Reviews of Camp Kalahari
(93%) From 45 travellersThey do not necessarily represent the views of Expert Africa.
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Rustic and Peaceful
First stop on our journey proved to proved to provide the most unique experience, the photo-op of an Aardvark at 1566, just minutes after arrival. The beginning of an exciting, mixed wildlife adventure guided by a professional Biologist, Bart.
The eco system is quite unique and fascinating providing a platform for many beautiful birds from the Lilac Breasted Hopper to the Martial Eagle.and mostly smaller mammals. Obviously the Mongoose were a big hit .
The management of Camp was in transition, which was a bit disruptive, however the Chef, Sonya was the best on the trip. Tent was adequate, but extremely cold.The staff were doing the best they could under the circumstances of change.
I would possibly visit again to see this eco system in a different season and sleep on the pans.
Amazing experience at Camp Kalahari
This has been my first visit to Botswana.
I have always dreamt about going since I started reading the books by Alexander McCall Smith - The No.1 Ladies' detective agency. I was interested in knowing more about the country and was looking forward to seeing different areas. The Makgadikgadi Pans in the Kalahari was one of them. Both my husband and I have truly enjoyed our stay at Camp Kalahari. Apart from seeing various wild animals (wildebeests, ostriches, brown hyenas, jackals, etc. - and for a few minutes we missed the famous Aardvack which had been spotted by a couple of guests who were travelling on another car - when we arrived on the spot the Aardvack had gone back into its burrow) and many interesting birds (amongst which the lilac breasted rollers, secretarybirds, condors, etc.) we had an amazing time watching the meerkats and following them while they went looking for food.
We also had lots of fan driving the quad bikes over the salt pans and loved the walk with the bush men. We have seen lots of interesting plants and trees and have been impressed with the size of the Chapman's baobab (the third largest tree in Africa). Our guide, Fanwell, was very nice and extremely knowledgeable. He was able to answer all our questions and give us a lot of interesting details about the flora and the fauna of the area. Every staff member was very kind and helpful. The food was very good and there was plenty of it which applied to the drinks as well.
All the tents at the camp had been replaced a few weeks before. Our was very comfortable and clean. We did not mind at all the fact that the camp doesn't have electric lights (illumination is provided by lamps and there are torches available if needed). This helped to make the all experience more realistic. We could still re-charge our camera batteries thanks to a charging station which is connected to solar panels.
We also liked eating at one big table with the guides, the managers and the other guests as we had the chance to get to know many nice and interesting people and we enjoyed our conversations around the fire before going to bed. Last but not least Fanwell and the rest of the team organised a few amazing surprises for us and the rest of the guests. I believe that none of us will never forget our stay at Camp Kalahari!!
fantastic desert experience
Really enjoyed our two nights here, crammed alot in. Well run by Jonothan and Kate.
The time spend with the meerkats was fantatstic as was the Bushman experience. I had thought it might all be a bit touristy but it really is not and infact is so informative.
Being on the Pans was incredible, like nowhere else. Literally miles of nothingness!!
Camp Kalahari - KB and Tops were Tops!
Our first camp. Amazing experience with lots of 'surprises'. Great hosts. KB - manager. Tops - guide. Meerkats fantastic and great attention to detail shown by host and staff. The best hot water bottles of our trip. Stayed hot all night! Would love to know what make they are..
We loved the quadbike/saltpan day/night 'experience!!' too and have spoken about that more than anything else. Of all the camps, this is the one we would come back to - even though it was the least luxy. Thanks KB.
Re location - would also like to try Jacks or San as there was a bit more driving involved being based at CK.
Great africa experience
Super camp, environment and people.
Well managed en great atmosphere.
Would have liked to stay longer than 2 nights.
Will recommend this one!
could be better
Tent was very comfortable. Outside bathroom attracted bees to the water in the tap. Made it difficult to clean teeth, wash etc in safety as they attacked us. Need a sink/tap cover to prevent this as using a towel as a cover worked. Need to advise other guests of this measure.
Food was good.
Manager was Jo at the time. Enthusiastic person but very loud and liked to be centre of attn. Needs to be more discreet to avoid irritation. Hearing her stories more than once at dinner, at 20 decibels, was somewhat wearing. Normal front of house man was on compassionate leave.
Meerkats totally awesome! This was why we went here and they did not dissapoint. We went twice so very lucky.
Quad bikes good fun but made us feel guilty about pollution and noise etc. This is a desert not Brands Hatch.
Safari very disappointing. Never been to any lodge before that put 10 people in a car. Very squashed and impersonal. Felt like a herd os sheep. Unacceptable for the price. Also, few animals to be seen.
Furniture in the lounge area very uncomfortable. Looks nice but try sitting on it! Sticks do not make make for a good back rest!
Expert Africa comments
Reading about their whole trip, these travellers arrived with very high expectations of Botswana, but returned very disappointed and were sorry that they found aspects of Camp Kalahari which they didnt like.
When we passed all of their comments to the camp manager, Jo, she replied (regarding the bees) that Tent 5 is used often, and when these guests mentioned the bees to me, I sent a member of staff to check during tea. They didnt see any then, and we havent had any other comments from others in camp, about the bees.
Jo commented that she did speak more than usual, as the Italian family were asking a lot of questions and she apologized that at the time she had the flu, which may explain if I was too loud as my ears and nose were fully blocked.
Were glad that these travellers enjoyed the meerkats so much even if they were disappointed by the safari. We always try hard to explain that game is scarce in and around the Makgadikgadi Pans; we include this in our literature, and on our website. Were sorry if we failed to emphasise this enough to these travellers.
Finally, theres a very good point here about the relatively basic furniture and the full vehicle; Camp Kalahari is the lower-budget choice when compared with Jacks Camp and San Camp and these are some of the reasons why its less costly.
Unpretentious camp, full Kalahari experience
After 6 days in the bush we thought we had seen it all (ha ha!) but, while undoubtedly somewhat formulaic, the 3 kalahari camps (Jacks, San and Kalahari) do offer a truly unique set of experiences to end up you Botswana tour.
Our 4 sessions included a bush-drive and sundowners on the pan, breakfast with the amazing meerkat family followed by a visit to the 3500-year old Chapman's beobab, an evening stroll with the wonderful bushmen (who dug up scorpions, made fire with sticks and played a remarkable game of scissors/paper/stone) and what would have been a final mornnig quad-bike ride if it had not been hijacked by the sighting of a glorious pair of kalahari lions.
As always, the guide is all-imprtant, and we couldn't have wished for anyone more knowledgeable than Aoyoshi (who introduced us to all the magic of the desert while still finding time to track down the elusive lions which had the vehicles from Jacks scurrying up behind). The new pool when it is finished will round off this camp which seems like a fantastic value for money alternative to the rather snootier Jacks and San.
Camp Kalahari review
The Pans are a marked change from the north and the Delta in most ways possible. The landscape is bare, dry and arid and the Pans themselves reminded me of the lunar surface. Game is less easy to spot and the animals are much smaller and harder to spot. I was privileged however to spend a great deal time with a rare brown hyena cub.
The baobabs are incredible and fairly easy to climb! Walking with the meerkats was probably my highlight here and two of them even climbed up onto my knees! I was also lucky enough to see the first rains come with fantastic lightening displays.
The camp is a comfortable camp and nce again the hospitality was top notch. The only down side was that I was the only guest for the last night which felt a little odd having been in the company of 5 other travellers for most of my trip.
Meerkat experience
Situated in a lovely spot. The camp is well hidden in the trees and only the presence of a water tank gives its position away. The staff were very friendly and helpful. They made us feel at home and worked hard at getting the different groups to socialise.
The communal area was comfortable and cool. This encouraged people to relax there and not to hide away in their tents.
Our guide was very good and knew where to find the more unusual animals. The experience with the meerkats was extraordinary and just one of several good surprises. The food was adequate, but quite ordinary.
camp kalahari
we were the only 2 guests on day 1 & only a further 2 were there for day 2
if meerkats are the reason to go then this is a must with 2 virtually habituated troops giving some fantastic interactions
brown hyena are no longer resident & other game at this time was thin on the ground (although we did spot a caracal)
biggest bug bear is the incessant mosquitoes which were ravenous and numerous(cover up)
the staff were friendly & not overbearing with acouple of nice surprises. accomdation is adequate
