San Camp

a broad range of diverse and unusual experiences

San Camp is located in the Makgadikgadi Pans area of central Botswana.

This is the mid-priced option in the area, an upmarket and stylish permanent tented camp situated under palm trees on the northern side of the Ntwetwe Pan, part of the complex of vast salt flats that characterise the area.

From the vehicle turnaround we follow a pathway to the main mess tent, a large and lavish affair containing the main lounge and dining areas. The place is decorated in colonial style and filled with fascinating artefacts, most notably amongst which is an impressive collection of stone arrowheads.

There is now also a small plunge pool at the camp.

One aspect which we always appreciate is the amount of animals which tend to come into camp. As well as smaller game such as warthogs and springboks, guests have also reported sightings of porcupines, brown hyenas and bat-eared foxes wandering around. We will never forget the magic of sitting at the lunch table watching herds of wildebeest and zebras migrate through the mirages on these infinite plains.

Rooms

Guest accommodation is in six stylish tents which are accessed by ground level pathways. From the small verandah out front zippered ‘doors’ lead into the main sleeping area, which contains a large four-poster bed and other colonial furnishings. Beyond that a curtained doorway leads through to a large conventionally plumbed bathroom with basin, shower and toilet.

Activities

San Camp provides the following guided activities …

• Vehicle safari
• Walking safari
• Quad-biking safari
• Horse-back safari
• Palaeontology
• Bushman walks
• Meerkat experience
• Brown hyena experience
• Historic baobab trees

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

The camps in this area are usually accessed by light aircraft into one of two small airstrips.

There are daily flights to and from the main airport at Maun, for connections to camps throughout the Okavango Delta and Linyanti Waterfront areas, as well as long haul flights to Johannesburg.

It is also possible to access the camps by private road transfer from Maun, a journey of around 3-4 hours.

uncommonly worth visiting year round