So, it’s your first safari experience. You’ve seen the glossy photos of roaring lions and ruminating buffalos, and the happy, smiling faces of entranced guests, but what will you actually be doing?
Here’s our rundown of some of our favourite things to do on safari.
GAME DRIVES
All camps
Hop aboard one of our four-wheel-drive safari vehicles and rumble across the local landscape in search of the resident wildlife and glorious vistas. A game drive is an efficient and exciting way to get out and see some of the characters that await.
BUSH WALKS
Sable Alley, Hyena Pan, Skybeds, Hoanib Valley Camp
A game drive may allow more ground to be covered, but the best way to see all those little details that whizz past a vehicle, is on foot. A guide will lead guests out for an unforgettable bushwalk on which you’ll be able to see creatures great and small from a different perspective, and this is a good opportunity to admire some flora as well.
HORSE RIDING
Jack’s Camp, San Camp, Camp Kalahari
Thundering hooves and flying manes and tails make a horseback safari a particularly special way to see the area. Experienced riders can gallop across the salt pans, while more novice participants can take things at a more leisurely pace. Don’t think that you’ll be limited to birdwatching, there’s nothing to stop you encountering a lion or an elephant on horseback – our horses are very brave!
CONSERVATION VISITS
Hoanib Desert Camp, Safarihoek, Etosha Mountain Lodge
Conservation is at the heart of what we do, and we love showing guests our work in the field. Visitors have the chance to find out how we’re helping the local wildlife and meet the people on the ground.
MEET THE MEERKATS
Jack’s Camp, San Camp, Camp Kalahari
Meeting our habituated meerkat mobs is probably the activity that our Uncharted Africa camps are best known for. Each mob has a designated ‘meerkat man’ who stays with them as they carry out their daily errands, enabling guests to locate them easily. Guests will then have the chance to get up close to these fascinating little carnivores.
SLEEP OUTS
Meno A Kwena, SkyBeds
How does a night under the African sky sound? For the ultimate in getting away from it all, this is an experience that’s hard to beat. Don’t worry, we’re well kitted out for it – Real Adventure in Unreal Style is the Uncharted way after all!
BOAT RIDES
Meno A Kwena, Mapula Lodge, Sable Alley
Guests have the chance to take to a river or waterway in a boat. Speeding along on the water is a really fun way to see the local area and some of the animals that inhabit it.
VIEWING HIDES
Meno A Kwena, Hyena Pan, SkyBeds, Safarihoek
There are many ways to see the wildlife around camp, but for photographers, one of the best is surely from a wildlife viewing hide. We’ve strategically placed our viewing hides to maximize the species and interactions that can be seen.
HOT AIR BALLOON
Mapula Lodge
Taking to the skies in a hot air balloon is a pretty extraordinary experience in its own right, but throw in the opportunity to see species great and small below, as well as the endless expanses of Botswana, and you might never want to come back down to earth.
MOKORO SAFARIS
Mapula Lodge, Sable Alley
A mokoro is a traditional dugout canoe, and with a poler to move you along the channels, all that’s left to do is sit back and take it all in.
HELICOPTER FLIGHTS
Mapula Lodge
A helicopter ride combines the thrill of being in the sky with the ability to cover a good stretch of land and go exactly to where the action is. This is a fantastic excursion to take during a safari.
WATCH FROM CAMP
All the camps
Getting out and about on activities is all well and good, but sometimes it’s nice to just relax in camp. Fortunately, we’ve positioned our camps so that there’s plenty to be seen without leaving at all.
QUAD BIKING
Jack’s Camp, San Camp
What could be more fun than tearing across the salt pans of the Makgadikgadi on one of our quad bikes? Seriously? We have no idea.
MEET THE BUSHMEN
Jack’s Camp, San Camp, Camp Kalahari, Meno A Kwena
The bushmen are a very important part of life at our Makgadikgadi camps, and guests have the opportunity to meet them and join them on a walk around the area, learning about their traditional lifestyle along the way.
STARGAZING
All camps
The African sky is huge and dazzling. Our experienced guides will be only too happy to talk you through the constellations.
SPA TREATMENTS
Jack’s Camp
If it’s been an active trip, why not indulge yourself with one of the top-notch spa treatments we have on offer at Jack’s Camp? Never has a massage been as relaxing as when it’s enjoyed in the vast expanse of the Makgadikgadi.
YOGA
San Camp
San Camp has its very own yoga tent, allowing guests to keep their daily yoga routines, or simply have a go.
