The Camp

Location: Makgadikgadi Salt Pans, Botswana
Number of Tents: 6

San Camp sits serenely beneath a few strategically placed palms that stud the edge of the Central Kalahari Game Reserve. The camp harkens back to the early days of authentic African safaris with the Stewart Granger Memorial Collection of 1940s safari tents, featuring en suite bathrooms, hot and cold running water, flush toilets, plumbed showers, four-poster beds, mosquito net canopies, the very finest percale sheets and paraffin lamps (there is no electricity at San Camp). Butlers provide gracious, personalized service. Through the tent flaps, the Makgadikgadi Pans stretch to the horizon. Just six white canvas tents grace the dramatic location. The result is one of the most unique and romantic camps in Africa. A complete renovation in 2011 maintains the same charm while adding additional luxury and comfort, including even more mesmerizing views of the endless Makgadikgadi Salt Pans.

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Facilities & Amenities

• En suite bathroom with shower
• Shampoo and soap
• 220v charging outlets in main area (bring adapters)
• Laundry included
• Local drinks included (house alcoholic and non-alcoholic drinks)
• No air conditioning, hair dryer, telephone, Internet or cellular coverage

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Wildlife Viewing & Activities

A safari to San Camp is a complete desert experience, focusing on species unique to the area such as aardvark, gemsbok, springbok, the rare brown hyena and gangs of habituated wild meerkats. In the wet season the pans fill with water, attracting flocks of flamingos and other migratory birds. The area is also the only place in southern Africa where one is able to see a migration of thousands of wildebeest and zebra, with the attendant predators. Depending on the season, 4x4 safari vehicles or 4WD quad bikes are used to explore. Camp guides team up with local San Bushmen to lead guests on morning walks and drives. The Bushmen teach about how they survive in this harshest of environments, using ancient knowledge of plants, animal behavior and specialized skills. Venturing far into the center of the Makgadikgadi Salt Pans, guests explore remote archaeological sites, periodically discovering never-before-documented fossil beds of extinct giant zebra and hippo.

Antelope tend to migrate into the central and eastern Kalahari deserts following water and grasses between December and April, often followed by predators. During the driest months from June to October, the landscape hosts fewer large mammals but the most commonly viewed animals at this time may be gemsbok, springbok, red hartebeest and steenbok and a number of other small mammals, birds and reptiles. Exact sightings will depend on weather and wildlife movements.

Climate