San Camp

• Seasonal migration of zebra and buffalo
• Stunningly beautiful part of Botswana
• Romantic simple safari camp with great style
• Quad bike excursions on the pan in the winter months
• Walk with the bushmen and learn about their way of life
• Spend a morning with the meerkats

San Camp is a seasonal camp on the edge of Ntwetwe pan in Makgadikgadi Pans National Park deep in the Kalahari. This is a unique and fascinating environment. This romantic and idyllic safari camp is about as remote as you can get. It is quite unusual in that its Bedouin style tents are made of white canvas and not the more usual khaki. Though given its setting right by the pans, it is surprisingly appropriate.

This stylish camp offers a traditional 1920’s safari experience. There is only solar power and little running water – but this seems to only add to its attraction. Instead San Camp offers you a holistic understanding of Botswana's wildlife, geography, geology and its people, both past and present.

Twelve guests are accommodated in 6 large white canvas tents on slightly elevated wooden platforms, stylishly decorated with authentic furnishings, copper water basins and jugs, paraffin lamps, Persian carpets and en suite facilities with safari (bucket) showers and flushing toilets. Lighting is simple using safari lanterns. Each tent has an awe-inspiring view of the endless open plains.

Other camp amenities include a lovely white bedouin-style mess tent for dining which overlooks the endless white salt pans of the Makgadikgadi.

Safari Activities

A safari to San Camp is not about seeing big game. Instead focus on the delights of the wonderful meerkats which are very likely to be seen as there are some semi-habituated colonies closeby. You may see some of the desert species such as black-backed jackal and steenbok. Noctural species include the honeybadger, bat-eared foxes and aardwolf.

The game-viewing is seasonal. After the rains (December to April), there can be good herds of wildebeest, zebra and springbok on the open grasslands around the pans. These are accompanied by their somewhat elusive predators which include black-maned Kalahari lions, cheetah and the occasional leopard. After good rains, the white salt pans fill with water so that all you see is a vast sheet of water attracting flamingos, other water birds as well as migrating game. As the rains cease, the pans dry up and in the dry winter months (usually late May onwards, though it varies year by year depending on the summer rains) all-purpose quad bikes (ATV vehicles) are available, allowing you to visit the saltpans in an eco-friendly manner. (This activity takes place every third day so a three night stay is recommended.)

Other activities include nature walks with Bushman trackers, mornings spent with the meerkat colonies. And nature drives to the historical baobab trees used as camp sites by Livingstone and Selous.

San Camp offers a truly unique wilderness experience. Given the innate romance of its white tents and the adventure activities on offer, we would recommend it for a high-end safari honeymoon if your budget allows. Don’t expect big game, do expect the unexpected and you will have a once in a lifetime experience.