Maun

I was very happy to get off the road and finally reach Maun. Godi’s daughter Koki had recommended the Okavango River Lodge which is very reasonably priced. Many of the people staying here camp while the rest are in little bungalows. It is only tourists who stay here, mostly European and South African, but that would seem to represent Maun well in general. All over town we see the overland safari vans from one company or another. It is quite something! Our goal for the day was to interview Kgosi Kealetile Moremi and in that we were successful. We found her at her kogtla and had a lively discussion.

Maun is Botswana’s fifth largest town and the center of the Ngamiland District. It is clearly the headquarters for the tourist companies that serve the Okavango Delta; some of those people come overland but many fly right into the delta - indeed we saw many small planes overhead. There are dozens and dozens of camps and lodges in the delta. Maun was founded in 1915 as the capital of the Batawana people and that was what brought us to Maun – the (acting) paramount chief of the Batawana.