Maun - The Old Bridge Backpackers Lodge | Established Campground

July 16th, 2023 by Overlanderdream

We tried to get in contact with this place beforehand, but no response on our phone calls or WhatsApp message (it had been read). Decided to drive up to the place. The guy opening the gate told us the place closed down. “Maybe we will be open again next month.”

Good luck to the next travelers, hopefully they do open again next month.

June 4th, 2023 by pipkelly1

A bit run down but still has a nice back packer vibe. Cheap at P110 pppn compared to most places. COVID knocked a lot of these places around. No business whilst trying to keep your staff on and supported. It’s still worth giving this place a go.

February 16th, 2023 by charles.stecken

Maybe it was well before, but now this is really no longer the case. The campsite is really not suitable for the rainy season, the shower water is dirty and smells of metal, the staff is nice but really does not want to work. For the restaurant, the menu is garnished but they have no food to prepare, the food is not good, just fat and salt. The shared kitchen is very dirty, is used by some employees, who do not wash their dishes. And we were entitled to the owners' visit one afternoon who stayed 2 hours at the bar and left completely drunk in front of their employees. I really don't recommend this place. I think there is much better elsewhere.

December 6th, 2022 by jnc90

Nice bar area and view of the river/old bridge. Didn't try the food but it looks good and fairly priced.
Feels safe and fairly quiet despite being close to the town center.
Unfortunately the water is not clean, even the shower water is brown and smells terrible.
The campsites are not private and the nextdoor site is right on top of you. Also, only one of the pitches has a braai area and power socket.
We were here during the football World Cup, so keen to watch some of the games but for some reason there is a pool table directly in front of the only TV and the area was constantly filled with local kids who come in to drink and play pool, making it impossible to watch the matches sadly.
110pula pppn (December 2022).

November 21st, 2022 by buyandsell

Relaxed bar, shady campground. Small pool, good view of the river from the bar. Easy stay over or rest day.

October 29th, 2022 by pipkelly1

Reputation for being one of the coolest back packing places in town. Change of owners. Nice enough for a drink or a meal. Sociable vibe.
Camp site OK. Not cramped this time of year.
The septic tank sewage systems needs repair/maintenance. Stinky next to the camp sites.
Good place to meet other travellers. Not good if you want a quiet night! Depends want your needs are.

August 21st, 2022 by meliveos

Spend 2 nights here. I really liked the place. Good price (Pula 110pppn), good restaurant, nice people and service and simple but clean ablutions. Could work on servicing my motorbike very comfortably without disturbances.

November 11th, 2021 by nstroebitzer

Once one of the coolest backpackers in africa, i would not recommend staying there any more now. Has new owners.

Booked a tented room and when we first removed the blankets lots of insects including 3 big spiders left our bed. Also bedsheets seemed to be not washed in a long time. That also explained why there were basically no other bookings too.

November 10th, 2021 by ines.costadascensao

Special vibe there. The common area, that has a very good restaurant (pizzas 👌) and a bar, overlooks the river where you’ll see both people fishing and crocodiles. Staff helped us out to book a scenic flight and print PCR tests.
The campsites aren’t big, nor the ablution block is very nice, but we really loved this place. It was all about meeting people and chilling after a week in the parks
Price is 110p per person

July 16th, 2021 by yellyellyell

Definitley open! Well looked after - lovely staff, helped organise self catering mokoro trip at good price, nice restaurant - no booze (alcohol ban) but pizzas are good! Good wifi at bar and stretches to closest campsites. Only a few camping spots but very quiet at the moment

May 5th, 2021 by The.furry.overlanders

We spent 2 nights there.
During this covid time, very few guests.
Bar and restaurant were closed.
100 pppn for camping, with electricity included.

February 20th, 2021 by matthias.grawe

Permanently closed at this point in time (low season, alcohol ban)

January 15th, 2021 by roads2africa

We went here for dinner, had burgers which were good. We thought about staying overnight (camping) but decided to go to another spot. Nothing bad about the facility, but as it had rained a lot, it was sandy/muddy and we simply didn't have the mood for it. Price still 100p/P

February 27th, 2020 by lifeontopofthedisco

We spent here many nights as we had to wait for the car to be fixed. We had a great time. Lots of overlanders. They have a really nice bar where many locals come to. During the week the bar will not bother you but in the weekend it is a bit loud untill 00.00, so Just enjoy it! Staff is really friendly and always ready to help. Price is 100p pppn. They do trips but it is pricey.

February 24th, 2020 by joepvanhaaren1990

Nice place while camping through Botswana. They increased the price to P100 pppn. Nice vibe, friendly people (everybody is there to explore north of Bots) so a lot of tips from other visitors. We liked the outdoor showers (very hot) and even showered during the rain. Kitchen has multiple gas stoves. If you want filtered drinking water, ask the nice chefs inside the kitchen. They will provide you with fresh drinking water.

Food was amazing, burgers were delicious. In the weekend there is music but easy to go sleep around 22:00.

One downside, while we were checking in. We parked the car outside the gate (please always park inside even if you block somebody for a few minutes) and there our Jerry can with diesel was stolen in a few minutes. And yes it was locked.

And we saw our first giant lizard and some very beautiful crocs in the pond.

July 25th, 2019 by timburkephoto

one of the coolest backpackers / camp grounds I've been to for wild life viewing FROM THE BAR. Hippos, Crocs, monitor lizards. 90 pnpp for tenting

June 4th, 2019 by anna.fraenzel

reception staff not hugely friendly. nice bar and restaurant area overlooking the river (currently only a pool as it is very dry) with some big crocodiles and some hippos. campsite cramped and there is a fair amount of noise. we stayed in an ensuite tent - nice bed and linen, outdoor bathroom. water brown and pressure poor. some sort of drainage problem in the camp as there is a bad smell around.

food is pretty good and reasonably priced. you can book tours - mokoro, boat, moremi etc.

February 13th, 2019 by Moto Migrants

Nice place, cheaper than most, yes the toilets and showers are not perfect but being that we "camped" at the other "backpackers" 4km towards town the 1st night, this is 10x better. They have a lot of food (decent prices)and drinks, pool table and good crowd, pizza oven, braai, etc. Er arranged a mokoro trip from here as well where we saw a group of hippos. The 1st day got rained out, we even waited it out for an hour+, the owners offered to refund the money or try again the next day (which was really nice). Stayed 3 nights :)

January 3rd, 2019 by ch_haas

The campsite has a great vibe and is perfect for those who are social and like to party a bit. If you are looking for a peaceful site with plenty of space to yourselves and are a light sleeper, go somewhere else. If you are a solo traveler or want to chat with others who have already driven your route, this place is perfect. I was a little disappointed that there was only one toilet for each gender. Things could have been a bit cleaner, but it wasn‘t terrible. Somebody mentioned there was only cold water in the shower, but we had warm water.

November 28th, 2018 by anka.i.franek

We stayed here for two nights, than we went to Mokoro trip for another two nights and we came back to Old bridge. Bar area is great next to the river- beautiful! Restaurant was ok, we had two dinners there one very dry pizza and burger, next time the same meal but tasty :) Outdoor ablutions with hot water and good pressure, kitchen with fridge for guests use. The computer for people staying in Old bridge wasn’t working, swimming pool nice but little bit small. Bar open till 10 pm. WiFi good during the day, slow at the evenings when the bar is full of people. That’s a really good laid back camping especially after few days on a dessert. Recommend! Price: P160 for two people on the rooftop tent.

August 12th, 2018 by mathew.d.joiner

Really cool place to hang out. Camping is 80 Pula pppn. Not the place you would go if you want a nice camping experience. Super noisy all night.

May 29th, 2018 by gettin-lost.com

This was the second time that we visit this lovely place. Still after 2 years its the same and We spend 4 nights. Its a good mix of backpackers, overlanders, holiday people and locals. They facilitate a few activities.

They have 2 campsites which you have to share with one or two other cars.
Abulution block is moderate and not clean. Internet is good in the morning and average in the evening and night.
At the bar you can eat nice meals, order a beer and enjoy the vibe at the Riverside.

March 12th, 2018 by kadoodles

Cheapest option we found in maun at 80 pula pppn. Not great for camping because the only have combined spots, but that wasn’t really a problem for us. Really nice bar area, nice staff and good wifi were a big plus. The open air showers also were okay and had hot water. Would stay again.

February 18th, 2018 by vitolawr

Probably the cheapest and best place to stay in Maun. Camping is still 80ppn on small but nice spots. The Bar and Pool area ist super chilled and comfortable. Went to Audi and Okavango River Lodge and they were more expensive and not as nice as Old Bridge.

February 3rd, 2018 by vrijwilligdoorafrika

Bar area is nice but campsite is really not okay for rooftop vehicles. They cramp 3 vehicles in one campsite so not much privacy. Open air showers which is not so nice in rainy weather. Also poor pressure, water not hot and no hooks to hang your stuff. Drainage is terribly noisy and smelly. Communal kitchen is half open air and poorly equipped. Cheap though.

November 26th, 2017 by tatligezgin.com

They have two campsite and each one for 4 camper. On the back they have 5 tents for backpackers. They send us there to set up out tents because we are on the motorbikes. So, you can find little space to put your tent. Nice place to chill out with other traveller. Food is also good. You can see hippos around. Camping 80 pula pppn, food starts 50 pula. Beer 20-25 pula and soft drinks are 14 pula.

August 7th, 2017 by keyznking.nl

Great spot to enjoy sunset with drinks and backpackers atmosphere! It is a short walk from Maun rest camp to here via the Old Bridge.

July 5th, 2017 by meile

bussy location with nice backpacker atmosphere. small campsides very close to each other. if you are looking for a quite place go somewhere else. if you looking for travelinformation and want to , eet other people this is your place.
pizza is nice. ablutions ok. internet sometimes very slow, uploading very fast

June 22nd, 2017 by zuidkaper.nl

Yes, perhaps there were problems after the fire.
But now it's okay. 8 small campsites, tentlodges.
Nice bar/restaurant/terrace on the border of the river. Food and cheap kitchen. Hot showers, clean toilets.
And most of all: very friendly staff and a cosy atmosphere.
Pula160 for two.

June 4th, 2017 by matatu.ch

The engine which was mentioned before is from the toilet drainage. It's audible over the whole place and the management cares about your complaints.
Bar would be nice but the campsite is one of the worst I've seen in Africa because of this disturbing noise.

May 29th, 2017 by Someone's life

Very nice setting on the riverbank. The (new?) showers do indeed have hot water and great pressure too. The area for tent camping is small and gets crowded, otherwise a great place. 80 pula.

May 5th, 2017 by Cruisecanary

Nice place if you're in transit but not to hang around. Noisy (although remarkable silent at night), crowded and the pitches for travellers depended on their cars are very small. Lot of noise and bad smell coming from some machine day and night. Bar has lots of atmosphere and a decent menu. Food is remarkably good for a bar. The chicken salad (55p) and veggie wrap (60p) were very tasty and more than enough. Showers were cold and in the open. Since it was quite cold outside this made showering not great. Only 4 toilets and 4 showers for a lot of campers and bar guests. 80p pppn for camping. I only stayed 1 night because of the noise and the smell. The next nights I spent at Island Safari Lodge which is much better IMHO.

February 21st, 2017 by 1heart1soul1planet.com

nice place, we paid 80 pula pppn for camping, good wifi, vegan food options

September 19th, 2016 by tenkss

Great place on the river. 70pula pp to camp, bring ear plugs as other campers tend to be very inconsiderate here. Camping in tents is in one small area so tents are literally side by side. A single power outlet on the wall of the building next to camp site. 350pula for 2 people in what looks like nice chalets. Very nice restaurant which can be very busy with expats and tourists. Tours run from the camp site however you can get them much cheaper direct from the guides. Overnight mokoro trip run from camp is 990pula pp, however guides only get about 10% of this. call Rocky on +(267) 77417599, you'll get it for max 500pp direct from the guide. Great place to hang out for a few days

May 29th, 2016 by facebook.com/wheelieadventurous/

This place is functional again! Camping and tents available. Great place

October 25th, 2015 by B'ambi

Camping 70 pula pppn. Nice, friendly place. However, as of this evening, all but the bar/reception and vehicle camping areas has burned down - all the chalets, ablutions and laundry, reed walled or canvas-sided, razed to the ground. Luckily nobody was injured. They are still running trips and accommodating people at the nearby Maun Rest Camp - fantastic spirit!

September 1st, 2015 by 4ever2wherever (Margriet & Jan)

Main business is lodge, but they have a few camping places next to the lodge. The lodge terrace is directly at the Thamalakane River, the camping places are not. Friendly place. They offer good value tours.