San Camp is located deep in the Kalahari Desert on the edge of the Makgadikgadi Pans, the largest saltpans in the world.
A satellite of Jack’s Camp, the two camps are unique in that they are the only permanent camps to offer a chance to explore and understand the Kalahari. They are situated in a concession adjoining the Makgadikgadi National Park with its endless vistas of rolling golden grasslands. Desert palms line the horizon.
Six canvas tents twinned with a dramatic location combine to create an oasis of civilization in what can be the harshest of stark environments. The result is perhaps one of the most romantic camps in Africa! There is no running water or electricity but guests can enjoy four-poster beds, mosquito net canopies, bucket showers, paraffin lamps and butlers. The camp’s hub is a large canvas mess tent.
Venturing far into the centre of the Makgadikgadi, on 4wd quad bikes, guests are able to explore remote archaeological sites, periodically discovering never before documented fossil beds of extinct giant zebra and hippo. The fact that you can travel across the pans at great speed and still arrive nowhere only underlines the pans immensity. There is nothing out there. No outcrops, no features, no grass, no trees, no sound but the crunch of your boots in the crust.
The Kalahari desert is its own universe. It is the only place where guests are virtually guaranteed to see the rare and elusive brown hyena and are able to walk through the Kalahari with a gang of habituated but wild meerkats! Other species in the area include aardvark, gemsbok and springbok.
During the wet season the landscape transforms. Clouds of flamingo and other migratory birds descend from the heavens to decorate the watery grasslands. Herds of zebra and wildebeest materialise, drawn by the lush grass, and for several months the desert is teeming with game and predators.
The guides at San are an erudite breed. Often graduate students who combine research with guiding, they team up with a small group of Zu/’hoasi Bushmen to guide guests on morning walks and game drives. Offering a window into the past, the Bushmen teach us how they have survived in this harshest of environments, using ancient knowledge of plants, animal behaviour and survival skills.
The cunning tricks and survival struggles of the feisty inhabitants of the Makgadikgadi are certainly not without drama and the emphasis is on observing the intricacies of a truly unique ecosystem to which Uncharted Africa Safari Co. has added a few stylish adaptations of its own.
Images supplied courtesy of Uncharted Africa
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