Maun

Maun

Maun is the fifth largest town in Botswana, the "tourism capital" and the administrative center of Ngamiland district. The town is also home to a number of safari and air charter agencies that run trips to the Okavango Delta. For many tourists, Maun is the gateway to the Delta and often to Botswana. The busy airport has direct flights from Johannesburg and Gaborone. The town was founded in 1915 as the tribal capital of the Batawana people. Before their arrival, Maun was a tiny Yei village. With the growth of the tourist industry and the completion of the tar road from Nata in the early 1990s, Maun has developed rapidly and lost much of its old town character. Nowadays, Maun is a thriving tourist town. The name Maun comes from the Seyei word "maung", which means "the place of river reeds". Just outside Maun is the Maun Game Reserve, the perfect place for those who like to go hiking. The game reserve stretches along the Thamalakane River and offers a number of walking and hiking trails. There is a crocodile farm 12 km south of Maun. The farm boasts 80 Nile Crocodiles, which blend in perfectly with the natural environment. The Maun Crocodile Farm provides general information about crocodile farming.