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Camp Kalahari

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Traveller (150)
Room & Suite (40)
Dining (10)

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About

#2 of 5 campsites in Makgadikgadi Pans National Park
Location
Cleanliness
Service
Value
This family-friendly camp accepts children of all ages. It's the best way to experience the Makgadikgadi in a fresh and affordable way, ideal for those wanting fun and adventure as well as comfort and style. You'll find Camp Kalahari's ten tents amongst the acacias and Mokolwane palms of Brown Hyena Island, on the edge of the Makgadikgadi saltpans. It's simple, yet comfortable, with a traditionally built thatch library, living/dining area and swimming pool for those hot Kalahari days. Activities on offer year round: Interact with incredibly friendly habituated meerkats, walking with Bushmen Guides, game drives to experience unique desert wildlife, Chapman's Baobab - of the oldest and biggest trees in Africa, birding & night drives. Dry season activities (16h April - 31st October) Quad bike on the saltpans Wet season activities (1st November - 15th April) The zebra and wildebeest migration
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Property amenities
Pool
Free breakfast
Bar / lounge
Restaurant
Airport transportation
Laundry service
Room features
Safe
Good to know
HOTEL CLASS
3.0 of 5 stars
HOTEL STYLE
Charming

Location

Makgadikgadi Pans National Park Botswana
Camp Kalahari
147Reviews14Q+A33Room tips

Reviews
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Tony_Kenney wrote a review 9 Mar
Atlanta, GA329 contributions82 helpful votes
+1
We had a wonderful time in the Pans at Camp Kalahari. This was our first safari stop in Africa....so we have a couple other spots to compare it to. In terms of comfort and care we would rank it 2nd of our total stay. The tent cabins are great. You have a master suite with bedroom and bathroom separated by a zippered wall/flap. Every morning you are treated to your choice of drink and a couple butter cookies to get your day started. Take a minute to sit out in your deck and look at the stars at night before bed!!! Your days start early at 5:30 or so as there is so much to do and it gets hot in January. You'll have tea and lunch during your day, and can round the day off with a night trek after dinner. The two "do not" misses of your trip here are the meerkat trek and the horse ride. We had a great time in both. Stop by the pool during your stay for some relaxation .....and so Wifi😁 The wildlife is not as varied here as other spots in Africa but it is wonderful! We literally saw thousands of zebra and wildebeest everywhere we went. Great spot and wonderful friends for life.
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Date of stay: January 2024Trip type: Travelled as a couple
Room Tip: Cabin 1 is awesome Sit out on ur deck at night and see the stars Meerkats.....yes, please
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This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
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Response from Natural Selection, Marketing at Camp Kalahari
Responded 1 week ago
Thank you for taking the time to leave us this review. We're so pleased that you enjoyed your stay and hope to welcome you back before too long. Warm regards, Camp Kalahari Team
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This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.
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RealWomen wrote a review Oct 2023
London, United Kingdom136 contributions115 helpful votes
Of the camps we stayed in this was the most rustic, with proper tents (posh tents!), but we knew that when booking. The tents were comfortable,but multiple zips to the bathroom is odd and it is surprising they have not just connected the two together. Storage was good. The pool is great and we loved watching the horses and tortoise around it. And you could swim not just plunge, which was lovely. This is a real asset to the camp. There is also wifi by the pool, but no phone reception in the camp. The food was good, but no flexibility around meal times and one day it was brunch and no lunch, but no one told us - though they were quick to rustle up a lovely salad. They were the only camp to give us a picnic to take on our onward journey which was really appreciated. Our guide, Declerk, was very informative and did a great job of spotting animals from miles away. His knowledge of birds was also fantastic. I also had a great gallop across the salt plains (note extra charge for this) again with very knowledgeable guides. Some things could do with improving, like name badges, as we were unclear who anyone was and introductions were may and rapid. Also if you have communal dinning the staff need to engage with the clients, which some did but not all. We were lucky to meet great guys staying at the same time as us, so it was always a laugh at our end of the table! The reviews are right about the wine - not great quality - and no one wanted the Chardonnay, but yet they offered it every night. Also there was a lack of glasses by the drinks - they were at the end of the dinning room. Our only real complaint was the locking up of drinks. One night we got back late and wanted a drink and gossip with friends leaving the next day and we had to get someone out of bed. Even then no one could make a cup of tea for me. If you know people may be late either stay up or don't lock up and leave tea making facilities. One morning we were also delayed by 30 minutes as the water we had put in a fridge was locked - who locks up water? There is also no tip box, but you are given bags, making tipping feel very forced. If they have a theft issue that is leading to this behaviour they need to resolve it - get some CCTV? The padlocks just did not give a good vibe and we did not see in any other camps.
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Date of stay: October 2023
Value
Location
Service
Trip type: Travelled as a couple
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
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Response from Natural Selection, Marketing at Camp Kalahari
Responded 8 Dec 2023
Thank you so much for taking the time to leave this review. It's great to hear that you enjoyed your time at Camp Kalahari overall. We also really appreciate your constructive feedback and please rest assured that it is taken on board and passed on to the relevant teams. Warm regards, Camp Kalahari Team
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This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.
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Natalia Z wrote a review Jul 2023
Windhoek, Namibia19 contributions2 helpful votes
We were a group of 6 people who stayed at the Camp Kalahari for one night on July 12, 2023. To summarize it, it is definitely NOT worth US$1,600 per night for what it offers. I will start with the positives first. Location, the game viewing and our guide were excellent and we saw amazing sightings of birds, lions, meerkats and elephants! The guide was very knowledgeable and we learned a lot of new things from him. The negatives: The rooms at this camp are not insulated and only have tent canvas around it. It was very cold at night when we stayed there and very windy and it was almost impossible to sleep due to it being cold and tarp of the tent making noises. Also the rooms can be bigger in size and include a space to hang your clothes given that it is in such a remote location - there are only a few drawers in a chest to put your clothes and limited space around the bed. Given that there is no space constraint to build bigger rooms we found it not up to 5 star standard to have such small rooms. Secondly, food was average and can be improved given the price we were paying. Both wines and spirits were of very low quality and very very cheap (most bottles costs under US$15). It is an open bar and you can help yourselves during your stay, but we did not touch any spirits at all because they were definitely not to the 5 star standard - they had cheapest available gin and only Smirnoff vodka and Jamieson for their top end whisky. The management of this camp and the owner should feel ashamed providing cheapest available wine and liquor to guests who pay astronomical amount of money to stay there! Also I found it quite strange to have a hostess and all guides to sit with us a table - neither us, nor the hostess were comfortable to sit together and no one asked us if we wanted her at our table. I can maybe understand why the guides were there, but I really do not understand why the hostess had to sit with guests at the same table. She also came and sat with us at a boma fire after dinner. Maybe some guests want their privacy but everyone sits at a communal table and there are no separate dining tables there, so I think they should ask if people want their privacy or not. To summarize this, if it is your first time in Africa and you really have no calibration to compare it to anything else, you will find it acceptable I think, but for people who have been around Africa a lot , this is definitely an overpriced place and not worth the money - we will definitely NOT recommend it to our family and friends!
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Date of stay: July 2023
Value
Location
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Trip type: Travelled with family
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
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Response from Natural Selection, Marketing at Camp Kalahari
Responded 17 Aug 2023
Thank you so much for taking the time to leave us this constructive feedback, we are always appreciate of insight into guests' experience. It's a great shame that your expectations weren't met but please rest assured that your feedback has been shared so that any necessary changes can be implemented. Kind regards, The Camp Kalahari Team
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This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.
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ClevelandWanderer wrote a review Jul 2023
Cleveland19 contributions8 helpful votes
Stayed here for 3 nights at the beginning of our Botswani safari. Camp Kalahari is an absolutely lovely tented camp! From the moment we stepped off the plan at the nearby airstrip, the hospitality was unbelievable. We were immediately greeted by our guide “Shatti” (Shattison) who guided us throughout our drives and activities throughout our stay. He was incredible, thoughtful and patient - helping us see, learn and experience the best of the Makgadikgadi Pans. I would definitely ask for Shatti again. When we arrived at the lodge we met “Nolly” - who gave us a warm and welcoming tour of the camp and was available for all of our needs. The Camp is absolutely gorgeous, decorated in classic African safari style. Our tent was gorgeous and spacious, including a nice deck and a large en-suite bathroom with a very good shower. The food and drinks were excellent and plentiful. The entire team at Camp Kalahari was really incredible - meeting our every need, and I could really see their teamwork as the sought to ensure every guest was well cared for. We loved our stay and would definitely recommend staying here again!
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Date of stay: June 2023
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Trip type: Travelled with family
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
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Response from Natural Selection, Marketing at Camp Kalahari
Responded 13 Jul 2023
Thank you so much for taking the time to leave us this lovely review - we really do appreciate it. It's wonderful to hear that you enjoyed your time here so much, and we agree that Shatti and Nolly are both great assets to our camp. We hope that we'll be able to welcome you back before too long. Warm regards, Camp Kalahari Team
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This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.
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Jack v wrote a review May 2023
Brisbane Region, Australia12 contributions2 helpful votes
Recently visited as 2 couples. We stayed 3 nights but felt that 2 days would have been sufficient at this time of year. There were some special moments - the meerkat encounter was an absolute special (up close and personal); sundowner on the salt pans was terrific; and also experiencing a lion kill play out (while sad for zebras) was also a great experience which showed the las of the jungle. The camp itself could be better. Out tent was poorly set out, plenty of heavy furniture and not set out in a practical way. Had to move things around so we didn't bump into things at night or trip over power chords. Out tent had no shade in the middle of the day! So it was uncomfortable as fan was not functioning well. The common area had lounges with low backs which were no comfortable, The dining area had poor seating - camp chairs in leather, needed cushions to have reach to table. I felt communication was unreliable with respect to meeting / dining times. The overall safari experience was very good, as per special moments above.
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Date of stay: April 2023
Value
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Trip type: Travelled as a couple
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
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Response from Natural Selection, Marketing at Camp Kalahari
Responded 7 Jun 2023
Thank you for taking the time to leave us this review, we are pleased you had a good overall experience with us. It's a shame that not everything was to your satisfaction. The loose cables have been rectified and we wonder whether the camp staff were made aware that the fan wasn't functioning well as they'd have been pleased to immediately change it. Meeting and dining times are announced during the induction when guests arrive. We feed guests when they're ready and embrace requested dinner times by guests, should they have any specific preference. We are thrilled that your game drives were fruitful. Kind regards, Camp Kalahari Team
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This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.
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Anna K wrote a review Mar 2023
Doha, Qatar9 contributions1 helpful vote
A typical African camp. accommodation in tents, unfortunately without charging devices. A charging box was prepared in the general area. No connection to the world (neither mobile signal nor wi-fi). We, personally did not mind, the problem was for our family because they had no contact with us for 3 days and were worried. Guests must be prepared for inconvenience, but this is Africa-:). I also think that breakfast was too poor and unvaried. Anyway, I recommend this camp.
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Date of stay: March 2023Trip type: Travelled as a couple
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
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Response from Natural Selection, Marketing at Camp Kalahari
Responded 24 Mar 2023
Thank you for your review Anna, we're really pleased that you enjoyed your stay. Thank you also for raising wifi. While we have had a 'disconnect to reconnect' philosophy for a number of years, this is under review as we do appreciate that some connectivity is preferred in many cases. Kind regards, The Camp Kalahari Team
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This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.
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Travel The World wrote a review Feb 2023
Detroit, Michigan10 contributions1 helpful vote
Camp Kalahari was the last stop on our 11 day Africa adventure. It was a great way to end the trip. Definitely the most remote and basic accommodations on our trip, but wow do they have an amazing staff, dining experience and mindset. Everyone there is warm, friendly, accommodating and calm. There is no wi-fi, extra plugs in the tents (there is a charging station provided) or any AC. But this is what makes this place so unique and special. You can really disconnect. They have a great pool, delicious meals, accommodate dietary restrictions well and have great excursions. The meerkats are amazing, the San Tribal meet is a must, and the special touches with surprise breakfasts set up on the game drives, sundowners on the water with a full bar setup and other little special moments they create make this place a jewel. We had a family of 10 (5 adults and 5 kids 8-15yrs) celebrating my parents 50th anniversary. They group singing the staff did for them was unbelievable. Anastasia was an excellent manger and our game drivers Ngave and DeKlerk were fantastic.
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Date of stay: February 2023
Rooms
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This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
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Response from Natural Selection, Marketing at Camp Kalahari
Responded 3 Mar 2023
Thank you so much for leaving us this super review. It's fantastic to hear that you enjoyed your time with us and made the most of the activities and facilities we have available to guests. We hope it was a memorable anniversary adventure for your parents - what a way to celebrate! Warm regards, the Camp Kalahari Team
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This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.
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Carly K wrote a review Jan 2023
3 contributions1 helpful vote
My family, 2 adults and 2 kids, stayed at Camp Kalahari in December and had a wonderful time. The staff were very friendly and our guide, DeClark, was amazing! The food was good and the drink station was much appreciated. Our family tent was gorgeous and very clean. We saw lots of wildlife and enjoyed learning about the environment and the people that live there. My kids enjoyed splashing around in the pool. Overall, the camp is wonderful.
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Date of stay: December 2022
Value
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This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
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Response from Natural Selection, Marketing at Camp Kalahari
Responded 17 Jan 2023
Thank you so much for taking the time to leave us this review. It's great to hear that you enjoyed your stay with us. We hope to be able to welcome you back before too long. Warm regards - the Camp Kalahari team
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This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.
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Graham M wrote a review Oct 2022
Royal Tunbridge Wells, United Kingdom376 contributions147 helpful votes
Botswana is the place for abundant wildlife, hardworking, experienced guides and the friendliest staff. We had two great days and the best sundowners. Wish we'd stayed a third, as everything was so rushed. We had game drives including a night drive, quad biking and a meerkat encounter. Accommodation is more than adequate and the food is plentiful and very good. The laundry service was same day service but no smalls. Wifi is not available. We were welcomed in song on arrival, the whole crew sang for us one evening. Management is always around, even at dinner. Our guide, Ngabe, was knowledgeable and hard-working. We shared the game reserve with an upmarket lodge. They may have luxury accommodation, but when can you use it?
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Date of stay: September 2022
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This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
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Response from Natural Selection, Marketing at Camp Kalahari
Responded 6 Oct 2022
Hi Graham, thanks so much for taking the time to leave us this review. We agree that there is so much to do here that you often leave feeling you'd have loved a few more nights! We hope to be able to welcome you back before too long.
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This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.
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Brian S wrote a review Sept 2022
Charleston, South Carolina23 contributions16 helpful votes
What an amazingly well run camp! Friendly hosts, knowledgeable guides, great food and an entirely authentic experience. The environment surrounding this campus incredibly unique, the salt flats are amazing and the ATV Safari was a blast. The morning encounter with the meerkats was one of the highlights of our entire trip. This is a great place
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Date of stay: July 2022Trip type: Travelled as a couple
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
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Response from Natural Selection, Marketing at Camp Kalahari
Responded 9 Sept 2022
Dear Brian, thank you so much for leaving us this lovely review. It's wonderful to hear that you enjoyed such a happy stay and that you loved meeting the meerkats. We hope to be able to welcome you back before too long. Best Wishes.
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This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.
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Not the right property for you?
There are more places to choose from in the Makgadikgadi Pans National Park area.
LOCATION
BotswanaCentral DistrictMakgadikgadi Pans National Park
NUMBER OF ROOMS
11
Prices are provided by our partners for one room, with variable occupancy rules as provided by the property, and reflect nightly room rates, including all taxes and fees known to our partners. Please see our partners for more details.
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CAMP KALAHARI - Updated 2024 (Makgadikgadi Pans National Park, Botswana)

Frequently Asked Questions about Camp Kalahari
What are some of the property amenities at Camp Kalahari?
Some of the more popular amenities offered include free breakfast, a pool, and an on-site restaurant.
What food & drink options are available at Camp Kalahari?
Guests can enjoy free breakfast, an on-site restaurant, and a lounge during their stay.
Are there opportunities to exercise at Camp Kalahari?
Yes, guests have access to a pool during their stay.
Does Camp Kalahari have airport transportation?
Yes, Camp Kalahari offers airport transportation for guests. We recommend calling ahead to confirm details.