Things to do in Maun
And where to stay, the best time to visit, what a day costs, and the traps to skip.
Best time to visit Maun
• a note or something on ✦ an occasion worth the trip
Peak dry safari season: highest flood early, best wildlife and mokoro, cold June to July dawns and fierce October heat.
Shoulder value sweet spot: green landscapes, abundant birds, lower rates and fewer crowds, with early November storms.
Green wet season: best for birds, flamingos and the zebra migration on the pans, worst for classic mokoro near Maun.
What's on
- Maun International Arts Festival typically October, dates vary
Poetry, music, visual art and cultural performance, the town's biggest cultural weekend.
- Botswana Day 30 September
National independence celebrations with parades and community events, plus a holiday squeeze on travel.
- Sarona / Toyota Kalahari Botswana 1000 Desert Race Usually mid to late June; check dates
Botswana's biggest motorsport weekend; host town rotates and it fills accommodation nationally.
- Peak Okavango flood June to August
The natural event to time a trip around, when mokoro and water activities are at their best.
Best things to do in Maun
Okavango Delta
A silent mokoro pole through reed channels and lagoons at water level, with an island bush walk and picnic.
Scenic flight over the Okavango Delta
A 45 minute flight reveals the Delta as a vast fan of water, islands and animal trails in the Kalahari.
Moremi Game Reserve
The densest all round game viewing reachable from Maun, with elephant, buffalo, hippo and a chance of predators.
Maun Experience
A locally owned small group tour of markets, basket weavers, dressmakers and contemporary Botswana life with lunch.
Thamalakane River
Maun's evening ritual: sundowners by the river watching fish eagles, kingfishers and sometimes hippo at dusk.
Nhabe Museum
A small community museum on Ngamiland baskets, tools, dress and local art that takes under an hour.
Thamo Telele
Guided giraffe encounters on foot, walks and birding on a predator free private reserve twenty minutes from town.
Bushman Crafts
The fixed price stop for tight woven mokolwane palm baskets with named traditional patterns and ticketed prices.
Where to stay in Maun
Thamalakane Riverfront / Matlapaneng
best overall base, all tiers
River views, fish eagles and lodge bars at sunset, while staying 10 to 15 minutes from the airport and town.
In town / Sedie, near the airport and old mall
most practical base, transit nights
Walkable to shops, banks, brewery and restaurants, easiest for a late arrival or early charter flight.
Out of town on the Shorobe Road / private reserves
quietest base, 2+ night stays and families
Larger plots, real quiet and wildlife on the property, but you need transfers or a taxi for town errands.
Think twice about
- Outer Boseja / rural-ward plots on unlit gravel roads
Isolation, no street lighting, livestock on the road and long taxi waits at night, not crime. Cheap plot only lodges strand guests without a vehicle.
- Sir Seretse Khama Road main through-road rooms
Truck traffic, bars and dogs make this corridor noisy at safari bedtime for light sleepers. One street back or riverfront solves it.
- River edges and walking between areas after dark
No pavements or streetlights outside the core, and hippo and crocodile use the river edges. Take a lodge transfer or taxi.
Best restaurants in Maun
Il Pomodoro
Wood fired style pizzas and Italian staples in a vibey room with music and a balcony, popular with groups.
Kwa Ga Ncinci
Traditional Botswana food including seswaa, bogobe and morogo at the lowest prices in the eat list.
Best bars in Maun
Okavango Craft Brewery
House brewed Delta Lager, burgers and garden seating with the most mixed local, expat and guide crowd in town.
Best coffee in Maun
Hilary's Coffee Shop
A shaded garden cafe for homemade cakes, proper tea and coffee, sandwiches and a daily special in peace.
Outdoor things to do in Maun
Moremi Game Reserve and Khwai Community Area mobile safari
A mobile camp safari across Moremi and Khwai is the smart money way to see serious game country well.
Moremi Game Reserve
A full day game drive from Maun for elephant, buffalo, hippo and giraffe, with a long rough transfer each way.
Okavango Kopano Mokoro Community Trust
A community mokoro day with a guided island walk reading tracks, plants and the Delta flood cycle at boot level.
Helicopter Horizons
Doors off helicopter flights over the southern Delta that can hover and tilt for photographers in golden light.
Mack Air
A fixed wing circuit over the Boro system and Chief's Island edge where every seat is a window seat.
Thamo Telele
Guided outrides among giraffe, zebra and plains game on a predator free reserve, suitable for first timers.
Makgadikgadi Pans and Nxai Pan National Park
Salt pans, Baines' Baobabs and meerkats at dawn, best as a two to three night trip rather than a day trip.
Thamalakane River
A late afternoon motorboat cruise toward the Boro confluence for birdlife, hippo and crocodiles from a safe deck.
Best hotels in Maun
Grays Eden Sanctuary
Maun's best hotel: boutique villas and cottages on the Thamalakane with fine dining, spa and polished service.
Thamalakane River Lodge
Riverfront chalets and rooms in gardens with a pool, deck, boat activities and the defining sunset view.
The Old Bridge Backpackers
Budget safari tents, dorms and camping by the old bridge, with a safari desk that helps split trip costs.
Maun Lodge
The large reliable transit hotel on the river with pool, bars and free airport transfers for one night stays.
Cresta Maun
The newer business hotel with contemporary rooms, pool and gym for air conditioned, desk ready efficiency.
Sedia Riverside Hotel
A long running value hotel with pool, gardens and buffet breakfast, often the cheapest full service room in town.
Thamo Telele
Safari tents and chalets on a giraffe reserve where wildlife, horse rides and walks are included in the stay.
Discovery Bed and Breakfast
Nine village style huts with warm hosts, a pool and home cooked dinners, and the highest service scores in town.
Is Maun expensive? What a day costs
| Budget | BWP 1,200 a person |
|---|---|
| Classic | BWP 3,100 a person |
| Splurge | BWP 6,750 a person |
A day of food, drink, sights and getting around, before the room
What to book ahead
- Okavango Delta: a few days ahead
- Moremi Game Reserve: a few days ahead
- Maun Experience: a few days ahead
- Thamo Telele: a few days ahead
- Moremi Game Reserve and Khwai Community Area mobile safari: weeks ahead
- Moremi Game Reserve: a few days ahead
- Okavango Kopano Mokoro Community Trust: a few days ahead
- Helicopter Horizons: a few days ahead
- Peak season Delta camps and Grays Eden, Discovery and Thamo Telele book out 6 to 12 months ahead for June to October.
- Mokoro and Moremi trips in peak flood season need days ahead booking, not morning of.
- Book helicopter and scenic flights early in your stay with a weather flex day, and confirm charter flights the afternoon before.
Is Maun safe?
- Northern Botswana is a malaria area year round, highest November to May: take clinician advice and use repellent at dusk.
- Never swim in the river or walk riverbanks at dawn, dusk or night because of crocodiles and hippo.
- Comprehensive insurance with medical evacuation cover is non negotiable, as serious care is a charter flight away.
- Petty theft is the realistic crime risk: lock rooms and keep valuables out of display.
Maun travel tips: tourist traps to skip
- The one day Moremi dash sold as the full Delta: it is a long transfer with a game drive in the middle.
- Booking site Maun luxury camps that are actually a charter flight away: check the map before the rate.
- The cheapest informal mokoro offer from unlicensed polers, and big hotel safari desks at peak markup.
- Spending prime flood season days shopping in Maun: the crafts take an hour, not a day.
Getting around Maun: public transport and more
- Taxi between points and agree the fare before setting off, or have your lodge call a known driver.
- Do not walk between areas after dark and do not drive after dark outside town, where livestock are the main road risk.
- Any self drive beyond the tar toward Moremi, Khwai or the pans needs a high clearance 4x4 with two spares.
Who Maun suits
| Solo travellers | Good |
|---|---|
| Groups of friends | Good |
| Couples | Great |
| Bachelor parties | Not ideal |
| Families | Good |
| Bachelorette parties | Not ideal |
Make Maun your trip
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