Turn back the clock to a bygone African safari era with a visit to Jack’s Camp in the Makgadikgadi Pans in Botswana. Jack’s Camp was named after the late Jack Bousfield, who regularly camped here on his trips to the Makgadikgadi Pans in the 1960s. Today, Jack’s Camp is managed by his son, Ralph.
But the main reason for visiting Jack’s Camp is the magic surroundings of the Makgadikgadi Pans in Botswana. The Pans used to be a giant inland ocean, that dried up because of shifts in the earth’s crust. Today you can still find many fossils of animals long since extinct.
A bonus at Jack’s Camp in the Makgadikgadi Pans is the very knowledgable guides – many of them students in Zoology or Botany pursuing PhD-degrees. You are likely to learn more about the Makgadikgadi, its inhabitants and their fascinating adaptations to survive in the harsh climate, than from many a travel book.
Jack’s Camp is located on the Makgadikgadi Pans in central Botswana.
Jack’s Camp, set in a palm grove, is decorated in the traditional East African safari style of the past. Guests are accommodated in green canvas tents, with Persian carpets and cool white linen adding a touch of luxury in the harsh Makgadikgadi climate. All tents have en suite bathrooms with indoor and outdoor showers and overhead fans. Memorable gourmet meals are served at a long table in a mess tent, while high teas are taken in a tea tent, with Persian carpet cushions. Since 2008 Jack’s Camp also boasts a swimming pool.
The Makgadikgadi Pans in Botswana are bone dry in the winter and guests can undertake quad bike safaris across the Pans. When the spring rains come, the warm shallow water in the Pans attract many bird species, including flocks of flamingos. After the rains, the resulting grasslands attract herds of antelope and their predators to the Makgadikgadi Pans.
Jack’s Camp is close to Chapman’s Baobab, which is a landmark tree used by Livingstone, Selous and other intrepid explorers of the Makgadikgadi Pans. The guides can also arrange a 5-day quad bike safari to Kubu Island in the Makgadikgadi Pans of Botswana. This is a granite island dotted with giant baobabs, protruding from the floor of the Pan. Nobody quite knows how this island was formed.
