We invite guests to Botswana, to the largest salt flats and deserts, where the world's largest wildlife reserve is located - the Central Kalahari Reserve. For many years it was closed to visitors, which is why it is known as one of the last truly wild areas in Africa. It is here that the waters of the Okavango River disappear into the sands of the desert and around this extraordinary delta, small and large African animals gather in tens of thousands - zebras, giraffes, elephants and the predators that follow them.
Upon arrival at Maun Airport, guests will be greeted by a pilot who will fly them to the Central Kalahari Game Reserve.
Guests will spend the first 2 nights in luxurious tents at the Tau Pan camp. The offer includes full board, local drinks, planned wildlife sightings, as well as laundry.
Tau Pan Camp is located in the Central Kalahari Game Reserve. The name Kalahari comes from the word kgala in the Tswana language, meaning "great thirst" - which perfectly describes the vast areas covered with red sand, without any permanent sources of water. The Kalahari Desert is the world's largest sand basin, stretching for 2,5 thousand kilometers. km from the northern regions of South Africa through Namibia and Angola and ending in the Democratic Republic of the Congo. The Central Kalahari Reserve is the world's largest wildlife reserve with an area of 52 km2. For many years it was closed to visitors, which is why it is known as one of the last truly wild areas in Africa. This is where the waters of the Okavango River disappear into the desert sands.
On board the light aircraft, guests will be transported to Nxai Pan National Park.
Guests will spend the next 2 nights at the exclusive Nxai Pan camp in special, insulated tents, which are equipped with private viewing terraces, indoor and outdoor showers, separate toilets and fans. The common areas are connected to all tents by raised wooden walkways. The offer includes full board, local drinks, planned wildlife sightings, as well as laundry.
Nxai Pan National Park lies north of the Maun ‒ Nata road and is adjacent to Makgadikgadi Pans National Park on its northern boundary. Nxai Pan is famous for its huge population of springboks. When the rains start to fall, they are joined by southern oryxes, elephants and zebras. During the rainy season, zebras come in their thousands to give birth to their young in Nxai Pan. Large herds of giraffes, numbering up to 30 individuals, are also observed here. Large herds of zebras, springboks and wildebeests attract a multitude of predators - lions, cheetahs, jackals, brown hyenas, as well as endangered wild dogs and leopards, which are secretive hunters.
On board the light aircraft, guests will fly to Camp Kalahari.
For the last 3 nights, participants will live in luxurious Camp Kalahari tents with bathrooms. The offer includes full board, local drinks, wildlife observation and other attractions offered in the camp, fees for the stay in the National Park as well as laundry.
Guests will arrive at Camp Kalahari, nestled among the acacias and Mokolwane palms on Brown Hyaena Island, on the edge of the Makgadikgadi salt flats, adjacent to the Makgadikgadi-Nxai Pans National Park. This traditional Bushmen camp consists of 11 spacious Meru tents, including 6 with 2 beds, 4 with double beds and 1 family complex. All guest tents have a bathroom with a shower, hot and cold running water, as well as four-poster beds, cotton sheets, richly decorated fabrics and Moroccan kilims.
After afternoon tea, guests will set out to admire the sunset and listen to a guide tell how the Makgadikgadi salt flats, the remains of the world's largest super lake, were created.
In the morning, guests will set out to visit the most fascinating inhabitants of the Kalahari - meerkats, which are accustomed to the presence of people here. On cold mornings, participants may discover a meerkat snuggling next to them, and when there is no termite mound or tree nearby, the animal may use the observer's head as a sentry post. Encountering meerkats is certainly one of the most unique and memorable experiences you can have in Botswana.
Then, guests go to the place where Chapman's Baobab stood until recently. The tree that recently fell was thought to be the 3rd largest in Africa. This was once the camp of the first explorers of the Kalahari, Livingstone and Selous. A visit to this site gives you the opportunity to gain a fascinating insight into the history of early explorers. Guests return to camp for a refreshing lunch.
After tea, guests will go in search of unique species of desert animals, such as the elusive brown hyenas. It is currently the third rarest large predator in Africa. There are approximately 8 individuals left in the wild. Hyenas are consummate desert specialists, living in arid areas where both food and water are scarce. It is a shy, nocturnal species that rarely crosses paths with ours. Although they are solitary foragers, they are very social animals, living in clans of 000-10 hyenas. At night, the guests will return to the camp. Along the way, using flashlights, they will look for nocturnal inhabitants of the desert, such as African aardvarks, big-eared owls, protels, porcupines, honey-eating raspberries, and with a bit of luck, black-maned Kalahari lions! Upon return, dinner is served.
After breakfast, guests will head to Makgadikgadi National Park to observe the migration of zebras and antelopes. When the rain comes, the desert sand turns into a green oasis, teeming with life. Observing this transformation is an extraordinary experience. Within days of the first rain, thousands of zebras and wildebeests migrate through the Makgadikgadi to graze on the sweet summer grasses and benefit from the high mineral content of the salt flats. A picnic is served in the shade of the trees, while the amazing spectacle of one of the last great migrations, with an estimated 30 animals, unfolds before guests. Predators wander right behind the herds: lions, cheetahs, and sometimes even leopards or wild dogs. Hyenas that live in these areas year-round also benefit from migration. Although they do not hunt themselves, carrion left by other predators is a tasty morsel for them, as well as for numerous vultures and other birds of prey. The birds here are as fascinating as the animals, and visitors will spot some unique desert species such as ostriches and steppes, as well as water birds that arrive with the rain. Among the many species you can spot rare coral cranes. At the end of the season, flamingos appear on the salt flats, resting before further migration. After a hot day, guests will return to the exclusive Camp Kalahari camp for a hot shower and a delicious lunch.
On the last day, guests will wake up early to make the most of a joint trek with the Zu/'hoasi bushmen. They are like a window into the past, teaching guests how to survive in the harshest conditions, giving them their extensive and ancient knowledge of plants, animal behavior and survival skills. The Zu/'hoasi lead a semi-traditional lifestyle, sharing their hunting and gathering skills with participants, as well as making jewelry and hunting equipment.
Guests will return to camp in time to catch the plane flight to Maun.
License No. 756 for tour operators issued by the Voivode of Masovia
Signal Iduna Certificate – M 525404 (DOWNLOAD PDF)
