San Camp

An attractive dose of safari romance in the eerily beautiful Makgadikgadi Pans.

The contrast between Botswana's Okavango Delta and the Makgadikgadi Pans couldn't be starker. Explore the harsh beauty of this desolate wilderness,while being treated to tip-top luxury of course.

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Jonty

Eve

Kristin

4.9 out of 5 stars Average guest rating

About San Camp

San Camp brings you forward into the future of eco-friendly, responsible travel by taking you back in time to an era where safari meant personal butlers and starry banquets. Huge, open, airy tents appear as an oasis on the desolate Makgadikgadi Salt Pan - the site of an extinct lake bed. This mysterious place is home to a healthy meerkat population—willed, but delightfully habituated—as well as desert-adapted wildlife, including brown hyenas, Aardwolf, bat-eared foxes and black-maned lions. Walk with a local San Bushman for a real-life history and biology lesson, or get an on the spot archaeology and geography lesson from your guide; navigate the vast moon-like landscape at your own speed, on the back of an ATV. Bedouin tents, Persian rugs and vintage accents conjure a true Lawrence of Arabia feel - the atmosphere is hallucinogenically romantic.

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From $2,090 person/night

Camp

6 Tents

Makgadikgadi, Botswana

What you'll love

Everything including the 360-degree views of nothingness (save a few stately desert palms)! From the main pavilion with its billowing valances to Persian rugs and stockpiles of gorgeous pillows - you'll feel like the royalty of an exotic land.

Insiders tip

The guides at San are a learned crew who seamlessly weave their treasure trove of facts through artful storytelling.

Something to think about

Although incredibly elegant, San Camp is a little more rustic in its facilities with no air conditioning and no electricity in the tents (but you can charge batteries at the main area).

The property

Everything here is exquisitely composed, like a film set. The luxury is only amplified by the lack - there is no electricity at San Camp, so paraffin lanterns scatter the camp and light the walks adding enchantment to the evenings. A mess tent with a large dining table is host to gourmet meals. You'll find a library tent full of bones and fascinating artefacts and carefully curated books. Take tea in the dedicated tea tent - a sprawling area with exotic rugs and cushions. Truly unwind in the tented yoga pavilion, meditating on the endless horizon.

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The rooms

Each of the six 1940s safari style tents is extremely luxurious - even without electricity or running water. The en-suite bathroom with heated bucket shower and long drop loo is all you need. Water is provided in copper jugs and basins. Wooden four-poster beds are fringed with lovely white canopies. A vanity set and sitting area with leather chairs form the entrance to the tent. Lounge on the outdoor deck appointed with a cushioned chaise - perfect for a breezy afternoon snooze.

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Activities

Game Drives

Walking safari

Bush Walks

Birding

San Camp is ideal during Botswana's dry season, from May through September. This is not a big-game destination but does offer one of the most unique combinations of wildlife, culture and landscape. There are several ways of exploring the vast salt pans: game drives, guided walks, ATVs, or on horseback (for an extra fee). For an intimate look at the flora and fauna and a dose of history and local knowledge, take a walk with the Zu/’hoasi Bushmen. Highly qualified guides will escort you to archeological sites and geographical anomalies, like rock outcrops and gnarled baobabs. The resident meerkat colony provides some of the best wildlife entertainment around and is sure to make a lover out of even the most reluctant skeptic.

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Positive impact

San Camp is owned by Natural Selection which is dedicated to conservation, partnering with local communities, governments, and organizations to protect and expand conservation areas. They build eco-friendly camps that blend into the environment and aim to inform guests about Africa's wildlife challenges and successes, hoping to inspire further positive action for wildlife conservation.

A contribution of $50 per guest, which is included in the nightly rate, goes towards the above goals.

About Makgadikgadi

Makgadikgadi

A vast, shimmering salt pan of horizon-bending landscapes where the magic is in the minimalism.

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