Explore the Wild: Discover the Beauty of the Botswana
The dramatic desert of legend and home of the San. Tau Pan Camp was the first lodging welcomed to the famous Central Kalahari Game Reserve and an unprecedented opportunity to establish camp in one of the world’s largest pristine wildernesses. It occupies unrivalled placement high on a dune ridge, overlooking a waterhole and game-rich plains. The vistas are magnificent — vast skies, tremendous savannah — and the camp design takes every opportunity to exploit this location.
The main area includes an open bar, lounge and dining areas all set around the fireplace, which is the ideal spot for spotting game at the waterhole. ‘Tau’ means lion in Setswana and the pan is so named for its pride of iconic black-maned Kalahari lions, who are frequent visitors to the camp.
At Tau Pan Camp, expect a unique experience where up to eighteen guests are accommodated in nine environmentally designed units. These units maintain a stable and comfortable in-room temperature throughout the year, ensuring a pleasant stay in a region where temperatures can range from below freezing to over 40 degrees Celsius.
Immerse yourself in the land of the lion through the ancient perspective of the San, also known as the Bushmen in Botswana. Indigenous trackers provide invaluable insights into surviving in this harsh paradise during captivating nature walks. Your engagement as a student not only enriches your experience but also contributes to the conservation of their fast-vanishing San culture.
The stargazing experience in this remote location is truly astonishing. For a night to remember, consider spending time beneath the Milky Way on the camp’s sleepout deck, where the celestial wonders of the night sky unfold before your eyes.
The rooms include double wash basins and both indoor and outdoor showers. The rooms are spacious with lounge area and one includes an additional twin bedroom, ideal for family use. All the units are on raised decks and their location on the edge of the ridge means that each viewing deck has truly special and captivating views of the wide open pan and its big beautiful sky.
The family unit at Tau Pan Camp consists of an en-suite double bedroom and a separate second twin bedroom, both thoughtfully designed to ensure a comfortable and enjoyable stay. These two bedrooms share a common bathroom, offering convenience and flexibility for families or groups travelling together.
At Tau Pan Camp, you’ll find a raised open deck that offers a generous king-size double bed for a truly comfortable and restful sleeping experience. For added convenience, the deck is equipped with essential facilities, including a flushing toilet and a basin located at the back, allowing you to unwind and enjoy your stay in the heart of the magnificent wilderness.
Game drives at Tau Pan Camp take place in custom-designed Toyota game viewing vehicles, each capable of seating up to six guests at a time, arranged in two rows of three seats. These excursions are guided by a unique two-person team consisting of a professional guide and a tracker, a distinctive feature of the Kwando Safaris wildlife experience. The presence of this team allows the guide to share insights into points of interest and the intricate ecological relationships that exist within the natural world. Simultaneously, the tracker ensures that no sightings or tracks are overlooked. At Tau Pan, the tracker hails from the San Bushman tribe, which has resided in the Kalahari desert for generations, providing an intimate knowledge of the region and its endemic wildlife. Please note that these drives are conducted during the day.
Walking with a member of the San Bushman tribe allows guests to appreciate how the tribe used to live off the land through traditions and skills passed from generation to generation. Conducted close to the Tau Pan Camp area, the walk is conducted at a slow pace designed to allow engagement and question asking so that guests may better understand the nature of the bushman to the environment around them. Knowledge about how they would hunt, trap animals, and the manner in which they use the flora and fauna in their environment to help them survive are all shared with guests. Questions are always welcome!
