thamalakane River, past the Maun Education Park, and on to Francistown. Moeti Road runs northwest. And Sir Seretse Khama Road runs north to the Maun airport (~2.5 km), and thence to the popular camps, to Moremi, and to Shorobe.

Taxis and combis have blue licence plates. (Expect to pay P30 for a taxi to the camps north of town.) In this area, especially on relatively high-speed roads, available taxis will honk gently once to see if you are interested. To show that you want a taxi, stick your arm out parallel to the ground, perpendicular (and towards) the road, palm-down, and flap your fingers. (Raising your hand will probably also work, but the finger-flapping is the way the locals do it.)

Note that taxis do not have a central dispatch system. Thus, if you want to call a taxi to fetch you from somewhere a bit remote, you need to have the mobile number of a taxi driver. Also note that driving after dark is dangerous (due to animals on the road), so there will be fewer taxis …

Do

Maun is a prime take-off location for safaris into the Okavango Delta, Parks and Game Reserves. Moremi Game Reserve, a world class game reserve, is 80 km away. It offers undisturbed game viewing in varies woodland plains environments. Gym: If you want to work out, there is a gym with day passes behind Hilary's (or rather, behind the naturopath next door to Hilary's).

Buy

There are several souvenir stores right around the airport, including Bush Telegraph, and Jazella's.

Eat

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. Food is also available at River Lodge, The Bridge Backpackers, Tamalakane Lodge, and Crocodile Camp all of which, along with Audi camp, are popular places to stay for backpackers. French Connection on Mophane Avenue serves bistro style food, croissants, etc. Don't be put off by the simple-looking entrance and sign - this place is a…

Drink

Trekkers Nightclub - It is popular primarily with the locals. Ex-pats will warn you not to go, but is perfectly safe if you're reasonably cautious. Bar 2000

Sleep

There are a couple of hotels (most notably Riley's) and some unimpressive B&Bs in Maun proper. A number of campsites and hotels popular with travellers are clustered on the road to Moremi and Shorobe, about 6-10 km north-east of Maun Airport. The landmark for this cluster is a roundabout on the south side of the Thamalakane River, just after the road crosses from the north side. A combi ride into Maun costs about P3, while a tax costs about P30. Riley's Hotel. Maun's oldest hotel is centrally located and ideal for the business traveller with conference rooms etc. it has a small pool with an abr and plenty of seating. The restaurant does amazing traditional meals and also the regulars. Oxtail and pap or chicken mayo sandwiches with chips - absolutely delicious. There is also a curio shop at reception, and the hotel is close to Riley's garage and a couple of the local shops.

Connect

Mobile phone service in Maun is excellent out to about 20 to 25 kilometres (12 to 16 mi), depending on weather.

Go next

Maun is known as the gateway to the Okavango Delta and this is a must see when in Botswana. Many tour operators are available and from Maun, self-drive in a 4x4 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