Reviews of Tau Pan Camp

"This was our fourth trip to Botswana altogether, but our first visit to this area, and we were really surprised by the landscapes and the sightings. One reason to come here was that this camp, as well as the next one on our trip, belongs to Kwando Safaris, a company that we have learned to appreciate through repeated visits to the Kwara Concession in the Okavango Delta. To summarize, this camp really lived up to our expectations. Another pleasant surprise was that we saw AT again, who in 2016 during our first visit worked was our tracker and in the meantime moved up to be camp manager here.

As for the wildlife, this camp did not provide great variety. Other than herds of oryx, wildebeest, and springbok there were no other herbivores to be seen. On the other hand, this camp really excelled in its lion encounters. We ran into the Tau Pan pride (2 adult females and 6 juvenile lions) several times, twice they came drinking at the waterhole right in front of the camp, and this opportunity made a dream of mine come true, which was to photograph several lions, lined up like ducks, drinking a waterhole.

On another occasion, the same pride performed quite a show when they were agitated by a poisonous snake right next to our vehicle. I could not believe that such powerful predators could so easily be scared by an apparently much less potent animal. However, these lions showed the utmost respect for this little reptile and wandered off to “their” waterhole (see above). Other than that, we came across two male lions who were feasting over a buffalo kill, and black-backed jackals fearlessly tried to join the party.

The camp, the service and food quality leave nothing to be desired, as is expected of Kwando Safaris. We are certain to return here again at some point." See all these reviews: 19n in Namibia; 15n in Botswana

"Tau Pan really is a "find". Located on the top of a vast sand dune the nine[?] wood individual apartments offered a panoramic view of the plains,,,, dreamy! The apartment lacked for nothing, including internal and external showers and charging points for him and her (well almost).

The main area was large as was the bar though we did point out that the chairs on the deck were not being used much since we "could not get down into them or out of them" being north of 70yrs old, though that did not stop us jumping into the Landcruisers.

There was almost too many staff here so service was great. As for the drives, heaven. Just us two and a driver and a spotter. This is what you pay your money for and boy did we get value for money. No point in listing what we saw and followed, it was total.

This Camp is an example of the Botswana wild life policy working in full. Top quality, top people, top wild life and restricted development allowing top prices to be charged to protect the environment and wild life." See all these reviews: 12n in Botswana; 1n in South Africa

"We especially enjoyed the remoteness of Tau Pan and its position on a small ridge giving wonderful expansive views at sunrise and sunset. The dry heat of the day eased into cooler evenings and nights for sleeping.

Our guide and tracker were well informed and keen to show us what we wanted to see, not just the big 5. There is a lot happening in the desert if you look!

For an adrenalin rush, an adult cheetah and her 2 sub adult young stalking, chasing and killing a baby springbok was an amazing sight!" See all these reviews: 7n in Botswana; 1n in South Africa

"Another lovely camp. Warmly greeted by Hilda and Bonnie (again sanitiser) followed by welcome drink. The view from the camp is wonderful, overlooking a waterhole - an oasis in quite a dry location.

The rooms are lovely with all facilities - hint - choose room 9 - this is the one the lions sleep outside!

The food is delicious and again nothing is too much trouble - we were sad to leave." See all these reviews: 10n in Botswana; 2n in Zimbabwe

"A hidden gem in a very impressive environment. Honest and kind people making us feel at home. Good guiding and food.

Not the most impressive in terms of wildlife sightings but a great sense of disconnection in such a remote part of Botswana, the Kalahari is truly overwhelming. Lucky though to see the rare brown hyena on two occasions and the day trip to Deception Valley gave a real sense of the vastness of the area.

The family style dinners with the guide and camp manager felt really intimate, a vast contrast with our previous camp (Jack’s)." See all these reviews: 13n in Botswana

"As soon as I stepped into Tau Pan Camp it felt like this is what I expect from a safari camp. Open, airy, a camp fire. Small and with an intimate atmosphere.
Our driver was Alex and the tracker P.K. Again very knowledgeable and easy-going.
The Kalahari is overwhelmingly beautiful. Because of the late rains it was very green and the grass still high, so that made it more difficult to spot the big predators. But birdlife was immense." See all these reviews: 13n in Botswana

"We started our trip at Tau Pan as we particularly wanted to see the Kalahari during the rainy 'green' season and were not disappointed. Everything was green and in flower. All the game was fit, well fed and fat and many of the birds were in breeding plumage - just what we wanted.

In particular the place was alive with insects - especially butterflies and grasshoppers. Don't be put off - there were no mosquitoes nor many 'biting' flies of any sort. Game was spread out as there was water everywhere but nevertheless we saw all the Kalahari specialities we had hoped for, gemsbok, springbok, lion, cheetah and some surprises such as African wild cat.

Camp was comfortable, the staff friendly and attentive and the guiding excellent - they had been told by Expert Africa that we were interested in birdlife and Vasco our main guide was an excellent and skillfull spotter." See all these reviews: 9n in Botswana

"The camp facilities and staff are excellent. Service was friendly and good.

The camp was very crowded when we were there and the communal dining experience with 20 strangers is not optimum for a relaxed holiday.

Our guide Vasco and tracker Zimbo were very good and well-informed about birds and animals and plants. The rainy season was an interesting time to visit - animals are dispersed and harder to find but there were plenty of Oryx and Wildebeest and many displaying birds." See all these reviews: 6n in Botswana; 1n in Namibia

"Tau Pan is perfect for starting the adventure. It is a lower game-dense area than most, so you have to temper your expectations. We were looking to ease into safari life, while absorbing a 9 hour time difference, and we found the sunsets, the sunrises, the stargazing, the people and the service to be amazingly helpful.

We also found more animals than we were expecting. A lone male lion on our first game drive, and the rest of the Tau Pan pride was located each day as well. Really appreciated our guide/tracking team of PK and Jakes. Jakes stopped at everything we wanted to see. He also automatically placed the vehicle in the right light, and correct angle for a photographer. We found the most insects of our entire trip here (surprisingly), so do not skimp on the repellant.

Because of the dry conditions/age of the flooring, there were many spots for insects/spiders to enter the chalets. Simple mosquito netting might solve this, if they wanted to make a slight improvement. Dinners were wonderful, cheerful evenings with stories and wine flowing. We loved our Bushman walk, and found it to be fun and informative.

The lions roared in camp 2 out of the 3 nights. And the resident lone bull elephant walked behind our chalet these same 2 nights as well. (making quite a bit of noise as he munched on bushes during his trek to the water hole). The last morning, I wanted to take pictures of his tracks, and discovered a leopard print on top of the elephant print. OP (the camp manager) was nearly always present, and when she wasn't, Florence (her 2IC) was. All the staff went out of their way to make sure you wanted for nothing.

It was an amazing start to the adventure." See all these reviews: 9n in Botswana

"definitely our favorite camp. an amazing view from our chalet, down to a water hole and beyond. when we arrived, the rains had just begun and you could instantly see a change in the environment. this experience was more about the environment and the little things rather than big game. we identified 40 species of birds...most of our previous guides did not emphasize that aspect. vasco was a font of knowledge. a leopard tortoise, 2 deadly snakes, and a double rainbow made this a completely different experience.

the camp itself was delightful, well equipped and great food and service. but it was the all day trip to a distant pan and an interpretative walk with a bushman/san guide which were the most memorable experiences. cannot say enough good things about this fabulous camp which rounded out our experiences in botswana. unfortunately this camp was seemingly not as popular as those in the delta. however, for us and those with whom we shared the experience, it was the best." See all these reviews: 11n in Botswana