Camp Kalahari

• Flights into Maun (SAA and Air Botswana flights into Maun connect to the Botswana internal flights)
• Transfers 
• Premium Brand Drinks
• Gratuities
• Travel Insurance​
• Conservation and Reserve fee of R275 per person per night, payable directly to the property upon booking. 

• Children of all ages welcome. 
• Children 0 - 5 years are accommodated free of charge when sharing with adults.
• Children 6-18 years discount is based on the per person sharing adult rate per night when sharing with an adult.
• Guests 19 years and over are charged at the full adult rate.

The laidback little sister of Jack’s and San Camp, Camp Kalahari is an understated and affordable base in the heart of the great Kalahari. Set amongst the waving palms and acacia trees of Brown Hyena Island, the 12 funky Meru 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! From walks with the Zu’/hoasi bushmen to discover the amazing creatures that somehow manage to survive (and thrive) in this harsh environment, and the lodge's 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... And don’t forget the 2nd largest migrations of Zebra & Wildebeest that occurs between January and March.

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 funky 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 Elephant who might pop in for a quick drink too. Camp Kalahari have kept their use of electricity to a minimum too; there are electrical lights in the bedrooms, but when night falls, the majority of the camp is lit by twinkling paraffin lanterns (but camera batteries and other appliances can be charged in the safari vehicles when required).

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.

Brown Hyaena Island, the palm dotted island that Camp Kalahari calls home, took its name from (can you guess?), the brown hyaena. 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 (the camp 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. 

Meerkat Encounters Spend time with a habituated family of meerkats in the Makgadikgadi landscape. Watch them emerge from their burrows, forage and go about their morning rituals, with the chance to get wonderfully close to these curious little characters.

Bushman Cultural Walks Walk alongside the Zu/’hoasi Bushmen and learn about their deep knowledge of the Kalahari. Discover traditional ways of tracking wildlife, identifying plants and reading the landscape through the eyes of people who have lived here for generations.

Game Drives Head out into the surrounding wilderness on game drives in search of wildlife. The landscape changes dramatically with the seasons, bringing different animals and experiences throughout the year.

Walking Safaris For a more intimate way to experience the bush, guided walks offer the chance to slow down and notice the smaller details, from tracks and plants to insects and birds that are easily missed from a vehicle.

Quad Biking Explore the vast Makgadikgadi Salt Pans by quad bike, where the open landscape makes for an unforgettable adventure. Quad biking is available seasonally and is subject to conditions.

Salt Pan Adventures The property can assist with arranging excursions into the wider Makgadikgadi area, including visits to the spectacular salt pans and seasonal experiences. Activities are dependent on weather, wildlife and seasonal conditions.

The easiest way to reach camp is to fly into Maun International Airport, with direct flights available from Johannesburg and Cape Town. From Maun, it’s approximately a 50-minute light-aircraft flight to the camp’s private airstrip, followed by a short 4WD transfer. Road transfers from Maun are also possible and take around 4–5 hours.

If flying in, please note that light-aircraft transfers have strict luggage limits and soft-sided, squashable bags are required.