The thriving safari capital of Botswana, Maun is the air, road and boat gateway to the perennially popular Okavango Delta and Moremi Game Reserve. Founded in 1915 on the banks of the seasonal Thamalakane River, it has a hot dry climate offset by a ribbon of riverine greenery. In the recent past, Maun retained a dusty Wild West character typical of a remote frontier town, but it has expanded immensely of late thanks to a post-millennial tourist boom and its increased significance as the administrative capital of North-West District.

Discover Maun

Cultural points of interest include the Nhabe Museum, which hosts several permanent ethnographic displays as well as temporary exhibitions highlighting the work of local artists, and the traditional Hambukushu Cultural Village. 

Boat trips on the seasonal Thamalakane River provide a taster of the rich aquatic birdlife associated with the Okavango. Among the more striking species that might be seen here are squacco heron, coppery-tailed coucal and the near-endemic slaty egret.

Other day outings available from Maun include scenic flights over the Okavango Delta and horseback excursions along the river.

Lake Ngami, about 50 miles southwest of Maun, is a vast shallow seasonal pan fed by an erratic overflow from the Okavango Delta. It might go years without filling up, but when it does, the birdlife can be fantastic.