Thamalakane River Lodge, bucolic tranquility on the outskirts of a Botswana boomtown
Article and photos by Josette King
Thamalakane River Lodge lounge
Thalamakane River Lodge dining room
As the gateway to the main safari areas in Botswana, Maun is often referred to as the tourism capital of the country. Its busy airport brings in passenger planes filled with tourists, most of whom are efficiently greeted at the exit gate by personnel from the various safari companies operating in the Okavango Delta and the Kalahari Desert. They are then handed over to the charter flight operators who take them to their ultimate bush destination. The same friendly greeters are there on the return to make sure that “their” tourists get on the correct flight to begin their journey home. That’s all most safari travelers see of Maun. For those who venture outside the airport grounds, the colorful chaos of an African boomtown awaits. The large African village that has been, for almost a century, the tribal capital of the BaTawana people (a predominantly pastoral society) and hub of the local cattle ranching industry, is morphing into a dynamic 21st century town.
Elephants abound in the nearby Moremi Game Reserve
In that still mainly roadless country the size of France, the broad, newly paved road that crosses the town on its northeastern way to the Moremi Game Reserve is a major lifeline. It is lined with new buildings freshly stuccoed in creamy shades of fruit sorbets. These are the offices of the numerous safari and air-charter operations that run trips into the Okavango Delta; or small strip malls catering to tourists, now the town’s main source of revenue. Flashy four-wheel drive vehicles zip through the bustling crowd. However, a few blocks in any direction from the airport and town center, the traditional southern African circular rondavels under peaked thatched roofs still hold their ground. Donkeys quickly become a primary means of transportation along the dusty dirt paths; and an invasion of goats stubbornly insist on their right of way.
Sunset on the Thamalakane River
Around town and along the banks of the nearby Thamalakane River, a number of lodging options have developed to cater to visitors. There are mainly camp grounds or efficiency facilities for self-drivers, the hardy souls who rent four-wheel drive cars and set out on their own to explore the nearby game areas. Then, for the not-so-hardy souls who feel more at ease exploring in the company of an experienced safari guide, and like a lovely abode filled with creature comforts to welcome them at the end of the day, there is the Thamalakane River Lodge. I unabashedly declare myself in the latter category of travelers, and I thoroughly enjoyed my stay at the lodge.
Ideally located an easy 20-minute drive from Maun Airport, Thamalakane River Lodge was a secluded haven of tranquility nestled in a grove of mature riverine trees on a bank of the river. My well-appointed stone and thatch guest chalet had a private veranda with a sweeping view of the river, as did the main lodge. The dining room offered a varied à-la-carte menu of well-prepared dishes. The staff was warm and attentive. It was a delightful place to come home to after days spent visiting the Moremi Game Reserve or the watery world of the Okavango flood plain. Click here to read more about my visit the southern-most part of the Okavango Delta and the Thamalakane River Lodge.
