San Camp

San Camp is situated on the edge of the vast and mysterious Makgadikgadi Salt Pans, the remnant of an extinct super lake that once covered most of Botswana. Turn 360 degrees and nothing crosses the eye but the bowl of the sky. This is God's own minimalism.

Classic white tents stand majestically on the shore of an enormous sparkling salt pan, each sheltered by a cluster of stately desert palms. Pair safari elegance with minimal ecological impact, and combine with spectacular vistas.

San Camp runs almost entirely on solar energy, thus dramatically reducing the use of fossil fuels. Expert guiding, incredibly friendly habituated meerkats, unique desert species, old-world safari styling and superb cuisine all come together to create an experience that is completely different to any other. The perfect place to relax, unwind and retreat.

Facilities include a magnificent mess tent which contains a small natural history museum and library, a tea tent spread with cushions that provides a sheltering sanctuary and a tented yoga pavilion. San Camp has a reputation for delicious, fresh and original menus.

San Camp is unique in it is one of the only permanent camps to offer a chance to explore and understand the Kalahari. Our concession adjoins the Makgadikgadi National Park with its endless vistas of rolling golden grasslands.

Venturing far into the centre of the Makgadikgadi, on four-wheel drive quad bikes, we 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 here.

The Kalahari desert is its own universe. It is the only place where guests are virtually guaranteed to see the rare and elusive brown hyaena and be able to walk through the Kalahari with a gang of habituated but wild meerkats.

The guides at San Camp are very knowledgeable. Our guides team up with a small group of Zu 'hoasi Bushmen to guide our 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 ancient lake has run dry but the imagination runs wild.