Maun In Botswana Is The Gateway To The Okavango Delta - Must See

Maun is Botswana's tourist capital. It is a busy centeroperations whose signs and offices dot almost every
in the country and a real travel hub with daily flightsintersection.
from Gaborone, Victoria Falls, South Africa andSince the town's establishment in 1915 as the tribal
Namibia.capital of the Batawana people, Maun has had a
The Delta is the main attraction in the region. Withinrough and ready reputation as a hard-living 'Wild
few hours of travel from Maun, travellers can findWest' town servicing the local cattle ranching and
themselves in the Okavango, Moremi Game Reservehunting operations. But with the growth of the
and the Chobe-Zambezi Area.tourism industry and the completion of the tar road
The best time to go is during the winter monthsfrom Nata in the early 1990's, Maun has developed
from May to October when there is little or no rainfallrapidly, losing much of its old frontier town character.
and the days are warm and cloudless. Nights can beIt is now home to over +- 30000 people.
cold though so take a jacket. November to April canRegular supplies of almost everything can be bought
be very hot, with most of the rainfall betweenin Maun, and the town boasts several good shopping
December and February.centres, filling stations, a choice of hotels and lodges.
Maun has developed rapidly from its early days as aThe Maun Airport, which was officially opened in 1996
rural frontier town and has spread along the wideafter extensive renovations, is - if one counts the
Thamalakane River. It now boasts shopping centreslight aircraft charters to the various Delta camps -
and 4-wheel drive vehicle hire. However, it retains aone of the busiest airports in Southern Africa.
rural atmosphere and local tribesmen still bring theirThe name Maun is derived from the San word
cattle here to sell. You will see antelopes grazing the"maung", which means "the place of short reeds".
river banks.The village began in 1915 as the capital for the
Maun, situated at the gateway to the Delta. Maun isTawana people. The capital was moved from Toteng
the administrative centre of Ngamiland. It is also theafter glorious victory over Ndebele King Lobengula.
headquarters of countless safari and air-charter