Reviews of Tau Pan Camp

"The new camp at Tau Pan is very beautifully constructed as you would expect from a Kwando camp. There is a lovely large decked commununal area. The rooms are very comfortable and smart. There are both indoor and outdoor showers, which is very useful given that it probably gets very cold at night in the winter, and the thatched, detached suites have a large deck that provides welcome shade and excellent views during the heat of the afternoon.

The view from the rooms and the communal area is really spectacular, looking out onto a waterhole and the wide open space of Tau Pan and the desert beyond. It is set on a ridge, making the most of the one of the key selling points of the destination.

The game here was not as abundant as in the delta or other areas such as Chobe or the Kwando concession. The animals are also still quite shy, as they are not yet very habituated. Having said that, there were some interesting sightings of animals it is rare to encounter in other areas of Botswana - Oryx and Springbok are abundant, and the Jackal are unusually happy to sit beside a vehicle and pose for pictures. We saw Kalahari Black Maned lions, bat-eared foxes and lots of ground squirrels, as well as some close encounters with birds of prey and other interesting birds.

The national park is pretty much deserted - we saw hardly any other vehicles so we felt very much in the middle of nowhere and enjoyed sightings undisturbed by others.

The staff here, as at other Kwando camps, provide an outstanding level of personalised service. The electricity (solar powered) and water (from a pump 100m below ground) were still unfortunately suffering from teething problems at the time of our visit, although the problems seemed to get sorted whilst we were there. The staff dealt with the situation valiantly though, and in fact candle-lit dinner, given the setting, was not a terrible chore. Alvin, the camp manager, was great and really made our stay special. He was very attentive and did everything he could think of to ensure our stay was enjoyable, relaxing and interesting.

Tau Pan provides a very different experience compared to the other Kwando camps in the Kwando concession and the Delta. There is no after dark or off-road driving because of the national park rules (which is why we have rated the activites as good rather than excellent). This is obviously a source of frustration for the drivers and spotters as well as potentially any guest who didn't realise the situation before making the booking. Having said that, it is well worth a visit.

The setting is beautiful and very peaceful, and it is a completely different side of Botswana that it's very interesting to see, particularly if you are going on another area as the contrast between the desert and the delta is very striking and well worth seeing. I would recommend Tau Pan camp to people who want to enjoy the wide open spaces of the Kalahari, see some interesting and unusual game, and enjoy the incredible night skies with uninterrupted views to the horizon in every direction." See all these reviews: 7n in Botswana

"What a wonderful place. We were so fortunate - only one family of four and us in camp and we all got on so well.

We effectively had private guiding with Balipi and KG to ourselves. It took a little time to get to know them but we learned so much from them. The bush walk they took us on was fantastic because they have so much knowledge. We really enjoyed talking to them about their lives - still in touch with their San roots and also moving on in the modern world of guiding. They were lovely people to spend time with. KG is very quiet - he just needs to grow in confidence. His demonstration of bush craft was wonderfully done. Balipi's experience shines through.

I know the family with us also had a fantastic time with Hector and Timothy.

We had gone to the Kalahari for the sense of space, remoteness and wide ranging views. Someone who measures their exprience on how much large game they see might not have been quite as happy as us. On the whole day trip we covered 150km between 6.30am and 6pm and saw a cheetah towards the end of the day. Otherwise, mostly antelope, giraffe, birds and smaller animals like ground squirrels and a honey badger, all of which we really enjoyed seeing.

The other group saw more large game - lions and several cheetahs so it is very much down to chance who sees what. We were perfectly happy with this. The game is there - it's just harder to spot at this time of year with the high grass - we were fully aware of this so no problem. There is a small female leopard coming into camp regulary. A guide had seen her a couple of days before we arrived and her prints were there each morning but we didn't see her.

The camp location is exactly as depicted - on an elevated area with stunning views of the Pan below. The buildings are fabulous and we loved the ambience. The activities were half day game drives, a full day's drive around the Pans and a nature walk near the camp.

The food was outstanding. Geoffery the cook was a genius - each meal was beautiful and then there was all sorts of other little touches like home baked biscuits with coffee on the morning drive and delicious canapes with sundowners.

The staff were all wonderful - so open and friendly - Hilda, Obi and Kenny are great at front of house, but we must acknowledge the back stage folk who kept everything running smoothly.

Alvin was managing in the absence of the regular managers - really nice guy and very reassuring presence with his experience. He really cared that we had a nice time and seemed to have a good relationship with the staff. One evening when we declined sundowners out in the bush after the long day drive, Alvin placed our usual drinks, chilled in an ice bucket on our deck so we could relax there. Really nice.

The camp is trying to run entirely on solar power which is great to see. There are one or two teething issues but nothing major and we were not inconvenienced. The hot water was coming through a bit slowly on the inside shower the first day but was receiving attention.

We spent one afternoon just chilling out on the observation deck in the shade - it was lovely. There were great books to look at, the water hole to keep an eye on, the pool if you wanted to use it and the shop (which is really nicely stocked).

The stink bugs were there in great number in the evenings - you doid need to keep your drink covered. This just adds to the sense of being out in the bush unless you're really fussy. I gather their numbers are very high at present and this isn't usual. The children staying in camp were thrilled with them and all the other insects.

The transfer to the airstrip is just a few minutes so very convenient.

We had the best of times at this camp and I'll always remember the beauty of the land and wildlife, the wonderful remoteness, the colours at sundown and the wonderful people who looked after us there." See all these reviews: 7n in Botswana

"Location-situated on the top of a sand bank giving wonderful views over the desert ,pan and the distant horizon in all directions, confirming the real sense of isolation. A wonderful place for star gazing.

Rooms - we had the family room which was spacious and well equipped but we found it poorly lit and the hand basin were far too small and more water went on the floor than in the basin. the beds were also too high unless you were over 5" 10" tall !

Service- was always with a smile and nothing was too much trouble.
Food- good quality nicely presented.

Activities- Alberto our guide and Scoupa our tracker were both excellent, informative ,friendly and happy to answer all our many questions. Being inside the CKGR limits opportunities to track wildlife "off road " so a guides good eyes and binoculars are essential.

This is a brand new camp and will improve when the waterhole is filled and animals start to use it in the dry season." See all these reviews: 9n in Botswana