The Old Bridge Backpackers
The Old Bridge Backpackers
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About
4.0
#1 of 2 hostels in MaunLocation
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HOTEL STYLE
Budget
River View
Property amenities
Free parking
Free internet
Internet
Pool
Bar / lounge
Restaurant
Poolside bar
Location
Matlapaneng, Maun, Ngamiland East Botswana
Getting there
Maun Airport
6.8 km•
See all flights
Car Hire
26 Restaurants
within 10 kilometers
387Reviews5Q+A54Room tips
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Detailed Reviews
I stayed back in December for a couple of weeks and had a blast. During the day it's a perfect spot for reading, having a coffee or a swim in the pool. At night it came alive with great music and a fantastic atmosphere. Rooms were brilliant (we stayed in both ensuite and non ensuite) and loved showering under the stars. The place seems to thrive with wonderful staff who were so approachable and accommodating.
Having been back since, it seems to be even better- great food and service, and the same tranquillity that makes you feel like the world around you has stopped. I hear it's wonderful when the river flows, but even in drought it's a must visit.
Having been back since, it seems to be even better- great food and service, and the same tranquillity that makes you feel like the world around you has stopped. I hear it's wonderful when the river flows, but even in drought it's a must visit.
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Date of stay: March 2020
Value
Cleanliness
Service
Room Tip: Ensuites have great views of the river
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
I stayed in one of the 'cabins' (not a tent) facing the water for one night. The scenery was nice and relatively peaceful. There are no hippos and the one gator that's left should probably be somewhere else. I was told this is because of the drought Botswana is experiencing. Ordered dinner...it was pretty good. And like another reviewer noted; showering under the stars/sun is very cool. My one complaint would be the need for a fan in these rooms...it would help to cool it down as well as keep the bugs away. Also, there are no locks on the doors once you leave the cabin (you can lock it from the inside when you're in there). Staff was very pleasant.
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Date of stay: February 2020
Rooms
Service
Sleep Quality
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
We stayed three nights at this place and it had its ups and downs. We had a little hut directly at the river. Down we could see the crocodiles and many birds at the pool in the river. We arrived on a Friday and the weather was very hot (37 Celcius). Inside it was unpleasantly hot.It was difficult to sleep The room had no AC and no fan! The next day the weather was more pleasant. At Saturday night the music was very loud until mid-night. At the hotel bar were a lot of local drunken people. Again we did not sleep well. The next day the weather was fine and there was little music. Finally we enjoyed staying at the Backpackers. From our hut we saw Fish Eagles and King Fishers taking fish in the pool. A dog jumped half a meter into the air and runned as fast as possible, when he tried to drink from the pool and a crocodile jumped out to the water in an attempt to grap him. ( there are few place with give such as show) I recommend this hotel, if it is not too hot ( there is not even a fan) and not for Fridays and Saturdays, unless you like to drink a lot with the locals.
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Date of stay: February 2020
Cleanliness
Service
Sleep Quality
Room Tip: Take room with river view
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Great place to base yourself in Maun, we enjoyed the views and atmosphere in the bar area. Great service from staff but would rate the food as ‘ok’. Communication prior to our arrival was very poor, I needed to chase them a lot to confirm payments and bookings.
The room was adequate and the outdoor bathroom was fun but the shower was not hot at all.
The highlight was our overnight mokoro trip. We had a fantastic time and brilliant chef/guides. They set up an amazing little camp for us with brilliant food. Loved the walking safaris to see the animals! Would highly rate this trip!
The room was adequate and the outdoor bathroom was fun but the shower was not hot at all.
The highlight was our overnight mokoro trip. We had a fantastic time and brilliant chef/guides. They set up an amazing little camp for us with brilliant food. Loved the walking safaris to see the animals! Would highly rate this trip!
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Date of stay: July 2022Trip type: Travelled with friends
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
First the good news: still beautifully located at the Tamalakane River, still good restaurant, and you can do nice little walks over the old bridge and on the banks of the river.
Now the bad: Unreliable reservations, we wanted for our 3x 1 night (31.8., 6.9. and 25.9.) one of the tents with double bed (because the twin beds are extremely small and have even smaller mosquito nets). We knew from our stay in 2019 that the reservation service is quite unreliable, so we made it very clear in our reservation, asked 2 months and again 4 weeks before we came and on each of the 1 night stays for the next night. Every time we got a confirmation, a clear and concrete email reply "yes, we confirm double tent"... and they simple failed. No double bed.
And then the worst: Out of the blue, they have stopped to serve breakfast.
It is a real and sad pity: Such a wonderful location, friendly employees - but destroyed by bad management and bad organization. What a pearl this could be, if ...
Now the bad: Unreliable reservations, we wanted for our 3x 1 night (31.8., 6.9. and 25.9.) one of the tents with double bed (because the twin beds are extremely small and have even smaller mosquito nets). We knew from our stay in 2019 that the reservation service is quite unreliable, so we made it very clear in our reservation, asked 2 months and again 4 weeks before we came and on each of the 1 night stays for the next night. Every time we got a confirmation, a clear and concrete email reply "yes, we confirm double tent"... and they simple failed. No double bed.
And then the worst: Out of the blue, they have stopped to serve breakfast.
It is a real and sad pity: Such a wonderful location, friendly employees - but destroyed by bad management and bad organization. What a pearl this could be, if ...
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Date of stay: September 2022Trip type: Travelled as a couple
Value
Location
Service
Room Tip: Check and make up you mind, whether you want to have breakfast.
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
it's a scammer!!! Since his partner is no longer there, Martin is continuing his business to pocket as much money as possible without providing the promised services. Stay away for safari too. We left several hours late, in old broken jeeps without security tools (no radio, no first aid kit, 4x4 doesn't work, etc.) per 5 days safari in a no-network area of Botswana. And we only found out too late that The Old Bridge Tours is no stranger to these problems
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Date of stay: November 2023
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
We loved our stay at the Old Bridge Backpackers! We slept in one of the dome tents which was much more comfortable than expected due to proper mattresses and comfy bedding. It was easy to connect with other people (travellers as well as locals) at the cosy bar area. The staff was always friendly and very helpful - especially Jethro. Cheers to him! If we ever get back to Maun/Botswana we will make sure to chose the Old Bridge Backpackers again.
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Date of stay: March 2020Trip type: Travelled with friends
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
1 star. Ordered a pizza at 6pm they arrived at 20:01. When asked they said they had a long line of pizzas. There was only one other table. Would have been quicker to milk the cow myself, found the pork, cured it and baked it in the sun than waiting for them. Waiter also just stopped table service half way through and sat at the bar making us order our own drinks there.
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Date of stay: February 2024Trip type: Travelled with friends
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
This is the shame of Maun and Botswana. I booked with them back in July for one night stay and mokoro trip. When I arrived yesterday Old Bridge refused to acknowledge my booking, saying the girl who made my booking no longer worked here. Fine I can rebook. Then they said I need to wait for the “director” in order to book my mokoro trip. I waited for 2 hours when a driver arrived. Then I realized the so called “director” was a snobbish white man who has been sitting next to me at the bar for the whole time! I don’t know whether this man is the owner of this place, but he refused to talk to me directly, asking the driver to be the intermediate even though I speak fluent English. He then told me I was too late to book the next day tour because of my delay!!! Fortunately I called the girl who used to work here and she booked me like a breeze. Old Bridge is run down, no electricity in the room and they asked us to charge phone at the reception only! AVOID THIS PLACE! Shame on you!
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Date of stay: October 2023Trip type: Travelled with friends
Value
Location
Service
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
I've been camping at Old Bridge Backpackers off and on for several weeks in between trips to Moremi/Khwai/Chobe.
Very nice staff, the best Pizza I've ever had in Africa (order a double crust if you are like me and hate the normal thin crust) and the rest of the food has been enjoyable.
It's located close to town, but isn't surrounded by homes so is reasonable quite.
Very nice staff, the best Pizza I've ever had in Africa (order a double crust if you are like me and hate the normal thin crust) and the rest of the food has been enjoyable.
It's located close to town, but isn't surrounded by homes so is reasonable quite.
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Date of stay: June 2021Trip type: Travelled solo
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
You mean directionally or logistically? If directionally, mapsme or Google maps should be able to help If logistically, we were self-driving around Botswana so we just drove to Old Bridge ourselves, but if you're not renting a vehicle then I'm sure you can take a cab from the airport. Should be a short ride, and no more than about $10 USD I'd think.
We did everything by email. I tried to post a link to their site but TripAdvisor wouldn't let me. If you google old bridge backpackers Maun, it should come up for you
It is called The Old Bridge Backpackers. It is in Maun, Botswana. I have absolutely no idea where Staybridge Lodge is, but it certainly isn't this one.
As HeiriA suggested you should go to the website and email for details. We went by motorboat and then mokoros (dug out canoes) out to a separate island for an overnight and I believe could have gone from there farther into the Delta. i know that there are an assortment of boats available for travel and that you hire guides to set you up in campsites around the island(s)? Ours was a pretty basic camp but with perfectly wonderful guides, great food and the sunset over the Delta. Wow.
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LOCATION
BotswanaNorth-West DistrictNgamiland EastMaun
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Claim Your ListingTHE OLD BRIDGE BACKPACKERS - Hostel Reviews (Maun, Botswana)
Frequently Asked Questions about The Old Bridge Backpackers
Which popular attractions are close to The Old Bridge Backpackers?
Nearby attractions include Okavango River (4.1 km), The Space Botswana (1.7 km), and Heritage Studio (6.8 km).
What are some of the property amenities at The Old Bridge Backpackers?
Some of the more popular amenities offered include a pool, an on-site restaurant, and a lounge.
What food & drink options are available at The Old Bridge Backpackers?
Guests can enjoy an on-site restaurant, a lounge, and a poolside bar during their stay.
Is parking available at The Old Bridge Backpackers?
Yes, free parking is available to guests.
What are some restaurants close to The Old Bridge Backpackers?
Conveniently located restaurants include Marc's Eatery, Dusty Donkey Café, and Okavango Craft Brewery.
Are there opportunities to exercise at The Old Bridge Backpackers?
Yes, guests have access to a pool during their stay.
Does The Old Bridge Backpackers have any great views?
Yes, guests often enjoy the river view available here.