Approaching Maun International Airport, it’s hard not to immediately wonder, “What have I gotten myself into? Is this my safari in Botswana?”
The small plane window shows a sweeping desert vista as far as the eye can see, dotted with houses and farms in orderly grids. It’s all shades of brown sand and dirt. There’s no sign of the famed Okavango Delta. The only hint of vibrant green crawls up from the banks of the Thamalakane River, which flows with water for the first time in years.
Where are the elephants and floodplains? Did we get something wrong?
Landing at Maun feels like a step back in time. The airport is composed of a single runway and a two-story building with no jet bridges or gates. Instead, three moderately sized international planes park out front with stairs leading to their doors, and there’s row upon row of five- to twenty-seater bush planes.
This is one of Botswana’s international hubs, and the gateway to one of the world’s premier safari regions.
Welcome to the Beginning of Your Safari in Botswana…Maun
We disembark our plane from Cape Town, South Africa, directly onto the tarmac while heat rises off the pavement in waves. It’s October, and Botswana’s start to the summer. This is both a benefit and a disadvantage.
October is part of the dry season, which means there’s very little chance of rain and much of the vegetation is dormant. This is great news because wildlife has a harder time hiding in low foliage, and animals are easy to find as they gather around water sources when there’s no rain.
And October has a lot of water once you get into the Delta.
While there might be no rain, the floods are in full swing for our safari in Botswana. Every river and pan is filled to the brim with water that’s made its way over 500km from the wet highlands of Angola. It’s an incredible geological puzzle that, every year, shifts the arid Kalahari Desert into a lush, green paradise.
But great wildlife sightings and flowing rivers come at a significant price: high temperatures. On average, October highs can reach over 36 degrees Celsius (100 degrees Fahrenheit).
It’s hot and dry, but we prepared for the weather. Smothered in sunscreen and dressed in lightweight clothing, we are beyond excited. Animals and adventure await in just a few short hours!
Inside Maun International Airport
We make our way into the terminal on foot, and within five minutes, we’re standing in an immigration line. Helpful airport employees pass out one-page immigration entry forms, but no pens are provided. So, after grabbing our own writing implements and filling out the forms, we start the immigration process.
It’s easy, but not quick. Our plane landed at the same time as another international flight from Ethiopia, so the lines are long. Thankfully, everyone is in an upbeat mood, and stress is low. We know what to expect and where we’re headed (our camps and locations), so getting through customs is painless, though time-intensive.
Then, it’s just a matter of grabbing our bags from the carousel and taking a few more steps to the main terminal. We’ve finally arrived.
As soon as we walk through those final doors, bags in hand, a line of guides—ready to direct passengers wherever they need to go—greets us with ready smiles and helping hands. We spot our name on one of the many boards being held up, and our Mack Air representative is there immediately to walk us through the next steps.
He grabs our bags for check-in and takes us a few feet over to the Mack Air desk. From there, we twiddle our thumbs while he handles the entire process. He checks us in, checks our bags for the flight, and returns with everything we need: our printed boarding passes, information about our flight (10 passengers total), and a departure timeline: 60 to 90 minutes later.
The process is as stress-free and seamless as it can be. No effort or concern is required on the part of a safari-goer. Our Mack Air guide even walks us to the airport security line (barely 30 meters away) and makes sure we are all settled. We’re through in less than ten minutes and then sitting at the gate —the single terminal and gate for all departing domestic flights.
Travel is Simple with Botswana Bush Flights
Around fifty fellow safari-goers wait with us in the terminal. We’re all headed to different parts of the Delta, different camps and lodges, different itineraries. But that is what bush flights were designed to accommodate.
Bush flights are arranged based on your itinerary. Think about it like having your own private plane. It is not going to leave without you. Instead, Mack Air knows your itinerary and schedules your flight based on your arrival and departure needs. No matter how late your plane is or how slow immigration is, Mack Air will schedule your flight accordingly.
The only thing of note in the terminal is the lack of food. Thankfully, we all ate the free meal on the plane and can wait until we land in Khwai, but if we were hungry, we would need to leave the airport for a bit. The terminal is home to just a single vending machine that only takes PULA and a water cooler with free water.
It’s sparse, but for most travelers, it’s all that’s needed because you won’t be waiting long.
As for boarding, this is the easiest flight you’ll ever board. There are no lines or boarding groups. We are called to board by our last name, and with all the passengers from our flight, we take a van for a short drive to where our plane is parked.
At the plane, we identify our luggage and then watch as they load it underneath the plane—no lost luggage here. Then, we climb aboard.
Bush Flight to Your Safari in Botswana
Bush flights are small planes. Our Mack Air flight seats 12 passengers. There are no assigned seats; there are just four rows of three seats each: two on the right side of the plane and one on the left. Everyone gets a view, and there’s no waiting around.
But don’t expect in-flight service. Pre-boarding (in the van), we are handed a water bottle for our “drink service,” and that’s it. With only a pilot on board (and occasionally a co-pilot in training), nothing else should be expected.
We buckle up and listen to our pre-flight briefing, which explains how long we’ll be in the air (45-50 minutes), safety (seatbelts, barf bags, emergency exits, etc.), weather (a few bumps expected), and then settle in for the flight.
It’s 45 minutes of gorgeous views of the Delta. Looking closely, I spot elephants and buffalo grazing far below. Any other wildlife is too small to see from the air, but even that is enough to build the excitement. Our safari begins. This is the start, and it’s only going to get better from here.
The flight is smooth and quick, and I spend the entire time glued to the window watching as the world passes below. Time seems to speed up and slow down, but before I know it, we start our descent toward the Khwai Airstrip.
Already, it feels like civilization is completely behind us. We are in a new world full of animals and nature, detached from everything I know. It’s exhilarating.
As we descend, I see safari vehicles waiting at the airstrip, and I know one of them is Brave Africa and Tabona Wina: our guide. He was told our arrival time last night and has been waiting patiently for us. We will be in his capable hands throughout our safari. That means there are no worries about what to do or where to go when we disembark. Wina is there with a smile and a helping hand as soon as we set foot on the ground.
Our safari in Botswana begins. Welcome to Brave Africa!
