We had timed a late morning flight from Johannesburg to Maun and on checking in were advised we had lounge access, a first for us. Our wait was thus in a cosseted bubble of air-conditioned, catered comfort. A stark temperature contrast to what awaited us in Maun.

The flight was pleasant and comfortable as we climbed into the blue from a dry, post winter, highveld. Descending into a dusty, smoky brown, a parched landscape of sand punctuated by black scrub and ghost river beds materialised before the dwellings of Maun revealed some human habitation. It looked hot.

Exiting the plane was like opening the door to an oven. The hot and slow arrivals hall tenderised us further until eventually, after a token inspection by a customs official, we were met by our guides, Chris and Colin who were in town for a camp resupply. They would meet us again the next day after our flight in to the bush but for now our target was Cresta Riley’s for the first night.

Hotel checkin was smooth and the basic rooms air-conditioned which was bliss. After settling in and cooling down, Paul, Edin and I went exploring. Testing the cash machine and making a few purchases at the supermarket gave us a very different feel for Maun than the international tourist targeted environment and prices at the hotel.

Edin and I were keen to investigate the birdlife in the grounds so sacrificed the air-conditioned rooms for a table near the pool with a couple of cold local beers as the sun set. There was enough inspiration to mandate a morning return with cameras.

We had dinner with Chris who briefed us on the plans for the next day and rough schedule for the trip before retiring back to our air-conditioned cocoon.

Dawn arrived early with heat again ramping after sunrise. A solid breakfast had us prepared for the day and a couple of hours free gave us an opportunity to photograph birds in the gardens. Cresta Riley’s is a human as well as avian oasis with many species encountered in a small space. I will devote another post to some of the birds we photographed in the grounds of the hotel.

The dry heat was causing some issues with nose bleeds so a trip to the pharmacy for nasal sprays again tested the credit card and reinforced the friendly helpful nature of the local people. Checking out we caught a quick shuttle to the airport where we checked our bags in before a short walk under the solar grill to the Dusty Donkey.

Good coffee, sandwiches, burgers and a local craft beer had us waste enough time until our flight was due to depart.

Photos with iPhone 14 Pro apart from heron image with Nikon Z9 and Nikkor Z 180-600mm f5.6-6.3