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Set in a palm-dotted oasis in Botswana’s Makgadikgadi, Jack’s Camp is one of Africa’s most iconic safari experiences. This legendary camp blends 1940s explorer style with the surreal beauty of the Kalahari’s vast salt pans, creating a setting that feels timeless and extraordinary.
Founded in honour of safari pioneer Jack Bousfield, the camp celebrates the spirit of exploration. Nine canvas tents are richly styled with Persian rugs, mahogany campaign furniture and colourful textiles, evoking the golden age of safari while offering modern comfort. At the centre of camp, the famous Persian tea tent, pool pavilion, curio shop and Natural History Museum add to the sense of discovery, filled with artefacts and stories that reflect the history and natural wonders of the Makgadikgadi.
With exceptional guiding and desert experiences – from walking with habituated meerkats as they emerge at sunrise to quad biking across the salt pans in the dry season – Jack’s Camp offers a safari that is fascinating and unforgettable. Game drives reveal the surprising wildlife of this desert landscape, while time spent with the San bushmen provides insight into one of the oldest cultures on earth. Few places capture the romance, curiosity and adventure of safari quite like Jack’s Camp.
The 2 double tents are made up of 1 x extra length king sized bed which includes an overhead cooling system. As you walk into your 135sqm tent, you will be greeted by a beautiful lounge area, which leads out to your own private plunge pool. All tents include private indoor & outdoor showers, charging points and all tents offer 24 hour solar-powered electricity
Max: 2 adults
Children of all ages welcome
All 7 twin tents are made up of 2 x extra length queen sized beds which include an overhead cooling system. As you walk into your 135sqm tent, you will be greeted by a beautiful lounge area, which leads out to your own private plunge pool. All tents include private indoor & outdoor showers, charging points and all tents offer 24 hour solar-powered electricity
Max: 2 adults
Children of all ages welcome
Jack's Private Camp
Jack’s Private Camp has two bedrooms, each with their own en-suite bathroom, private veranda and day bed. One room will have an extra length king size bed (double) and the other, two extra length king size beds (to use as twin or double), with over bed cooling systems and mosquito nets. The en-suite bathrooms each have two indoor showers, a brass bathtub and an outside shower. Between the bedrooms is a shared living space, with a kitchen, dining area and lounge - leading out onto a private deck with a large swimming pool, overlooking the Makgadikgadi Pans.
The interior design pays homage to the property’s much loved 1940s campaign style. The tent is cool and spacious and adorned with a classic East African safari feel. Persian and North African rugs, brass fittings, luxuriant textiles and Natural History mahogany cabinet.
A personal chef and butler service, plus a guide and private vehicle are included in the rate and add to this exclusive experience.
Property Facilities
Accept Credit Cards, Battery Charging Facilities, Communal Dining, Eco Friendly, Indoor Pool, Internet Access (Complimentary), Laundry Service, Library, Pool, Spa, Vegetarian
Room Facilities
Air Conditioning, Balcony / Deck, Complimentary Wi-Fi, Electrical Outlets, En Suite Bathroom, Fridge, Hairdryer, Laundry Service (Complimentary), Lounge Area, Lounge, Mini Bar, Mosquito Nets, Outside Shower, Plunge Pool, Private Lounge / Sitting Area, Pure Cotton Linen, Safe, Shower, Stretcher Beds
Available Services
Credit Card Facilities, Laundry Service (Complimentary), Private Vehicle (Available)
Activities on Site
Bird Watching, Cycling, Game Drives, Game Viewing, Helicopter Scenic Flights, High Tea, Horse Riding, Horse-back Safaris, Massages, Night Drives, Quad Biking, Safaris, Sleep Outs
Activities Nearby
Cultural Tours, Helicopter Scenic Flights, Horse Riding
Take game drives and night drives in custom built 4x4s to spot the unique desert wildlife that inhabit the pans, like the elusive brown hyena or Kalahari lion. Your experienced safari guide will help you discover a desert landscape, pulsating with life. Complete with bush picnics, morning coffees and chilled drinks.
Get up close and personal with our families of meerkats. Leaving camp as the sun begins to rise you will accompany these inquisitive members of the mongoose family as they set off in search of their breakfast. Walk amongst them (you're not allowed to touch or feed them) 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.
Discover the secrets of the pans with the Zu/’hoasi Bushmen on a fascinating bush walk. See this ancient desert landscape through their eyes. These skilled hunter gatherers will show you how to survive, using their extraordinary tracking skills to uncover a smorgasbord of culinary delights... from bulbs, to scorpions, to berries. Spending time with them is a very rare privilege.
Saddle up to explore this wild, unspoilt area in the same way many of the earliest explorers, hunters
and missionaries did – on horseback! You’ll embark on an adventurous outride (for all level riders). This is an exhilarating way to spot wildlife, cantering along the crusty salt flats and following the animal
highways that bring life to the Makgadikgadi Pans.
This is pure desert adventure! Take an exhilarating quad bike across the salt-crusted pans (all pan activity is weather permitting and dependent on the dryness of the pans). You’ll feel total freedom as you trek across this vast and ancient landscape, discovering so much about the remnants of this once super lake.
Seasonal: April - October
A visit to the Fallen Baobab - one of the three largest and oldest trees in Africa and reputedly the campsite of Livingstone and Selous.
Witness the second largest migration in Africa. A stonking spectacle of black and white stripes
as approximately 30,000 zebra and wildebeest migrate across the Makgadikgadi Pans, followed closely by stalking predators, waiting for the rich pickings of tired hooves. This is a wildlife explosion and an experience not to be missed!
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.
Grab a fat bike and peddle around the Makgadikgadi Pans. This is a really fun activity for the whole family, and an ideal way to get some exercise. These bikes can easily cruise over the desert terrain, taking you along 4x4 tracks and around the crusty salt flats. Keep a look out for sightings of wildlife, while breathing in the beautiful scenery, alongside the desert silence.
If you are in need of some serious time out, then one of our spa treatments is your perfect escape. Our professional therapist will put you in seventh heaven. Book a back massage overlooking the Makgadikgadi Pans or enjoy a relaxing spa treatment from the privacy of your tent. Whichever you decide, you’ll walk away feeling refreshed and rejuvenated.
The Makgadikgadi Salt Pans are one of the most important breeding sites in southern Africa for
the lesser and greater flamingos. These flying flame birds, arrive in their millions during seasons of good rain, when millions of small shrimp and other crustaceans crack through the salty pan crust to spawn. The result, a pink extravaganza in the heat of the desert. You can also heli to Sua Pan to view the flamingos in Mar - Apr (scenic helicopter flight must be booked at an additional cost).
