Okavango Delta

The Okavango Delta - Worlds Largest Inland Delta

As the world’s largest inland delta, the Okavango covers over 15,000km2 (5700 sq miles) of lush verdant wetland. This unique area contains an incredible 95% of all surface water in Botswana and is one of Africa’s prime tourist destinations. Surrounded by the parched Kalahari, this emerald jewel is an immense oasis fed by the flow of the mighty Okavango River which, unlike every other major river in the world, never reaches the sea but dies in the desert sands of northern Botswana. The Delta is roughly cone-shaped and is approximately 175km (110 miles) in length from the apex to its base near Maun. It has given rise to a teeming variety of life, sustained by a myriad seasonally undulating waterways which provide an ideal environment for the plants and animals of the Okavango.

Maun

Almost all tourists entering the Okavango do so through Maun, situated at the gateway to the Delta and Moremi Game Reserve. Maun is the tourism capital of Botswana and the administrative centre of Ngamiland. It is also the headquarters of countless safari and air-charter operations whose signs and offices dot almost every intersection, particularly towards the airport. Since the town’s establishment in 1915 as the tribal capital of the Batawana people, Maun has had a rough and ready reputation as a hard-living ‘Wild West’ town servicing the local cattle-ranching and hunting operations. But with the growth of the tourism industry and the completion of the tar road from Francistown in the early 1990s, Maun has developed rapidly, losing much of its old frontier town character. It is now home to almost 50,000 people. Regular supplies of almost everything can be bought in Maun, and the town boasts several good shopping centres, filling stations, a choice of hotels and lodges as well as car and four-wheel-drive vehicle hire. The Maun International Airport, which was officially opened in 1996 after extensive renovations, is – if one counts the light aircraft charters to the various Delta camps – one of the busiest airports in southern Africa.

The name Maun is derived from the San word maung which means ‘the place of short reeds’ and this metropolis is now spread out along the wide banks of the timeless Thamalakane River where red lechwe can still be seen grazing next to local donkeys, goats and cattle. As one crosses the new causeway across the Thamalakane River to the main commercial centre, the famous Riley’s Hotel is set on the river bank to the left of the main traffic circle. This fine hotel is a very popular stopover with tourists travelling into and out of the Delta, and has been an important landmark in the town since the 1920s when Charles ‘Harry’ de Beauvoir Riley first arrived here. In those days it was a gruelling 35-hour haul from Francistown to Maun and when the men (mostly professional hunters) arrived, all they wanted was something cold to drink and a place to relax. Seeing the opportunity, Harry set up a little bar that was the scene of many wild parties. Another traditional watering hole, fondly remembered, was the Duck Inn, which has been replaced by the Bull & Bush, a popular extension of the famous Bull & Bush in Gaborone. The Sports Bar is another favourite drinking spot for both tourists and locals.

Other areas of interest in and around Maun include the small Maun Game Reserve which covers just 8km2 (2.4 sq miles) of woodland. It follows the Thamalakane river bank upstream from Riley’s Hotel and includes the original ‘Place of Reeds’ from which the town takes its name. The reserve is open every day and is traversed by numerous walking trails for which a small entrance fee is charged.