En Route Travelling around Botswana

Orapa and Letlhakane, two unappealing diamond mining towns, follow – but avoid both of them. Next up are the southern reaches of the Makgadikgadi Pans and the villages of Rakops and Mopipi. Maybe it’s the isolation, or the first real glimpse of the approaching wilderness, but this section of the trip always has a sense of beautiful desolation about it.

The landscapes suddenly look wilder, the villages more ancient and the people more traditional. Resist the urge to race for Maun. Although there are fuel pumps at Rakops and Mopipi, they have been known to be empty on occasion.

Serowe and Letlhakane are the more reliable fuel stops. For those who can’t make Maun, Meno A Kwena Tented Camp, situated along the Boteti River approximately 20 kilometres before the Maun road, is a charming stopover.

With the most awesome views from the swimming pool overlooking a water hole on the edge of the Makgadikgadi Pans National Park, guests need merely to venture into its cool waters to watch the procession of zebra drinking below. Maun is just an hour away from here.

The United Congregational Church of South Africa is known to the locals as ‘London’ because it was built by the London Missionary Society back in 1912.

The Morupule Colliery Power Station is a landmark on the road between Palapye and Serowe.

The Royal Cemetery, resting place of the Khama dynasty, is atop Thathaganyana Hill in Serowe, reputedly the largest village in southern Africa.

Maun Town

Once the quintessential African frontiertown, this gateway to the Okavango has long since outgrown its famed status of yesteryear. Based on a thriving hunting and adventure safari industry that got going in the ’60s, the town had three decades of wild times that gave it its regional reputation.

But, with those heady days now mere folklore, Maun’s residents have to cope with humdrum living in what has become a dull and dusty boomtown. It was clear that it would head that way once the roads started to be paved and commercial tourism came along.

First the Duck Inn closed down, then Woolworths opened its doors and traffic congestion set in – all sure signs that real change was on its way. Confirmation of that came recently with the symbolic ending of two separate eras: Lionel Palmer, the doyen of Maun’s hunting heyday and master of some of the town’s wildest times, sadly passed away, leaving few of the old school behind; and Alistair Rankin, the embodiment of the ’90s photographic safari revolution, left town for greener pastures.

Despite the dust, dirt and donkeys disliked so much by the expats, most of the 30 000-plus citizens of Maun seem to flourish here. For them, Maun is still full of promise, as the wildlife-based tourism industry continues to fuel an economic growth rate averaging over 10 percent. And, with every chance of a career or a job at the very least, why not? Maun will become even bigger, dirtier and more prosperous in the future.

Being the last stop before the Okavango and the national parks, Maun is well supplied and visitors should be able to find most things here. If you do happen to find yourself in town for a night or two, you will be able to keep yourself busy:

• While the General Trading Company in town and the Bushman Craft Shop outside the airport offer the best general shopping, don’t overlook the ever-growing number of roadside vendors hawking anything from tin trinkets to cane furniture.

• For art lovers, the Nhabe Museum often has a great selection of work by local artists at affordable prices. African Art and Images, right outside the airport, has a more pricey collection of art and jewellery, and the Craft Centre in the Power Station and Okavango Ceramics near Maun offer pottery and general arts and crafts.
• The Maun Sanctuary set along the banks of the Thamalakane River makes for a pleasant late-afternoon stroll away from the bustle of town.
• To swop safari stories with the ex-pat community, try lunch at the Power Station or the Bull & Bush.

• Find the best dinner menus at the Sports Bar, Audi Camp, Crocodile Camp and Riley’s Hotel.
• Hilary’s and the French Connection offer healthy and wholesome breakfast and lunch menus.
• Riley’s Hotel is perfect for Sunday lunch and a boozy afternoon of live jazz.
• For the hottest kwaito vibe in town, drink and play pool with the locals at Bar 2000, Mmaleselo Bar or the BP Bar.