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San Camp is located on the edge of the
Makgadikgadi Salt Pans in the Kalahari Desert of Botswana. San
Safari Camp is the most authentic and classic safari camp in
Southern Africa, evoking the atmosphere and elegance of a 1940's
East African safari. San
Camp is a small seasonal camp of palm trees and white Ottoman style
tents that overlook the vastness of the Kalahari Desert.
Accommodating only
twelve guests the camp has the feel of safari style in the 1920's.
Each of the spacious tents has a bucket shower open to the blue
African sky and a private toilet. The camp prides itself on its
delicious and innovative cuisine, its friendly ambience and the
relaxed scientific approach of the guides. For those wanting an
experience on "the edge", San Camp is romantic and remote - it
appears to be the last bastion of civilization at the edge of the
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Tent details:• Green canvas
tents
• Honeymoon tents each have four
poster double beds
• Rustic but comfortable safari
furnishings
• Copper water basins
• Paraffin lamps
• Flush loos and bucket showers –
en-suite facilities.
No electricity - power is available in the tents or
the camp at all. Batteries can be given to the camp staff for
charging. |
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San Camp is a complete
desert experience focusing on species unique to the area such as
gemsbok, brown hyena and springbok, as well as the geology,
archaeology and anthropology of the Kalahari and Makgadikgadi. Many
of our guides are fully qualified Zoologists/Geologists, often
working on PhD research. As such, they are most able to convey all the nuances of the desert
and the adaptations of its inhabitants which we consider to be one
of the most interesting features of the environment. The
Makgadikgadi is also one of the most important wetland sites
remaining in Africa. In the wet season, the Makgadikgadi’s Pans fill
with water attracting flocks of flamingo and other migratory birds.
The area is
also the only place in Southern Africa where one is often
able to see a migration of tens of thousands of wildebeest
and zebra followed by predators. Although migrations do
occur elsewhere in Botswana, the tree cover prohibits a
view of the magnitude that we are able to see due to the
exposed nature of the surrounding grasslands. The
Makgadikgadi, a relic of one of the world’s largest
superlakes, dried up thousands of years ago as a result of
the continued shifting of the earth’s crust. |
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When the Pans are dry, to travel
where conventional vehicles cannot, and to guard against
scarring the Pan’s crust, we utilise four wheel drive quad
bikes. Venturing far into the middle of the Pans, we are able to
explore remote archaeological sites, periodically discovering
sites never before documented such as fossil beds of extinct
giant zebra and hippo. Guests must be thoroughly advised
as to the traditional nature and style of our camps. Ours are
the most authentic and classic safari camps in Southern Africa
and evoke the atmosphere and elegance of a 40's East African
safari. This is an experience in itself and one which most
adventurous and sophisticated Guests will appreciate and
enjoy. The important distinction is that Guests should arrive
knowing what to expect. Some people find luxury in running
water and electricity in their tents whilst others find luxury
in Persian carpets underfoot and having their steaming water
brought to their tents in a gleaming copper jug. We fall into
the latter category. Flush loos are an exception but
hopefully, we do not compromise too much comfort in the name
of authenticity. |
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Wet
Season:
• Game
drives in open 4x4 Landcruisers – the camp has 2 custom
designed vehicles each seating 5 guests when allowing each
guest an outside seat.
• A morning spent with the
Suricate (Meerkat)
• Bird walks to observe
migratory waterfowl breeding / feeding sites.
• Very limited usage of 4WD
quad bikes and vehicles on pans -weather permitting.
• Night drives to view
migration and unique desert wildlife.
• Game walk with Bushman
trackers.
• Visit to Chapman’s Baobab
(the campsite of Livingstone, Selous and Baines)
• Visit remote area
dwellings / cattle posts to gain insight into local tribal
tradition and culture.
• Explore undocumented
archaeological sites to search for stone tools and fossils of
extinct mega faun
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Dry
Season:
• Extensive
usage of 4WD quad bikes
• Explore undocumented
archaeological sites to search for stone tools and fossils of
extinct mega fauna left in the area by early settlements,
weather permitting.
• Night drives to view
unique desert wildlife.|
• Game walk with Bushman
trackers.
• Visit to Chapman’s Baobab
(the campsite of Livingstone, Selous and Baines
• A morning spent with the
Suricate (Meerkat)
High season: July to September
Low season: 25 April to June
The camp is closed 01 October to 24 April as
the rainy season makes access difficult. Children over the age of 4 years welcome.
Due to the size of the tents, children will have to book an
extra tent of their own.
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Please contact us for a suggested
itinerary and quote
