Planet Baobab

a good range of diverse and unusual experiences

Planet Baobab is located in the Makgadikgadi Pans area of central Botswana.

This property is a relatively simple but stylish roadside lodge set amongst a stand of mature baobab trees alongside the main Maun to Nata sealed highway, which represents the northern boundary of the concession.

It is one of a handful of accommodation options on this conservancy which are all under the same ownership and acts as gateway lodge both in terms of location and price, the next level up being Camp Kalahari.

Originally an overlander staging post, Planet Baobab has developed into a pretty funky little place with decent facilities. Extensive public areas are very interestingly themed in local Setswana style and decorated with historic posters and street art. Beyond the separate bar and restaurant areas there is a large and very pleasant swimming pool area.

Rooms

Guest accommodation at Planet Baobab is in twelve traditionally styled thatched bandas.

Activities

Planet Baobab provides the following guided activities …

Historic baobab trees

Vehicle safari

Quad-biking safari

Palaeontology

Meerkat experience

Brown hyena experience

When it comes to trip durations in Botswana, most visitors combine 2, 3 or 4 lodges by light aircraft over 6-12 nights, often in combination with further nights at the Victoria Falls and/or down in the Cape.

Longer trips may include a camp in one of the desert areas, such as here in Makgadikgadi, in order to provide variation and contrast.

Most guests choose to stay at one lodge in Makgadikgadi, usually for 3-4 nights.

Seasonality

The area has converse seasons to the main safari areas of the Okavango Delta and Linyanti Waterfront.

During the May-Nov dry season, safari is focused on the desert experiences including quad-biking onto the pans, Bushman and palaeontological walks, visits to a habituated meerkat colony and game-viewing focused on a widely dispersed population of real desert specialists.

During the May-Jun transition season, temperatures can drop towards freezing during the night.

During the Oct-Nov late dry season and early green season, temperatures and humidities can become uncomfortably high in advance of the rains.

The Dec-Apr green season means the desert experiences take something of a back seat, in favour of more intense wildlife viewing, as summer rain showers cause very impressive clustering of migratory wildlife in the area.

It is the Dec-Feb green season period which threatens the greatest chance of more prolonged cloud and rain.

Getting there

Unlike the other camps in the concession, which are usually accessed by air, Planet Baobab is almost always accessed by private road transfer from Maun, from where there are connections by air to camps throughout the Okavango Delta and Linyanti Waterfront areas, as well as long haul flights to Johannesburg.

It is also possible to include the lodge in a self-drive trip around Botswana, although this is not something we presently recommend due to the acute traffic issues in the accessible safari areas.

uncommonly worth visiting year round