Reviews of Kalahari Plains Camp
(91%) From 16 travellersThey do not necessarily represent the views of Expert Africa.
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Kalahari Plains Camp review
Lovely camp, friendly staff, good food, relaxing and pleasing atmosphere.
Our guide was Paul, who worked with us to see and experience wildlife; at one spot we simply sat for 30 minutes and watched all the wildlife around us - oryx, eland, honey badger, bat eared fox, guinea fowl.
Sleeping Out Under Stars
There had been fire through in the surrounding area and although we visited end of October, the Kalahari was green with new growth - wow! To be fair, the big predators were few and far between (on previous visits lion,cheetah and honey badger were everywhere) - we know a cheetah was in the area, but only saw tracks ourselves. But this is nature, and there is always something new: Brown Hyena on our last morning!
We slept on the roof for two nights (the first night was too cold, cloudy and windy) and very much enjoyed waking late in the night to glorious stars. In the early morning of the last day we saw the hyena come down to the waterhole. Such a special and rare sighting!
Although we didn't find the cheetah, we did have a great time tracking it with Nick, and we saw many birds, oryx, springbok and giraffe.
The relocation of the waterhole since our last visit was excellent - close enough to see activity and far enough not to be disturbed by camp movement.
The sleep-out is superb, the showers not so great, so overall we rate the rooms as good. But if you want to sleep under the stars, this camp is highly recommended.
Kalahari Plains Camp review
one of our two favorites. We really enjoyed the interaction with the San people. The cultural piece was a huge addition here. The singing and dancing really created a rich and full experience of the area.
The game drives and game driver were excellent. I would say this lodge is a must!
Very nice camp in a great location.
Nice camp in a great location - so peaceful! For the first two nights, we were the only guests in the lodge and we were looked after extremely well.
The staff were very welcoming, helpful, and not intrusive. The location is beautiful - overlooking a large pan. It had rained 3 weeks before we arrived so the area was very green.
We had sightings of large (over 200 animals) herds of springbok and oryx; plus giraffe and Kalahari lion. Sleeping under the stars was good fun, and I'd recommend it.
A safari like no other
After a dry summer there was less wildlife than expected. Good sightings of Orynx, Kori bustards, Steenbok and Springbok with a quick sighting of the elusive honey badger.
Highlight the sleep under the stars, took advantage of this two nights and saw the Milky Way rotating over head. The main lodge is comfortable with a small bird bath and water hole in the distance so in between meals and game drives it’s an inviting place to hang out.
Very interesting visit to Kalahari Plains
Not the best time of year for game viewing at KP as driest time.
Nevertheless, our excellent guide, Godfrey, still managed to track down a lion on its way to drink at the waterhole, a young leopard whose behaviour suggested she may never have seen a Land Rover before, giraffes drinking at the waterhole silhouetted against the sunset and many other birds and animals. He always had something interesting to say about the flora and fauna or about the country generally and even took us stargazing one evening
Don't miss the back of house tour at this camp which gives great insight into the huge effort that goes into running a camp in this remote location, and the bushman walk which provides an opportunity to see some of the insects and plants you would otherwise miss.
Great desert experience
Please also see my overall feedback for Wilderness Safaris generally.
The rains of 2013 were not very good and so the dry season was already well advanced. Despite this we saw plenty of wildlife - you obviously have to work harder than you would in the Delta but that seems to make it all the more rewarding.
The camp is comfortable and the food decent. Make sure you sleep outside on the deck at least one night. The landscape and views are fantastic.
We did not see cheetah or lions but did, a little surprisingly, see 2 leopards as well as the usual desert adapted species.
We would like to go back in the rains.
On the negative side - our flight from Maun was delayed a couple of hours - in the end they had to charter a plane for us - and we were left in the departure lounge and plane for a total of nearly four hours without a drink. We also therefore arrived a little late at camp for the first afternoon meaning a shortened activity - this was repeated the next 2 days when the next arrivals were late - meaning our afternoon's activities were slightly compromised.
Kalahari Plains Camp review
We had spent 12 nights at 4 different locations in Botswana before flying into the Kalahari. It was so desolate we all thought it was time to go home.
After 3 nights at this camp we could have stayed for several more days. Because it is so desolate you can see for miles like the honey badger digging for scorpions all day long, the cheetah walking on and on mewing and crying, the pregnant lioness getting very grumpy with her companions.
Although not 5 star luxury this was possibly the camp with the easiest going, friendliest staff virtually all of whose names we knew after 3 nights. Our guide, Godfrey, was wonderful. Very knowledgeable and with a marvellous sense of humour. Loved it.
Fantastic Experience
Reaching the Kalahari desert after a 24 hour journey, squeezed in a plane seat for hours, and then to suddenly gaze at the immensity surrounding us was a memorable experience!
It was the rainy season but in effect still very dry as they had not had a drop of rain for several weeks.
We got to see a lot, more than I expected, in truth. Transferring to the camp from the airstrip, we were lucky enough to spot a cheetah drinking from the watering hole in front of the camp – great start! The following day was even better as we spotted a female cheetah and her 2 cubs. We watched her for some time as she was busy stalking a springbok, with the little ones in tow, replicating her every move – amazing! We also saw 3 Kalahari lions, and plenty of oryx, bat-eared foxes, black-backed jackals, leopard tortoises, honey-badgers, ostriches…
Our guide Rogers was very good. The San bushman walk was fun and informative.
The camp itself was very comfortable, with such a great atmosphere! Friendly and interesting guests, good food and very nice staff who welcomed us with a song. The platform tents were roomy, well set up (ladies with coloured hair beware of the salt water shower!). There is a deck above the tent where you can sleep under the stars – we slept there 2 out of our 3 nights in Kalahari and it was fantastic.
Kalahari Plains Camp review
What surprised us the most was the excellent accommodation, services and food that was provided in such a remote place.
We particularly liked the sincerity and great teamwork of the staff which helped create just the right atmosphere around the camp.
