Overview
Botswana is renowned for its wildly varied environments, and the epic Kalahari is arguably one of the most intriguing, with its mysterious beauty and unending sense of space. On this extension, you'll explore the wonders of the remote Kalahari Game Reserve, with its diverse habitats from salt pans and ancient riverbeds to fossil river valleys, and seek out unique desert wildlife including the Kalahari lion, Hartmann’s mountain zebra, and friendly meerkats (at Jack's Camp and Camp Kalahari only).
Detailed Itinerary
Day 1
To the Kalahari
Fly by scheduled charter to the Kalahari. After settling into your lodgings, head out on afternoon explorations that may include a game drive or bush walk to familiarize yourself with the Kalahari ecosystem. Although the Kalahari is too dry to support a dense wildlife population, here you will discover a fascinating world of adaptation, where persistent drought, heat, sand, and dust, along with the search for water, shape the distinctive wildlife and vegetation patterns. Overnight at Camp Kalahari or Dinaka, or upgrade to Jack’s Camp...D
To the Kalahari - Day 1
Camp Kalahari
Makgadikgadi Pans National Park, Botswana
Days 1 to 3 (3 nights)
Set on the edge of the Makgadikgadi Salt Pans, this relatively simple but comfortable camp is one of only three camps located in a million-acre private wildlife reserve. The camp offers 12 traditional Meru-style tents (4 doubles and 6 twins) set among acacia and Mokolwane palm trees. There is also a family tent consisting of one double and one twin connected by a bathroom. All tents feature four-poster beds, en suite facilities, and a deck or balcony, and are decorated with rich textiles, including Moroccan kilim rugs. The property has a thatch-roofed communal dining area, bar, and pool (great for those hot Kalahari days), and complimentary laundry service is offered. The friendly staff make you feel like part of the family. Highlights at Camp Kalahari include walking with meerkats, Bushman walks, and the chance to see brown hyena.
Dinaka
Central Kalahari Game Reserve, Botswana
Days 1 to 3 (3 nights)
Set alongside the Central Kalahari Game Reserve, Dinaka offers spacious twin- and double-bedded tents (families are accommodated in a two-bedroom thatched tent). Each tent features an en-suite bathroom with indoor and outdoor shower and flush toilet, and a raised wooden deck gives you a view of the local waterhole. The tents are connected by wooden walkways. Communal areas include a dining room, bar, sitting area, pool, library, and campfire overlooking the permanent waterhole. A Star Deck offers dining under the night sky. A unique highlight at Dinaka: the chance to sleep out under the stars on the exclusive Sleep Out Deck!
Jack's Camp (Optional Upgrade)
Makgadikgadi Pans National Park, Botswana
Days 1 to 3 (3 nights)
A sister camp to Camp Kalahari, Jack’s is also one of three camps located in a million-acre private wildlife reserve on the edge of the Makgadikgadi Salt Pans. There are 10 beautifully decorated tents in charming 1940s style (3 doubles, 7 twins), each featuring en suite bathrooms with indoor and outdoor shower and a lounge area. Communal facilities include a bar, pool, library, and spa. Like Camp Kalahari, highlights include walking with meerkats and Bushman walks. You can also try your hand at quad biking and horseback riding.
Days 2-3
Exploring the Kalahari
Activities vary from camp to camp and depend on the season. Generally, on game drives from November to April, you'll have a chance to see thousands of animals, including springbok, gemsbok, wildebeest, and zebra, and the lions, cheetahs and hyenas that prey upon them. From January to April, witness 50,000 zebra and wildebeest migrate through the region—this is the second largest migration of zebra and wildebeest in Africa (it’s also the last remaining one in Southern Africa).
Both Camp Kalahari and Jack’s Camp are set in a million-acre private wildlife reserve. In addition to traditional game drives, activities here include quad biking, horseback riding, and bushman walks, and you'll have the opportunity to walk with a group of Zu/’hoasi Bushmen for a glimpse into their ancient culture. Another highlight: you can get up close and personal with friendly habituated meerkats that reside near these camps!
Dinaka is set alongside the Central Kalahari Game Reserve, with activities that include morning and afternoon game drives in open safari vehicles. It has a permanent waterhole, so gameviewing is excellent year-round and there are spectacular photographic opportunities from the underground hide. Wildlife to be seen ranges from giraffe to antelope, small mammals like the honey badger, bat-eared fox, and porcupine to predators including the Kalahari lion, cheetah, leopard, and brown hyena. Night drives take you out into the darkness with hopes of witnessing the nocturnal wildlife. Educational walks are conducted by San Bushman guides offering you an insight into this fascinating culture, their survival techniques, and historical way of life. Birding is particularly spectacular as Dinaka hosts over 200 bird species including the Kori bustard and crimson breasted shrike, and a high concentration of pale chanting goshawks. Dinaka has an optional Sleep Out Deck that offers guests a panoramic view and the opportunity to spend the night under the magnificent African night sky.
Overnights at Camp Kalahari or Dinaka, or upgrade to Jack’s Camp...BLD each day
Exploring the Kalahari - Days 2-3
Camp Kalahari
Makgadikgadi Pans National Park, Botswana
Days 1 to 3 (3 nights)
Set on the edge of the Makgadikgadi Salt Pans, this relatively simple but comfortable camp is one of only three camps located in a million-acre private wildlife reserve. The camp offers 12 traditional Meru-style tents (4 doubles and 6 twins) set among acacia and Mokolwane palm trees. There is also a family tent consisting of one double and one twin connected by a bathroom. All tents feature four-poster beds, en suite facilities, and a deck or balcony, and are decorated with rich textiles, including Moroccan kilim rugs. The property has a thatch-roofed communal dining area, bar, and pool (great for those hot Kalahari days), and complimentary laundry service is offered. The friendly staff make you feel like part of the family. Highlights at Camp Kalahari include walking with meerkats, Bushman walks, and the chance to see brown hyena.
Dinaka
Central Kalahari Game Reserve, Botswana
Days 1 to 3 (3 nights)
Set alongside the Central Kalahari Game Reserve, Dinaka offers spacious twin- and double-bedded tents (families are accommodated in a two-bedroom thatched tent). Each tent features an en-suite bathroom with indoor and outdoor shower and flush toilet, and a raised wooden deck gives you a view of the local waterhole. The tents are connected by wooden walkways. Communal areas include a dining room, bar, sitting area, pool, library, and campfire overlooking the permanent waterhole. A Star Deck offers dining under the night sky. A unique highlight at Dinaka: the chance to sleep out under the stars on the exclusive Sleep Out Deck!
Jack's Camp (Optional Upgrade)
Makgadikgadi Pans National Park, Botswana
Days 1 to 3 (3 nights)
A sister camp to Camp Kalahari, Jack’s is also one of three camps located in a million-acre private wildlife reserve on the edge of the Makgadikgadi Salt Pans. There are 10 beautifully decorated tents in charming 1940s style (3 doubles, 7 twins), each featuring en suite bathrooms with indoor and outdoor shower and a lounge area. Communal facilities include a bar, pool, library, and spa. Like Camp Kalahari, highlights include walking with meerkats and Bushman walks. You can also try your hand at quad biking and horseback riding.
Day 4
Return to Maun
Transfer to the airstrip and fly back to Maun (or to your next camp). End of services...B
Details
4WD game viewing, bush walks, and quad biking, horseback riding, and cultural encounters (depending on season and camp)
