Kalahari Exposed

Game drives allow you to experience unique desert wildlife such as brown hyena, bat eared foxes and if you're lucky enough, lion & elephant

Get up close and personal with our families of habituated meerkats. Head out from camp at sunrise, so that you are ready to tail these delightful omnivores as they set off in search of their breakfast. Walk amongst them (advised by your guide) and if you take a seat you might be lucky enough to be mistaken for a termite mound, where you'll be used as a look out point for predators.

Spend time walking with a group of Zu/’hoasi Bushmen for a glimpse into their ancient culture, understanding how they use the flora and fauna to survive in this sparse environment.

Enjoy a 2 hour morning or afternoon leisurely horse riding activity across the pans with our expert riding guide. This activity is not included in the nightly rate so should be booked additionally. Guests booking the horse riding activity will forfeit the other Camp activities running at the same time.

Children above 8 years of age are welcome.

During the dry season, spend an afternoon/ evening quad biking across the lunar expanse of the pans. Weather permitting.

Visit the site of the Fallen Baobab, one of the three largest and oldest trees in Africa and the camp site for Livingstone and Selous..

During the green season, experience the migration of zebra and wildebeest – the second biggest in Africa, and the last remaining in Southern Africa.

This really is an unforgettable experience.

Enjoy a helicopter flight over the Makgadikgadi

Pans, doors off (or on), to take in the vastness

of this desert landscape. You’ll go in search of

the zebra and flamingo migrations (if timed

correctly), get dropped on an island of baobabs

for lunch, do a bit of sunset sky surfing as you

follow the palm tree linings and tell all your

friends about it all when you get home.

Game drives are undertaken in custom designed Toyota game viewing vehicles seating no more than six guests at a time in two rows of three seats. Guests are guided by a two person team of professional guide and tracker - a special feature of the Kwando Safaris wildlife experience. The two person team enables the guide to communicate points of interest and the complex interrelations that exist throughout the natural world, while the tracker ensures no sightings or tracks are missed. At Tau Pan, the tracker comes from the San Bushman tribe, a tribe that has traditionally lived in the Kalahari desert for generations and is intimately acquainted with the area and wildlife that is endemic to the Kalahari.

Walking with a member of the San Bushman tribe allows guests to appreciate how the tribe used to live off the land through traditions and skills passed from generation to generation. Conducted close to the camp area, the walk is conducted at a slow pace designed to allow engagement and question asking so that guests may better understand the nature of the bushman to the environment around them. Knowledge about how they would hunt, trap animals, and the manner in which they use the flora and fauna in their environment to help them survive are all shared with guests. Questions are always welcome!

Located in the south of Nxai Pans National Park are the seven baobabs known as Baines Baobabs or the Sleeping sisters.

Day trips to Baines’ Baobabs are highly popular, and include a picnic lunch at the site. These age-old trees were immortalised in paintings by the artist and adventurer Thomas Baines in 1862. If you were to compare Baines’ paintings to the scene today, you would find that after 150 years, the trees are nearly identical – testament to the age of these magnificent giants.

Game drives are undertaken in custom designed Toyota game viewing vehicles seating no more than six guests at a time in two rows of three seats. Guests are guided by a two person team of professional guide and tracker - a special feature of the Kwando Safaris wildlife experience. The two person team enables the guide to communicate points of interest and the complex interrelations that exist throughout the natural world, while the tracker ensures no sightings or tracks are missed. At Tau Pan, the tracker comes from the San Bushman tribe, a tribe that has traditionally lived in the Kalahari desert for generations and is intimately acquainted with the area and wildlife that is endemic to the Kalahari.

Walking with a member of the San Bushman tribe allows guests to appreciate how the tribe used to live off the land through traditions and skills passed from generation to generation. Conducted close to the camp area, the walk is conducted at a slow pace designed to allow engagement and question asking so that guests may better understand the nature of the bushman to the environment around them. Knowledge about how they would hunt, trap animals, and the manner in which they use the flora and fauna in their environment to help them survive are all shared with guests. Questions are always welcome!

Imagine falling asleep while unobstructed views of shooting stars streak across the sky, and counting the twinkling of stars until you drift off to sleep.

Located in a secluded spot at the far end of the camp, the sleep-out deck is an intimate experience for two, who wish to spend a wonderous evening under the impressive Kalahari night sky. The raised deck comprises 2 three-quarter beds, a washbasin and a toilet. Guests will be walked to the deck after dinner to spend the night, and can resume game activities in the morning as usual.

This can only be pre-booked with a minimum 3 night stay. Otherwise it can be booked upon the clients’ arrival in camp, subject to availability, and weather permitting.

Glide seamlessly along the waterways of Wilderness Jacana in a mokoro (a traditional dug-out canoe) and spot some of the fascinating creatures of the Delta – maybe even hippo and crocodile – as well as the wealth of waterbirds of the region.

* Water levels permitting.

Boating through the waterways to the east of camp allow for good game viewing along the channels.

* Water levels permitting.

Seasonal fishing with a limited supply of basic equipment (spinner rods and a small range of lures) is offered on a catch and release basis.

* Note that fishing is seasonal as it is prohibited by Botswana law in January and February due to breeding purposes.

Land-based game drives are offered when the inundation levels are lower, typically in the summer months. These drives can reveal the likes of elephant, zebra and other plains game, as well as the potential sightings of predators of the area such as lions, hyaenas, and African wild dogs.

Birding is excellent here with plenty of 'Okavango specials’ including the Pel’s fishing-owl and Endangered wattled crane.

Get your feet on the ground and enjoy a walk through the wilds of the Jao Reserve.

* Seasonal and subject to the availability of a qualified walking guide, therefore pre-booking is essential.