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Camp Kalahari

Family-friendly safari adventure, without sacrificing comfort and style.
Location
Makgadikgadi Salt Pans
No. of rooms
12 Rooms
Price Range
US$ 760 — US$ 1,225 per night
Dates Open
Open Year Round
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Camp Kalahari

Simple style in the Kalahari

A sibling of Jack’s and San Camp, Camp Kalahari is our understated and affordable camp in the heart of the great Kalahari. Set amongst the waving palms and acacia trees of Brown Hyena Island, the 12 meru-stylestyle tents are perfect for families, groups and couples, and are an ideal base for discovering the charms of the desert and the Makgadikgadi Salt Pans, a landscape that’s as surreal as it is sublime, and as mysterious as it is magical.

And if you’re looking for adventure, then look no further! We’ve got quad bike adventures, across the otherworldly salt pans, walks with the Zu’/hoasi bushmen to discover the amazing creatures that somehow manage to survive (and thrive) in this harsh environment, and our very own ‘Kalahari cool cats,’ the habituated meerkat family who like nothing more than to use unsuspecting guests as lookout points. Come for a day, and you’ll be wowed by the landscape and the people; stay for a few days and you might never want to leave.

restoring ancient migration corridors

Through multi-faceted conservation programmes our Makgadikgadi properties aim to un-restrict migratory movement of large mammals and allow the epic annual migration to flourish.

Click to enlarge map

Makgadikgadi

Camp Kalahari sits amongst the acacias and mokolwane palms of Brown Hyaena Island, on the edge of Botswana’s Makgadikgadi Salt Pans and adjacent to the Makgadikgadi-Nxai Pans National Park. So, what on earth does that mean, we hear you cry? It means that you’re surrounded by dry savannah and the semi-arid Kalahari Desert. The salt-baked, sun-scorched pans are clear of vegetation, quite simply because it can’t grow, but around them are glittering grasslands and profusions of enormous baobabs. It doesn’t get much more dramatic than that.

Open Year-Round

In the desert, rain is everything. When the drops start to fall, the transformation of the desert around Camp Kalahari is remarkable – the words chalk and cheese spring to mind! From November onwards, the cycle of life is stimulated, and algae blooms, crustaceans breed, and clouds of flamingo descend. Then comes the rumble of Africa’s second largest ungulate migration; epic herds of 30,000 zebra and wildebeest chased by black-maned lion, cheetah, wild dog and leopard. Dramatic to say the least.

In the dry season (May to October), normal, desert duties are resumed on the Makgadikgadi Pans. A haze settles above the salt, and the sun shimmers on the scorched, dry ground.

Signature Experiences

Meerkat Encounters

Bushman Experience

Game Drives

Horse Safari

Guided Quad Biking

Amenities

Swimming Pool

Outside Dining

Family Room

Library

Wi-Fi

Get up close

Watch the
livestream

Livestream Highlights
Remote seclusion in the Kalahari

Why you'll Love It

A great camp for families

Perfect for family adventure – simply stylish and at great value – there’s a hive of activities for the kids to run wild. Here children of all ages are welcome.

Spend time with the meerkats

Meet the cool cats of the Kalahari. These habituated meerkats like nothing better than to use your head as a lookout point to make you feel like part of the gang!

Experiences & activities galore

Life in the desert is super adventurous when it comes to the blockbuster of activities you can get stuck into, including quad biking, horse riding, bushman walks & game drives.

Affordability in an exclusive area

An understated and affordable base in the heart of the great Kalahari. This is a private playground for the adventure seekers. In fact it’s one of only 3 camps in a 400 000 hectare concession.

Zebra & wildebeest migration

Witness the second largest migration in Africa, when 30,000 zebra & wildebeest migrate across the Makgadikgadi Pans each year from January to April.

Wild Shots Outreach

We are working closely with the Wild Shots Outreach initiative. This unique conservation education programme runs workshops through our camps for unemployed young adults from nearby villages. Each year participants learn about photography, conservation and the appreciation of beauty in nature as seen at the end of a camera lens.
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Simple Style in the Kalahari

Accommodations

Laidback and understated, nothing is overly elaborate at Camp Kalahari. Instead, you’ll find 12, Meru-style canvas tents filled with fresh textiles, Moroccan kilims and four-posters. Shower alfresco in the open-air, ensuite bathrooms (there’s definitely no one around to disturb your privacy here!), and there’s plenty of hot and cold water available throughout the day. If you’re travelling with your brood, choose one of the interconnecting family tents; with a bathroom linking the space for children and adults, it’s ideal for families and groups.

The common areas include a central library and a living and dining area, festooned with an eclectic mix of original African furniture and colonial antiques. Meals are refreshingly simple and wonderfully tasty, and served, family-style, at the long table. There’s also a thatched swimming pool, providing the perfect place for a refreshing dip on a hot afternoon – just watch out for the ellies who might pop in for a quick drink too. We’ve kept our use of electricity to a minimum too; there are electrical lights in the bedrooms, but when night falls, the majority of camp is lit by twinkling paraffin lanterns (but camera batteries and other appliances can be charged in the safari vehicles when required).

At a Glance
  • 12 tents: 6 twins, 4 doubles, 2 family
  • Ensuite bathrooms with indoor showers
  • Swimming pool
  • Wi-Fi available: Yes
  • Hairdryers: No
  • Battery charging facilities: In the mess tent
  • Complimentary laundry service
  • Child policy: We welcome all ages
  • Disabled access: Please enquire with reservations
Amazing Encounters

Wildlife

Brown Hyena Island, the palm dotted island that Camp Kalahari calls home, took its name from (can you guess?), the brown hyena. Bashful yet brilliant at foraging and scavenging, this is the third rarest large carnivore in Africa, and an animal that’s virtually impossible to see elsewhere on the continent. But that’s just the beginning of what you might see in the Makgadikgadi: look out for bat-eared foxes, aardvark and aardwolves scampering across the salt, elephant plodding through on their nomadic journey (our swimming pool is a welcome refreshment stop!), and dazzling numbers of zebra and wildebeest. And where there’s a zebra, a predator will never be far away, so keep an eye out for cheetah and lion, close on the hooves of the herds. Not to be forgotten are our cheeky, habituated meerkats, a constant source of amusement and a regular feature of a safari at Camp Kalahari.

Experiences

What to see and do

Get access to a range of experiences that can be enjoyed during your stay

Meerkat encounters

A once in a life time experience! Hang out with our habituated meerkat who live in Makgadikgadi.

Bushman experience

Discover the secrets of the pans on a fascinating Bushman walk, seeing this desert landscape through their eyes.

Game drives

Spot the desert wildlife on a game drive, your safari guide will uncover a landscape pulsating with life.

Horse safari

Explore this wild, desert landscape the same way the earliest explorers did – on horseback.

Guided quad biking

Pure desert adventure! Once a super lake, take an exhilarating quad bike across the salt-crusted pans.

Night Drives

Imagine being in this desert landscape at night, once the desert crust cools, the nocturnals come out to play.

Flamingo Migration

A flamingo breeding site – between March & April – the Makgadikgadi Pans turns in to a pink extravaganza.

Heli Safari

An unforgettable experience, enjoy a helicopter flight over the Makgadikgadi Pans (doors on or off).

Zebra Migration

Witness the 2nd largest migration in Africa – 30,000 zebra & wildebeest migrating across the Pans.
Makgadikgadi Pans Activities PDF
Making a difference

Our impact

When you visit, you will be directly supporting the following Natural Selection conservation initatives:

Aardvark Project

This project uses camera traps and anthill counts to study aardvark distribution in CT11, exploring the link between climate change and aardvark biogeography as part of a larger project.
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EFA Elephant Collaring

As part of our commitment to large mammal migration initiatives, we provided funding to Elephants For Africa to gain insights into the movements of elephants across human and wildlife landscapes.
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Makgadikgadi Large Mammal Migration

Our goal is to collaborate with local communities and relevant stakeholders to create land-use plans that benefit everyone and free migratory paths for historic wildlife migrations.
View project

Wild Shots Outreach

An immersive experience that helps young adults from underprivileged areas learn to appreciate wildlife and natural environments through the lens of a camera.
View project

Coaching Conservation

A conservation outreach programme for children in rural areas, fostering self-respect, respect for others, and respect for wildlife and the environment.
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Botswana Community and Conservation Initiatives

Tackling wildlife loss, poverty, and food insecurity in northern Botswana by promoting conservation, sustainable land use, economic opportunities, and climate resilience.
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Get a glimpse

Watch our video

Evoking memories of old

Camp Kalahari story

In the 1960s, crocodile hunter Jack Bousfield crossed the mysterious Makgadikgadi, armed with a ragged map and not much else. Struck by the eerie emptiness of the pans, he rolled out his sleeping mat in a peaceful spot beneath the mokolwane palms of Brown Hyena Island, and drifted off to sleep. A few decades later, we built Camp Kalahari in this exact spot in homage to Jack. We wanted a camp that made every guest feel like an explorer, and so came the traditional design and style that evokes memories of old. What we didn’t want was a camp that dominated the landscape and instead, the buildings celebrate the rugged beauty of the surroundings.

While Jack was one of the first foreigners to cross the Makgadikgadi in a century, Zu’/Hoasi Bushmen called the area home long before. They are the true legends of the pans, and find opportunity in the queerest of places. For an insight into their incredible way of life, join the Bushmen on a

Special Offers

Explore hidden Gems

Honeymoon Special Offer

We’re feeling the love! Honeymoon with us and one spouse stays for 50% off in participating camps.
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Long Stay Combination Rates

Book now and enjoy incredible savings with our Long Stay Rates in Botswana and Namibia!
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