Responsive image

Camp Kalahari

Our rating

8/10

Price guide

Highlights

- Family Friendly
- Authentic cultural experience
- Stunning wilderness
- Habituated meerkats

Speak to someone who's been there

Start planning your tailor-made trip by calling one of our specialists on 855 686 7694

Enquire

Overview

As the simplest and lowest priced of the renowned Unchartered Africa portfolio, Camp Kalahari is a great option for those on a lower budget wanting to explore the vast salt pans in the dry season, or see the fantastic wildlife of the Zebra migration when the rains come.

In wet season, the surrounding plains teem with life. In dry season, they are seemingly deserted. It is this sense of living in vast nothingness that is Camp Kalahari’s attraction: its peacefulness and remoteness a temple of solitude, contemplation, and serenity.

Located on the edge of the Makgadikgadi Salt Pans, among the acacias of Hyena Island, Camp Kalahari offers an authentic safari experience in this area of Botswana as a great base for observing the dramatic migration of zebra and wildebeest that herd to the lush algae during wet season and for exploring the desert during dry season.

The plains become a luscious bed of green on which flamingos descend to feed and zebra and wildebeest run free. They are a superb attraction for game and predators during wet season. During dry season, you can experience the Makgadikgadi plains on quad bikes...all 6,200 square miles!

Animals unique to the Camp Kalahari area form the main focus of activities during dry season. You can see aardvark, gemsbuck, and springbuck, and have a fantastic chance of spotting the rare and elusive brown hyena. Better still is the ease with which you can interact with posses of wild but habituated meerkats. You are invited to follow the meerkats by your guides, who work alongside Zu/’hoasi Bushmen to provide a running commentary on the meerkats’ behaviour as well as the survival skills their ancestors needed to live out in the Makgadikgadi desert. Camp Kalahari is part of the renowned Unchartered Africa portfolio of remote camps along with Jack's Camp and San Camp. Like its sister camps, in addition to gazing at game, you are able to view the immense formations of stars and planets under the Kalahari’s famously clear night skies.

Camp Kalahari’s communal space is elegant, eclectic, and eccentric. A thatched library provides the perfect place to escape into the written history of the surrounding land, whilst the thatched pavilion gives you the chance to watch that history unfold before your eyes from the comfort of a cool pool. Flavours of African aesthetic permeate the living and dining areas and are mixed with colonial artefacts to give you a sense of living as an early explorer in unchartered terrain.

Ten Meru tents scatter the area around the camp. Filled with four poster beds, en-suite bathrooms, crunchy cotton sheets, rich textiles, and Moroccan kilims, your private quarters are comfortable and capacious.

For families, there is a family unit consisting of two adjoined tents. Children of all ages are welcome although families with under 8s will need to take a private vehicle and guide at extra cost. Children are able to do all the activities, such as quad-biking and visiting the Camp’s natural history museum. However, those under 12 years of age will have to share a quad bike with an adult driver whilst children 12 years and older are allowed to drive a quad bike but only at the Guide / Camp Manager discretion. Children using the swimming pool must be accompanied by an adult.

Suggested Itineraries for Camp Kalahari

What customers are saying after travelling with Tourdust

Average Rating

based on 534 reviews

(5.00/5)

  • I was also just about to email you to thank you and the team for arranging yet again, another wonderful experience.

    Mount Kenya was spectacular and wild - I think I prefer it to Kili in many ways. The entire support team was professional, friendly and all round fantastic in making sure that we were safe, well fed and well looked after. In particular, we would commend Peter the guide as well as Paul one of the porters who doubled-up as his deputy on summit day. Our route was often shrouded in mist and rain that rapidly gathered in the valleys and moorlands, and we were very impressed at how Peter managed to navigate us safely through all of that notwithstanding. In addition, we loved learning about the history of Mount Kenya from him in the evenings. And ofcourse, I was blown away by the lovely birthday surprise at the end complete with balloons and a delicious cake that had journeyed with us from day 1. One thing we might recommend because of the sudden change in weather (it would sometimes get extremely cold and wet) is for the equipment list to be a little bit more detailed in terms of its recommendations e.g. layers to be moisture-wicking, walking boots be waterproof, doubling up on socks to avoid blisters etc.

    El Karama is a beautiful conservancy and the lodge a true labour of love. Great hospitality in a relaxed environment. Delicious, fresh food. We enjoyed the drives, even if we didn't see much wildlife as the heavens opened on us for the last two outings. However, since it was very much geared towards families, I am not sure if I would stay again without kids. That said, I think it was perfect for a 3d/2n stay post mountain, and a much better choice than flying to the masai mara given the limited time we had.

    Our transits were smooth. Samuel the driver was always on time, drove safely and kept the vehicle clean.

    So it was a brilliant experience and one which I certainly will cherish for some time to come. It was great to work with you for a third time, and I certainly hope it won't be the last

    MissingJuhae C reviewing Mount Kenya Sirimon Naro Moru Trek on 01 March 2024

  • Thank you, we had an absolute wonderful time, and everything was well-planned and as described. Carla was crying on the day of our departure from Ants Nest, she didn’t want to go home and for it all to end, and when I asked how much longer she would want to stay, she responded “four weeks”

    MissingLars B reviewing Best of South Africa for Families on 01 March 2024

  • We had the most amazing time. It exceeded all my hopes of what the trip would be. The guides, the hotels - everything was of such a wonderful quality. Thank you for organizing everything. I will absolutely recommend Tourdust and use you again.

    MissingClaudia L reviewing Luxury Desert Holiday on 11 January 2024

+
See more reviews

Decisions...

Stop searching and speak to someone who knows.

Enquire Now