A moon-like landscape that transforms into a gourmet soup for migrating birds in the wet season. A lesson on how to make poison arrow tips. A hunt for stone-age tools. Such experiences don’t make the usual itineray on African safari trips.
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| Situated at the end of the Makgadikgadi Salt Pans, Jack’s Camp is a home away from home and far from “roughing it.” |
But there isn’t anything usual about Jack’s Camp, a classic-style tented safari camp, and that includes its location on the edge of a 100-mile (160 km) salt pan in the Kalahari Desert of Botswana.
Situated in an isolated island of grasses and tall fan palms along the Makgadikgadi Salt Pans’ western basin, Jack’s Camp feels deliciously remote, mysterious and otherworldly. Fear not. It is an easy 45-minute flight by bush plane from Maun, the main entryway into Botswana, plus a 20-minute drive from the airstrip to camp. Or, a two-and-a-half hour drive (in good weather) by four-wheel drive vehicle.
Being in the middle of the desert doesn't mean you’re roughing it. Refurbished in 2003, Jack’s Camp has all the amenities associated with a luxury safari experience except electricity: fine wine and dining, excellent service, hot-and-cold running water, and comfortable accommodations in hardwood-floored tents furnished in British campaign style. Paraffin lanterns create a magical atmosphere at night. The en suite flush toilet — a real wooden throne — makes you feel like royalty. The main mess hall doubles as a museum of the desert, complete with a stuffed aardvark, archaeological artifacts, a collection of animal skulls, and photos tracing the life and adventures of namesake Jack Bousfield, a legendary figure in the area. The small size of the camp (ten tents), cozy British camp-style furnishings, and the warm and welcoming staff make you feel right at home.
Continued: Jack's Camp in the Kalahari Desert: Travel in Botswana
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