21 Apr 2022

Chanoga, situated in  south eastern  Maun, is a gateway to the world’s  finest  tourism destination: Okavango Delta.

Rich in wildlife, Chanoga boast tourism highlights such as abundance of water in the Thamalakane River, boat cruising, a tented luxurious accommodation offered by Drifters Lodge, community guest house, an exquisite  safari camp,  as well as Gateway Excursion overlooking the river.

With all these, the village has of recent become a thriving tourism destination.

According to Kgosi Oateng Setlhodi of Chanoga, the  booming of tourism activities has called for the Village Development Committee (VDC) make it more attractive to tourists.

Kgosi Setlhodi in an interview  recently said plans were underway turn some areas and open spaces into tourism attraction sites.  

For an example, he said,the local trust in collaboration with  VDC, had decided to develop the the village’s space into a boat station and construct ablution blocks to cater for the tourism market. “

We intend to enhance the old clinic buildings to promote culture preservation and cultural tourism,” he said.

Kgosi Setlhodi further said the buildings situated along the river bank would give tourists and youth an opportunity to learn about the importance of culture and appreciate the village’s  history.

“We are very proud of our river as it never dries up. Boat operators from Maun and surroundings have relocated here when water levels in different sources are low. We are happy that many people throng the area for leisure activities, entertainment, boat cruising and fishing,” he added.

He also noted that they intended to set up a camp site, which would comprise some braai stands as well as litter bins to ensure a clean and safer environment. 

Once developed, he said the trust would provide management role to ensure economic benefits for the community.

He posited that the place could offer an unforgettable experience considering the influx of people during weekends and public holidays.

Moreover, he expressed optimism that the forecasted  developments, would unlock tourism growth and the community would eventually reap the benefits.

Tourism, he said should bring benefits to host communities and provide an important means and motivation for them to maintain and protect their heritage.

However, Kgosi Setlhodi said the village was faced with several socio-economic problems such as high unemployment rate and extreme levels of poverty. But, he hoped the planned tourism resuscitation would  motivate the community to use tourism to improve  their livelihoods.

The villagers, he said could put up small stalls and sell their products and services to tourists. He said majority of villagers were more into subsistence farming and believed growing the tourism sector could complement the agriculture sector.

Kgosi Setlhodi said agriculture and tourism sectors had the potential to stimulate local agriculture as well as help improve the distribution of tourism benefits to Chanoga residents.Chanoga hosts heritage buildings such as an old clinic, school and large farms where people come for leisure activities during weekends and public holidays. Besides the touristic highlights, there is fishing and agricultural activities taking place along the river. ENDS