This website uses cookies to ensure you get the best experience on our website. Learn more

Skip to main content

Talk to an expert 1-800-242-2434 Lines open now

User menu
Kalahari's Salt Pans
Kalahari's Salt Pans
Kalahari's Salt Pans
Kalahari's Salt Pans
Kalahari's Salt Pans
Kalahari's Salt Pans
Kalahari's Salt Pans

Most of the Kalahari is arid and untouched.

Experience the spectactar Kalahari

...where you might spot some wildlife...

...and enjoy nature at its finest

The Chobe - Kalahari zebra migration

Adventure and freedom in the Kalahari

An ancient culture, the San of the Kalahari

Kalahari's Salt Pans

Reviews of safaris to Kalahari's Salt Pans

142 holiday reviews from our travellers of holidays which include Kalahari Salt Pans.

Showing 21-30 of 142
Duration
Arrival date
Mr & Mrs SA
Norfolk

"Our clever Botswana Holiday 2022"

I visited Botswana and 1 other country between 23 Mar 2022 and 7 Apr 2022
"Our holiday is best summed up by a travel rep we met on Safari who looked at out itinerary and commented that it "was very clever indeed".

It yielded most of what Botswana can offer on the wild life front in varied locations each with their own characteristics of flora, faurna and animals in some of the best lodges that Botswana offers. We were a very lucky couple and many thanks to Expert Africa.

Suggestions to help us improve our trips or our service:

Nearly 3 years in the making with changes and cancellations and a host of really helpful suggestions from Expert Africa who showed great patience with us..............is there anything more to suggest.... NO.

Thanks Expert Africa.............you are all stars." Read full review: 15 nights in Africa; 12 on a Botswana safari
Overall trip
Excellent
Mr & Ms B
Florida, US

"Our Mar-Apr 2022 trip to Namibia and Botswana"

I visited Namibia and 1 other country between 9 Mar 2022 and 13 Apr 2022
"This has been our fifth trip to Southern Africa and the second that we booked with expertafrica. We spent three weeks self-driving in Namibia and then roughly two weeks on a fly-in safari in northern Botswana. Compared to our 2021 trip, this one featured much more landscape (as can be expected of Namibia) and more interactions with humans. That’s not to say that we didn’t see any less wildlife than on previous trips.

I would like to also emphasize that this trip was the first time that we visited this region at the end of the southern summer, i.e. at the very end of the rain season. Previously we had traveled here only in October (3 times) or July (once). We were pleasantly surprised by all the greenery, and we weren’t bothered by mosquitoes in any significant way. However, I should point out that my wife was often bitten by midges, whereas I wasn’t.

Virtually all guidebooks point out that the dry season is the best time to visit Africa in order to get the best wildlife sightings. I readily admit that the tall grass sometimes impedes tracking down predators, however, as my review of the camps in Botswana shows, we were not really short-changed of lion and cheetah sightings. Overall, except perhaps for leopards (only 2 encounters in 5 weeks) the wildlife sightings were as good as in the dry season, and in some aspects they were even better: To us, the animals appeared to be more relaxed or at least less stressed, due to the availability of food and water.

Everybody we talked to said that the region had a good rainy season. However, during our whole stay, we only had one brief shower (during siesta time in Etosha Heights) and one morning game drive in Nxai Pan, during which we had to wear rain gear and protect our cameras.

All ten safari camps are, in our minds, highly recommendable. And, as it turned out repeatedly, we saved the best (Kwara Camp) for last. This is not in any way to diminish the experiences we had at other camps. They all had their special appeal. However, if asked which are the places we are most likely to revisit again, they are Okonjima, NamibRand, Tau Pan and Kwara Camps.

I would like to add a comment about the flights to the various camps in Botswana. All of them took place on time and, most importantly, got us safely from point A to point B. However, I don’t quite understand why the departure times are only given to us the day before. I understand that for the airlines it can be challenging to come up with an economic way of handling these flights, but isn’t it true that virtually all of these trips are booked months in advance? For instance, on our way from Maun to Kwara Camp, we stopped in Xaranna and then Shinde Camps, whereas on our way back to Maun, it was a direct flight of 25 minutes.

Finally, a comment about Covid-19. Entry requirements with regards to corona changed during our trip: While we had to produce a negative PCR test for our first destination Namibia (to the tune of $250 per person) they lifted that requirement one week after we arrived, and Botswana lifted its requirement for the test before we crossed into Botswana. So did South Africa. The US, on the other hand, still requires a negative PCR test, so we did that in Maun one day before our departure back home. However, no one asked us to produce the paperwork!

I would also like to commend the way the camps in Zimbabwe last year handled the seating arrangements during the meals. They provided separate tables for each party rather than having everybody sit together at one or two tables along with the guides. I sense that this is a delicate issue and that it’s really up to company policy and not expertafrica to decide what’s best. With regards to guests sitting together I much prefer the separate tables arrangement, because in our five trips to Africa so far, our experience has been that the vast majority of conversations one has at these occasions amount to not much more than small talk: Where have you been, and where are going from here? Of course, there are exceptions. For instance, we got to know one couple from Switzerland and, on another trip, a couple from the UK that we really liked to talk to, and then we simply asked the camp staff to set up a table for four instead of two.

And with regards to the guides sharing the dinner: Of course, they deserve to have a gourmet dinner just like the guests, but I would say, they can have it in the quiet of the staff quarters, because in my mind, they deserve a well-earned break because they work hard enough already as it is. Again, in our experience, we had virtually all of the stimulating and significant conversations with them during the game drives, the coffee break and the sundowners, but not during dinner time." Read full review: 35 nights in Africa; 19 on a Namibia trip
Overall trip
Excellent
Drs R
Hampshire

"My Feb 2022 trip - Travelling in C-19 times..."

I visited Botswana between 20 Feb 2022 and 28 Feb 2022
"Travelling in C-19 times and in the rainy season was always going to be at the risk of disruption but we are glad that we came, with camp staff so happy and grateful to see us in what is a lean time for them.

Our goals were not to seek the big five as we have experienced that many times before in other areas. New to Botswana, we were seeking the more unusual animals and also birds, which are often overlooked (if even available) in the rush to see predators. We got a good appreciation of what Botswana has to offer, and saw many smaller animals (steenbok, scrub hare, bat-eared fox, jackals, lion cubs and a hyena cub left alone) as well as about 130 bird species over the two locations.

The value of a travel agent shows its worth when things do not go as planned. Things certainly did no go as planned for us. The problems that we experienced were ALL outside the scope of Expert Africa and yet Tracy helped us all throughout. This was both in the planning stage when our outbound flight was cancelled some weeks before travel, and during the journey itself. Tracy joined ourselves, our VIP meet and greet helper, and the airline staff on WhatsApp when trying to put things back on track after the airline failed to make our connection. From what the airline originally offered, Tracy helped negotiate for us a loss of three days of safari down to just one." Read full review: 8 nights in Africa; 6 on a Botswana safari
Overall trip
Good
Mr F
Amsterdam

"My May 2021 trip"

I visited Botswana between 14 May 2021 and 29 May 2021
"An impressive journey in a strange period of time. Lots of hurdles to take, endless paperwork and testing but very worth it in the end.

The Botswana people were very happy to welcome us and thanked us multiple times for taking the effort to come to their country in these complicated times.

Once there everything ran smoothly; a well organized trip and a great combination of camps giving a complete picture of Botswana." Read full review: 15 nights in Africa; 13 on a Botswana safari
Overall trip
Excellent
Mrs M.
Amsterdam

"My May 2021 trip"

I visited Botswana between 14 May 2021 and 29 May 2021
"Although it took a lot of perseverence at home with all the paperwork, it was well worth the effort. I was impressed by the organisation and very impressed by the warm and friendly nature of the Botswana people. Everywhere they were so happy to see us and welcome-ing and hospitable. Nature is overwhelmingly beautiful and serene and quiet.
My only negative point is the new Jack's Camp. All the camps had the tapestry and furniture like a camp signature, but Jack"s Camp was too big, too overdone and above all too dark! I am sure that I would have preferred the old camp." Read full review: 15 nights in Africa; 13 on a Botswana safari
Overall trip
Excellent
Mr K-Prof V
Michigan

"A Nice Way to Wrap Up Our African Holiday"

I visited Botswana and 1 other country between 3 Jan 2020 and 13 Jan 2020
"In total, we spent a month in Africa birding in South Africa and Namibia before our last six nights in Botswana.

Our Botswana experience was a bit of a mixed bag. The two camps we visited - Nxai Pan and Tau Pan - are very nice camps with great staff but are a bit uncomfortable if crowded because of the communal approach to dining. (20 people at a large table shouting at each other.)

We missed one night in the middle of the trip altogether because weather prevented a landing at our second camp and forced us to spend the night at a hotel in Maun.

Overall, a nice but not great experience in Botswana compared to some of our many other African trips.

Overall, Expert Africa does seem to be an "expert" on Africa. This was the second trip that we taken with help from Maruska and we are very pleased with the advice as well as the actual organization of our trips.

Keep up the good work!" Read full review: 10 nights in Africa; 6 on a Botswana safari
Overall trip
Good
Wiljo
Norfolk

"Zimbabwe/Botswana Sept/Oct 2019"

I visited Botswana and 1 other country between 25 Sep 2019 and 23 Oct 2019
"Spectacular! Feel hugely privileged to have seen and experienced all that we did during our time in these 2 countries.

Variety is the spice of life and every day on the trip brought some new highlight, be it a particular wildlife sighting or interaction, a scenic location or an activity. The trip has re-kindled our addiction for Africa and has only served to convince us to seek more! We would happily return to any of the locations we visited and on each occasion, when it was time to move on, we wished we could linger on at each place - a sure sign of our appreciation.

We are especially indebted to Tracy Lederer for her knowledgeable guidance and patience during the planning and booking process. We acknowledge that we were not the easiest clients to deal with but only because of the need to "get it right" for these once in a lifetime trips and Tracy was spot on with her recommendations and reassurances. It was obvious that her advice was informed by her personal experiences of the various locations.

Logistically, pretty much everything went without hitch. (Even a trekking pole which was left at Muchenje somehow found its way back to us at Maun airport on the way home - don't know how, but Tracy located it and engineered its reunion!!). Appreciating the remote locations reinforces our admiration for the efficiency of your operation, working with the local teams.

We would fully recommend your services and would have no hesitation in approaching you ourselves for future trips in Africa. Till next time..." Read full review: 28 nights in Africa; 16 on a Botswana safari
Overall trip
Excellent
Mr Mitchell
Weybridge

"My Sep 2019 trip"

I visited Botswana between 8 Sep 2019 and 19 Sep 2019
"A long awaited trip of a lifetime - and it was amazing. Botswana is not cheap to "do" properly - but it is amazing" Read full review: 11 nights in Africa; 9 on a Botswana safari
Overall trip
Excellent
Mrs & Mr Y
Paris

"My Jul 2019 trip"

I visited Botswana and 1 other country between 24 Jul 2019 and 31 Jul 2019
"A perfectly well organised trip.

Megan is a very pleasant and efficient person to organise a trip. She is very careful on details and she is really making an effort to understand her clients' preferences.

Suggestions to help us improve our trips or our service:

Keep up the good work." Read full review: 7 nights in Africa; 6 on a Botswana safari
Overall trip
Excellent
Dr & Mrs S
Oregon

"My Jun 2019 trip"

I visited Tanzania and 4 other countries between 7 Jun 2019 and 13 Jul 2019
"Our information and discourse was always with Maruska who was meticulous, knowledgeable and detailed in the planning with regard to our trip. We cannot thank her enough for the planning that was executed flawlessly, that reduced the anxiety of the multitude of transfer and connection flights that occurred within our itinerary.

The execution on the ground and air by the operators was flawless and any oddities that occurred were developments that could not be predicted by Expert Africa or their employees. Updates are required by direct observation and on site verification. We hope that we have provided them for you in this review in an objective manner that is factual without any bias or drama. Of course, there are always two sides to a story and after submission of our comments to any of the operators, if there is a discrepancy of the events that occurred, we are happy to respond or reply in kind. Our comments are also documented by photos of the elephants on the walkways and streets near the Vic Falls Hotel and in the case of the excessive call to prayer by the Imam near the Machweo hotel, we have a live, timed recording to document this annoyance.

Otherwise, it would be hard to improve upon the suggestion of camps recommended by Maruska in the Kalahari or Zambia for the quality of service and most importantly, for the wildlife that was observed.

We think we are seasoned travelers and it is not often that we would ever lavish such praise upon a an individual or company that helped us so much with the arrangements but Expert Africa and Maruska are to be commended. So please accept our sincerest thanks for an itinerary well planned and executed. If Maruska can put in the time and effort to plan this trip, we can certainly take the time and effort to evaluate in kind. Thank you.

Greg & Kathy

Suggestions to help us improve our trips or our service: We never looked at brochures, website or general literature etc. from Expert Africa. Perhaps we missed something. I think we have already given our suggestions in this extensive evaluation process on how to improve such trips. Fortunately, there was not much need for that." Read full review: 36 nights in Africa; 7 on a Tanzania safari
Overall trip
Excellent
Showing 21-30 of 142
98%
142 reviews of Kalahari Salt Pans by travellers since August 2007
Overall rating by our travellers
133
9
2
1
0
Filter by month
Inspire me

Need inspiration?

Let our trip chooser narrow down the options for you

Inspire me

Where to stay in Kalahari Salt Pans

Our suggestions for safari camps in Kalahari's Salt Pans


Camp Kalahari

Camp Kalahari

Overlooking the Makgadikgadi Pans, Camp Kalahari is great value; come for quadbiking excursions on the salt pans, cute meerkats, excellent Bushman walks, and interesting 4WD safaris.


94% (56 reviews)
Nxai Pan Camp

Nxai Pan Camp

Offering good summer game viewing and visits to Baines Baobabs, the comfortable Nxai Pan Camp is currently the only permanent camp in Nxai Pan National Park.


91% (33 reviews)
Jack's Camp

Jack's Camp

Jack's Camp was the original camp in the Makgadikgadi area, and many still consider it the best. Come for a unique and memorable experience, but not for prolific game viewing.


89% (25 reviews)
San Camp

San Camp

The simple but stylish San Camp lies in a stunning location beside the Makgadikgadi Salt Pans, where highlights are quadbiking, meerkats, and Bushmen walks.


93% (19 reviews)
Meno A Kwena

Meno A Kwena

Meno A Kwena Tented Camp is an old-style safari camp, run by an experienced Botswana expert. Overlooking the bed of the Boteti River, it's a great place to relax and watch wildlife at the camp's waterhole.


83% (13 reviews)
Leroo La Tau

Leroo La Tau

From the western bank of the Boteti River, Leroo La Tau overlooks the Makgadikgadi Pans National Park, where game concentrations are highest from July to October.


100% (2 reviews)
Migration Expeditions

Migration Expeditions

A seasonal safari camp in Nxai Pan National Park focussed on the area's annual zebra migration.


No reviews yet

Login to Expert Africa

Sign in with password

Sign in with email link


New to Expert Africa? Create an account

Forgotten your details?

It's free & quick to set up

  • Save your wish-list
  • Send us an enquiry
  • Pay online for your trip
  • Subscribe to our newsletter
  • Give us feedback on your trip
  • Full site benefits of the site

Need some help? Talk to our team

Africa