Camp Kalahari
Camp Kalahari is nestled among the acacias and Mokolwane palms of Hyaena Island, close to Ntwetwe Pan and adjacent to the Makgadikgadi National Park.
Camp Kalahari is a great value for money option in the exclusive Makgadikgadi Pans region (unfortunately this doesn’t mean it is cheap to include within an itinerary, as access flights are expensive). The style of the camp is more down to earth than it’s better known sister camps (Jack’s and San) but the tented accommodation is still very comfortable, the food is good and the staff and guides are great. Camp Kalahari is perfect for travellers who are very keen to experience the Makgadikgadi Pans region, with its unique scenery, varied activities and specialist wildlife highlights, but who do not need to stay in a five star environment.
The Makgadikgadi Pans are well worth a visit for anyone who enjoys exploring different habitats and landscapes, and is prepared to compromise a little on the big game experience in favour of geographical diversity and more specialist wildlife viewing. The specialist wildlife is worth a particular mention as it is sometimes the key reason for visiting the area – brown hyaena, aardvark, aardwolf and habituated meerkats.
Rooms
The camp has twelve accommodation tents including two family rooms which comprise of two tents linked together by an inter-leading shared bathroom. Each tent is built onto a solid earth plinth and shaded by canvas with a private verandah and safari chairs to the front. The interiors are classic old safari style and the en suite open air bathrooms include flush toilets and plumbed showers.
Central Areas
The central areas are built under thatch and include a library, lounge and dining area. There is also a small swimming pool and pavilion which is a great place to unwind during the heat of the day.
Facilities
Wi-Fi – Yes
Power for charging – Yes
Swimming pool – Yes
Habitat & Wildlife
The Makgadikgadi Pans are not a mainstream safari destination. Together with the adjacent Nxai Pan, the Makgadikgadi Pans cover an area of nearly 5500 sq. miles. The pans, remnants of a huge inland sea, are largely void of vegetation except for a few areas of open grassland and isolated baobab islands. During the rains, from December to March, the pans fill up and attract large numbers of water birds including flamingos and pelicans. Great herds of wildebeest, gemsbok, springbok and zebra also gather, as do predators such as lion and cheetah who move in during this time of plenty. The occasional elephant is even seen passing through! However, once the dry season sets in, the water reliant species migrate to leave an empty wilderness with an eerie silence and only specialist species remain in the grassland and scrub bush that fringe the pans. Brown hyaena and meerkats are two of the key species of interest found within the Kalahari ecosystem, whilst others include ostrich, aardvark, aardwolf, spring hare, black-backed jackal, African wild cat and porcupine.
The recent introduction of pumped water holes on the local concession is supporting the resident wildlife and encouraging more game to remain in the area during the long dry season. In particular, elephants are being seen more regularly. However, it is a delicate balance and it will take a few years to discover what the carrying capacity of the area is during the dry season.
Activities
Activities vary according to the season of your visit:
Year round activities include a visit to a habituated meerkat colony, game drives by day and night into the pans around camp (with night game drives being very successful for spotting specialist species such as brown hyaena and aardvark). Game drives into the Makgadikgadi National Park are also offered.
There are also opportunities for authentic interaction with the Bushmen. The ‘Wisdom Academy Village’ is the name given to the place where a community of Ju/‘hoansi Bushmen are now residing traditionally in the area. The aim of the village is to empower Bushmen to continue their traditions and pass on their knowledge to younger generations whilst at the same time earning a living in their rapidly changing world – sustainable conservation for a culture under threat. The length of your stay will largely dictate how immersive your time with the Bushmen can be, from short and insightful Bushman-guided walks, to more in depth half or full days spent at the village learning about daily life. Beading, wood carving, rope making, preparing bush medicine, getting ready for a tracking mission or elders holding knowledge circles are just some of the activities that may be encountered during a visit.
In the dry season (April to October), quad bikes can be used more often to explore the salt-crusted pans and it’s possible to hunt for stone tools in the salt flats of the Sowa Pan.
In the green season (November to March), the use of quad bikes is more limited, but game drives will focus on the zebra and wildebeest migrations which come into the area at this time of year.
A two hour horse-ride and scenic helicopter flights over the Makgadikgadi Pans can also be arranged at an extra cost year round.
For adventurous guests who would like to explore deeper into the Kalahari, it is possible to combine three nights at camp with a two night quad bike expedition journeying to Kubu Island in the south west of Sua Pan where you will stay in a fly camp. Expeditions can cover anything from 400 to 600 kilometres and are only available between June and September. This is an off the grid experience, sleeping under the stars on comfortable bed rolls with shared bucket shower, bush loo and a tented changing area. This needs to be prebooked and additional costs apply.
Seasons
Camp Kalahari is open all year round and there are pros and cons at any time of year. Quad biking is only possible during the dry season, but traditional wildlife viewing is better during the rainy season.
Families
Camp Kalahari is a great destination for families and does accept children of all ages, though we would suggest that seven years and older is arguably best. The region itself is hugely interesting and the varied activities mean that no two days are ever the same. Children are often equally inspired by the small things and activities such as visiting the meerkat colony or digging up tubers with the Bushman could become highlights of their holiday. The family tents are perfect for those who wish to stay together under one roof and the swimming pool is a welcome relief especially during the hot season from September to April (but the water is a bit cold during the cold winter months!) Families with children under 12 years of age need to book a private vehicle.
Camp Kalahari is managed by the Natural Selection group of safari camps and by staying here, guests automatically contribute to the Natural Selection Foundation which is part of the Botswana Community and Conservation Initiative. This initiative provides for regional conservation and supports rural communities to develop sustainable land-use practices that promote conservation-based economic opportunities, resilient to climate change.
Camp Kalahari supports the Makgadikgadi-Nxai Pans Conservation Initiative which promotes the expansion of large mammal migration routes between northern Botswana (Chobe and the Okavango) and the Kalahari Desert (specifically the Makgadikgadi National Park) which have been cut short by the implementation of mass fencing. The aim is to stop the restriction of this movement by working alongside local communities to develop land use that benefits everyone and yet allows the migrating animals, mostly zebra and wildebeest but also elephants and other plains game, to move freely.
Another initiative they support is leopard population dynamics and conservation in the Khwai area of Botswana (eastern Okavango) through the Botswana Predator Conservation Trust. The Trust aims to establish territory locations, sizes and threats to leopards which reside inside the private reserve compared to those whose territories are closer to villages. This information enables them to learn about the survival strategies and intra-species interactions of leopards so they can therefore focus on the areas in need of human-predator conflict alleviation.
Coaching for Conservation’s programme Connecting Conservation Classrooms is all about educating Botswana’s children on the value of wildlife and respect of their environment and uses Natural Selection lodges as visitor classrooms.
Natural Selection also works closely with the Wild Shots Outreach initiative. Every year they run workshops at some of their camps, including sister camp Jack’s Camp. The initiative is aimed at young adults from disadvantaged communities, particularly unemployed youth, and teaches them about conservation and nature through photography. Apart from a better understanding and appreciation of wildlife and conservation, the objective of this initiative is to develop self-confidence, self-esteem, life skills and, of course, photographic skills.
