Tau Pan Camp

for readers of the fabulous book ‘Cry of the Kalahari‘

Tau Pan is our favourite place to stay in the Central Kalahari area of Botswana.

Having said that, we tend to include this property in trips relatively rarely, since this area is too peripheral for most visitors.

The Central Kalahari is a vast, arid and relentlessly flat landscape, with far lower wildlife densities than Okavango Delta and Linyanti Waterfront. The safari experience is rather subtle and relatively specialist.

During the May-Nov dry season safari here is focused on a widely dispersed population of real desert specialists, amongst which highlights include brown hyenas and huge black-mane lions.

During the Dec-Apr green season summer rain showers can cause very impressive clustering of migratory wildlife in remote hidden valleys, accompanied by an unusual range of predators including cheetahs, leopards, brown hyenas and aardwolves.

One of the most notable features here is the fossilised riverbed of Deception Valley, setting for the fabulous book ‘Cry of the Kalahari’, which is a must read for any visitor.

Tau Pan Camp is in a fabulously remote location. You are very unlikely to encounter other vehicles out here, unless you undertake a long day trip over to the main valleys.

It’s a very pleasant property, comfortable and relatively stylish. The remoteness ensures that there is a great sense of comradery amongst the team. You quickly feel at home here. We have fond memories of playing football out in the staff quarters when the pitch was invaded by a giant kudu bull.

Other highlights include encounters with lions and brown hyenas in and around the camp, as well as the magnificent sight of giant giraffes stooping widely to graze on thorny Kalahari cucumbers.

Unfortunately, the fact that the camp is inside the national park means that vehicles are not allowed off-road or to go out at night, both of which are major negatives when it comes to maximising sightings.

First time visitors to Botswana should almost always focus first on the Okavango Delta and Linyanti Waterfront areas. But if you are on a longer trip or you are a returning guest in search of a new area, then Tau Pan Camp can make for a really interesting and atmospheric option.

We certainly look forward to our next visit.

Rooms

Guest accommodation at Tau Pan Camp is in nine detached rooms, some of which have a small additional bedroom for children.

There is also a sleep-out platform on the edge of the camp.

Activities

Tau Pan Camp offers the following guided activities …

• vehicle safari

• Bushman cultural experience

The Central Kalahari is included in trips relatively rarely, since the majority of visitors to Botswana prefer to focus their time on the better-watered and more productive safari areas of Okavango Delta and Linyanti Waterfront.

On longer safaris where a Kalahari Desert experience can be included, Central Kalahari often loses out to Makgadikgadi, which offers a wider range of experiences.

The stay duration is usually limited to three nights, since the range of activities here is limited.

Seasonality

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

During the May-Nov dry season this is a parched land and safari is all about witnessing the struggle for survival in an arid semi-desert, with widely dispersed populations of desert specialists such as springboks, kudus, meerkats, pangolins and aardvarks, plus the renowned brown hyenas and huge black-mane lions.

During May to June, temperatures can drop towards freezing during the night, but there are virtually no insects around.

During Oct-Nov temperatures and humidities can become uncomfortably high, in advance of the rains.

During the Dec-Apr green season, summer rain showers can cause very impressive clustering of migratory wildlife in remote hidden valleys. It’s like a scene from the Garden of Eden, a fleeting bloom of life which bursts forth in an empty desert and then quickly fades. Naturally, this also attracts large concentrations of predators, including cheetahs, leopards, spotted hyenas and aardwolves. Visitor numbers are very low through this period, with the slight exception of the Dec-Jan holiday season.

Getting there

The property is almost always accessed by light aircraft into Tau Pan Airstrip, either from Maun International Airport or directly from other camp airstrips in the Okavango Delta and elsewhere in the Kalahari.

From the airstrip it is a short vehicle safari of around ten minutes into camp.

a relatively limited range of activities