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Maun, Botswana
Maun is the gateway to the Okavango
Delta and Moremi Game Reserve, and Safaris Botswana offers you safaris
that are guaranteed to please. The name Maun is derived from the San
word "maung", which means "the place of short reeds".
The village was established in 1915 as the capital for the Batawana
people after the victory over Ndebele King Lobengula. Maun
is currently the tourism capital of Botswana and the administrative
centre of Ngamiland. Originally a rural frontier town, Maun has
developed into a sprawling metropolis along the wide banks of the
timeless Thamalakane River where red lechwe can still be seen grazing
next to local donkeys, goats and cattle. Due to the growth of the
tourist industry over the last 30 years, and the completion of the
sealed road from Nata in the early 1990s, Maun’s population
has grown to 30,000. Maun has several good shopping centres, a choice
of hotels and lodges as well as car and four-wheel-drive vehicle
hire. The Maun Airport is one of the busiest airports in southern
Africa, and the departure point of many of the air charter safaris.
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Other areas of interest around
Maun include the small 8 square kilometre Maun Game Reserve. The
game reserve follows the Thamalakane riverbank upstream from the
causeway near the Best Western Riley's Hotel and includes the original
"Place of Reeds" from which the town takes its name. The
reserve is full of walking trails and open every day for a small
entrance fee.
The
best time to go to this area is during the winter months from May
to October when the days are warm and cloudless and there is minimal
rainfall. Nights get quite cold so don’t forget to pack a
jacket! The summer months can be very hot, with most rainfall occurring
between December and February.
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