Destination OS · Errands, then the Delta
Maun
Maun is a one-night gateway: cash, supplies and a shower on arrival; the river at sunset if you have light; then fly to the Delta with a soft bag inside the weight limit.
- Local time
- --:--
- Weather
- forecast below
- Currency
- BWP
- Best months
- Apr · May · Jun · Jul · Aug · Sep
- Airport
- MUB
Cash need
2/5
Heat risk
4/5
Stroller
2/5
Friction
48/100
Rules in force · 8Nine African countries on this site have no trip line bec…Across the subregion, plan every road leg to arrive befor…
- Africa ↗When a route touches a yellow-fever country — even a transit of 12 hours or more — keep the original yellow card (ICVP) in your hand luggage; health desks and airlines can refuse boarding or entry without it.
- Africa ↗Nine African countries on this site have no trip line because governments advise against travel; several others have no-go regions. Read your government's advice for every country on the route before paying deposits.
- Southern Africa ↗A rental car may leave its home country only with the rental company's cross-border letter, the registration papers and paid road taxes at each post; driving into Zambia, Zimbabwe, Mozambique or Angola without them ends at the border.
- Southern Africa ↗Across the subregion, plan every road leg to arrive before sunset: livestock, wildlife, pedestrians and unlit trucks make night driving the main cause of serious visitor accidents.
- Botswana ↗Check visa and entry rules for your passport on official Botswana government sources before booking; most Western passports are visa-exempt, others use the Botswana e-visa.
- Botswana ↗Light-aircraft transfers limit luggage by weight and require soft bags; confirm the limit with your camp or operator before packing.
- Botswana ↗Self-driving in Moremi, Chobe and the Central Kalahari needs a properly equipped 4x4, booked campsites and experience in sand driving.
- Okavango Delta ↗Light-aircraft transfers limit luggage by weight and require soft bags; confirm the limit with your camp or operator before packing.
At a glance
- Clusters
- 4
- Places
- 3
- Day plans
- 1
- Places to eat
- 2
- Sleep areas
- 2
- Gateways
- MUB
Right now
Checking the weather…
Working out what is open near you…
Decide
Who it suits, the trade-offs and when to go
Overview
The city in one paragraph, who it fits, and how many days it takes.
Maun is a small, flat, spread-out town on the Thamalakane river, and its work is to send visitors to camps. The trips that go wrong are the ones with a hard suitcase over the weight limit, a connecting flight that does not meet the camp transfer, or a walk on the riverbank at dusk. Four small areas cover a stay of one to three nights; the Delta camps are reached by light aircraft.
Fits
- Safari trips starting in the Delta
- Short stays before a camp flight
- Bird-watchers
Does not fit
- City-break travellers
- Late-night arrivals with no lodge desk
- Anyone with a hard suitcase over the weight limit
- 1 days
- Main Mall errands, museum, river at sunset
- 2 days
- Errands, museum, river; the next day a camp flight
- 3 days
- Four small clusters, then a camp flight
- Don't confuse
- Maun is the town and the airport gateway; the Okavango Delta lies to the north and is reached by light aircraft or a long sand track.
Hover, tap or tab to an area to see what it is like. Pins are sleep areas; arrows at the edge point to the airport.
Off the map: Maun Airport (MUB) (15–35 min by the usual route).
Where’s what, as a list:
- Main Mall: The errands cluster: ATMs, groceries, SIM cards and phone shops; do it on arrival day before you fly to a camp, not on the way out.
- Thamalakane riverfront: Evening cluster on the river: lodges, bird life and sunset; walk only in daylight, since hippos and crocodiles use the banks after dark.
- Airport road: The operators' strip: safari offices, charter-flight desks and coffee shops between the town and the airport; the last stop before a camp flight.
- Old Maun and the museum: A quiet, shaded cluster with the local museum and craft shops: a good mid-day stop when the heat peaks.
- Sleep area Thamalakane riverside: suits Families, solo on a budget, price band $$.
- Sleep area Town centre: suits Families, older travellers, price band $$.
- Maun Airport (MUB), 15–35 min by the usual route.
Decide
The honest trade-off: what you will enjoy, what will wear you down.
You will like
- Quiet river evenings
- Bird life and wildlife close to town
- Easy logistics before a camp
You will hate
- Heat in October
- Few sights in town
- Distances that need a taxi
When
Best months: Apr, May, Jun, Jul, Aug, Sep. Month-by-month verdicts below, with the live forecast first.
Maun: next 7 days
Loading forecast…
Forecast: Open-Meteo (CC BY 4.0), model data for this point.
Air quality
Loading…
Model estimate (CAMS via Open-Meteo), not a street-level station; readings near busy roads run higher.
Green season; hot with storms.
Hot; heavy rain spells.
Rains ending; humid.
Green and warm; the Delta floods arrive later.
Cooler and dry; start of peak season.
Dry, cool mornings.
Peak season; book early.
Peak; dusty and warm.
Warming; busy.
Hottest month; rains near.
First storms; humid.
Hot and wet.
Arrive & move
Getting in, getting around, and your bags
Arrive
Each gateway has its own airport-to-bed page with timings and the last safe connection.
Move
The default way around, when a pass pays off, and when the last trains go.
- Default
- Taxi or lodge car between areas; walk only inside a cluster and only in daylight.
- Passes
- No pass. Agree the fare before you get in a taxi; short rides in town are cheap.
- Last trains
- No fixed late-night limit; taxi supply drops after dark, so book a lodge car for a late arrival.
- Other modes
- Other modes (Rome2Rio) ↗
Luggage
Where big bags are a problem, and how to get rid of them for the day.
Rule
- Lockers
- No public lockers; lodges and operators hold bags while you are at camp.
- Forwarding
- Operators and lodges usually store a big bag while you are at camp; ask when you book.
- Dead zone
- Late check-out flights: ask the lodge to hold bags and give you a shower room.
See & do
Walking clusters, day plans and the places worth the time
Clusters
Plan by cluster: each is a walkable area with a rescue point and a bag rule.
The errands cluster: ATMs, groceries, SIM cards and phone shops; do it on arrival day before you fly to a camp, not on the way out.
rescue 100% · max p90 6.4′ · 90m
Evening cluster on the river: lodges, bird life and sunset; walk only in daylight, since hippos and crocodiles use the banks after dark.
rescue 100% · max p90 6.4′ · half
The operators' strip: safari offices, charter-flight desks and coffee shops between the town and the airport; the last stop before a camp flight.
rescue 100% · max p90 6.4′ · 90m
A quiet, shaded cluster with the local museum and craft shops: a good mid-day stop when the heat peaks.
rescue 100% · max p90 6.4′ · 90m
Days
Ready-made day plans, timed against opening hours and walking distances.
Places
Each place gets a verdict and the time to be there, not a star rating.
Eat & sleep
Where to eat and which area to sleep in
Eat
A short list of places worth crossing the city for, each with how to get a seat.
Vegetarian-friendly score
1.0 / 5 · Hard work
- Country diet noteOur country guide rates vegetarian eating as mixed.0.75 / 2
- Places to eat in this guideToo few places with a known answer (0) to judge; 2 not yet checked.0 / 1.5
- Budget eating lines0 vegetarian lines in "Eat by budget".0 / 0.6
- Meat-free national dishes5 meat-free dishes in the country food list.0.4 / 0.4
- Dedicated vegetarian kitchens0 mentions of vegetarian restaurants, Buddhist or fasting kitchens.0 / 0.5
Country note: Camps cater well with notice; town restaurants have options.
Vegetarian places near me →Make a diet card →
How we score
- Country diet note (up to 2): easy 2, workable 1, mixed 0.75, hard 0; no note 0.5.
- City places to eat (up to 1.5): 1.5 × (vegetarian-friendly + half of partly friendly) ÷ places with a known answer; needs 3 or more known places.
- Budget eating lines marked vegetarian (up to 0.6): 0.2 each.
- Meat-free national dishes (up to 0.4): 0.1 each.
- Dedicated vegetarian kitchens mentioned — Buddhist chay, shōjin ryōri, Jain, fasting food, vegan cafés (up to 0.5): 0.1 each.
- Total rounded to the nearest half point, 0 to 5. Built from our own pages only, not from reviews.
Sleep
Pick the area first: it decides your walk home at night and your first morning.
Practical
Money, essentials, safety and the pocket card
Money
What a day costs at three comfort levels, and how to pay.
- Budget
- BWP 300–600 excl. bed / day
- Mid
- BWP 600–1,500 excl. bed / day
- High
- BWP 1,500+ excl. bed / day
- IC card
- No transit card: taxis, lodge cars and your operator's transfers. Camps are usually paid in advance.
- Cash rule
- Keep BWP 500 in small notes for tips and taxis; use ATMs inside the Main Mall or a bank branch, not on the street.
Survive
Safety basics, the lines not to cross, and practical habits that save the day.
Safety
- After dark, stay off the riverbank and out of open ground: elephants, hippos and crocodiles move through town.
- Heat (Sep–Nov): AC stop every 60–90 minutes; drink bottled water.
- Malaria risk: see a travel clinic before you fly.
- Emergency: 999 police, 997 ambulance, 998 fire; for remote camps rely on your operator and evacuation cover.
Red lines
- Do not approach wildlife, and never feed animals.
- Ask before photographing people.
- Follow your guide's and camp's rules about walking after dark.
Practical
- Toilets: cafés and the Main Mall; carry tissues.
- Tap water: drink bottled or filtered water.
- Greet before you ask: dumela is appreciated.
Deep dive
History, reading, photos and every source
Sources
- officialBotswana Tourism Organisation
- officialCivil Aviation Authority of Botswana
- secondaryWikivoyage — Maun