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Jack's Camp, Makgadikgadi Pan, Kalahari Desert, Botswana
Ntwetwe Pan and Sua Pan, together with numerous smaller pans, form the Makgadikgadi Pans system. The pans are the remnants of the once great Lake Makgadikgadi some 80 000 square kilometres in extent, and up to 30 metres deep, this was the largest inland sea in Africa. In the wet season (November to March), this vast area of salt pans interspersed with low-lying grass islands is the destination of herds of migrating zebra, and is the breeding ground for flamingo, and other migratory species. It has an unspoilt beauty unlike any other part of Africa. It is here that you will find Jack’s Camp.
Jack's Camp has been completely refurbished in a traditional East Africa '40's safari style. Ten roomy and stylish tents with en-suite bathrooms, complete with indoor and outdoor showers, have been fashioned in classical style and are set into a palm grove creating an oasis of comfort and tranquillity in what can be the harshest of stark environments… Persian rugs underfoot and cool cotton sheets form a striking contrast with the rugged wilderness viewed from the comfort of one’s veranda.
Using four wheel drive quad bikes, guests are able to explore a hitherto unknown and impenetrable area in an exciting and eco-friendly way. Jacks's Camp was voted '12th Best Leisure Hotel' in the World by Condé Naste Traveller Magazine readers - making it the 'best Safari Camp in the World'! The guides are often graduate students who combine research with guiding, they team up with a small group of Zu/’hoasi Bushmen to guide Guests on a morning’s walks and game drives.
Therefore, a safari at Jack's Camp is also a complete desert experience focusing on species unique to the area such as aardvark, oryx and springbok. It is the only place where guests are almost guaranteed to see the rare brown hyena and be able to walk through the Kalahari with a gang of habituated but wild meerkat!
In addition to the regular excursions to explore the Makgadikgadi Pans Jack’s Camp can, by prior arrangement, arrange longer expeditions into the Kalahari Desert. On a seven night camping safari you will traverse the Makgadikgadi Pans, visit enigmatic Kubu Island; and enter the largest conservation area in Africa - the Central Kalahari Game Reserve, an area which includes Deception Pan, Xaka, Piper Pans, Molapo, and many nameless places. The safari transcends any organised cultural experience. You will gain a direct insight into the subtle ecology of the apparently pitiless desert.
Kubu Island
Resting in the southern tip of Sua Pan, this small rocky
outcrop was once an island in the great Lake
Makgadikgadi. Stunted baobab trees and the ruins of
unexplained stone walls lend a mystical aspect: Kubu
Island has a magic that touches every visitor
.
Central Kalahari Game Reserve
The largest game reserve in the world, the Central
Kalahari encompasses some of the hottest and most
inhospitable areas in Botswana. In this seemingly
limitless expanse of scrub desert and pans, you will
encounter animals and plants that are specially adapted
to survive in such harsh conditions.
Nxai Pans and Baines’ Baobabs
Nxai Pan lies to the north
of the Makgadikgadi Pans area, on the migration route of
the great herds: a wide, grass-covered pan dotted with
umbrella thorn trees. With its bountiful wildlife, the
area provides excellent game viewing
opportunities.
Just to the east of Kudiakam Pan, and south of Nxai Pan,
is an impressive group of baobab trees, standing on the
pioneers’ route to the swamps of the Okavango Delta.
First painted by Thomas Baines, and inscribed with his
name on 22nd May 1862, the trees are known as
Baines’ Baobabs.
Desert Mobile Safaris
In addition to our regular excursions to explore the
Makgadikgadi Pans, by prior arrangement we can arrange
longer expeditions into the Kalahari Desert.
For the intrepid visitor we
offer the prospect of profound engagement with the
uncompromising beauty of the Kalahari. On this seven
night camping safari you will traverse the Makgadikgadi
Pans, visit enigmatic Kubu Island; and enter the largest
conservation area in Africa - the Central Kalahari Game
Reserve.
Deception Pan, Xaka, Piper Pans, Molapo, and many
nameless places. The safari transcends any organised
cultural experience. You will gain a direct insight into
the subtle ecology of the apparently pitiless and
unchanging desert. Perhaps you may even come to empathise
with the "first people" who lived in the
Kalahari - insignificant in the infinite thirstland, yet
happily and marvellously alive.
Tours that includes Jack's Camp
See our WebSite devoted to The Kalahari Desert
For further information, reservation details or details of packages which include Jack's Camp, please go to:
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