Reviews of Tau Pan Camp

"The room was lovely. Bit in room the lighting level is low and the wash basins are in a very dim area even with electic lights on.

The all-day drive was not totally successful. The first half before lunch was good but we were behind schedule in the afternoon, drove fast, saw little and omitted visiting Deception Valley in order to return to camop before night-fall.

However we did watch for a long time three cheetahs stalking a herd of Oryx trying to take on of the infant oryx.

The countryside was very different from previous camps, which added variety with enormous flat plains/pans compared with the land at Selinda and the water around the two Okavanga camps Kwetsani and Chitabe Ledibe." See all these reviews: 11n in Botswana; 3n in Zambia

"Accommodation, hospitality, service and friendliness of all staff was excellent. We had a very good guide in Dutch and enjoyed all the activities.

There had recently been rain, and the area was relatively lush with knee high grass. Sightings included oryx, springbok. honey badger, giraffe, bat eared fox and other more common species. Other guests sighted 4 lions on Tau Pan , but we were some distance away and it was too dark by the time we got back" See all these reviews: 13n in Botswana

"We rated activities as average because on our full day game drive there were seven guests in the van, meaning that the spotter had to sit on the front jump seat regardless of risks from lions or other large animals. I now understand this to have been against Kwando rules.

The San Bushman walk was outstanding. The low level of lighting in the rooms made them rather gloomy." See all these reviews: 6n in Botswana

"Together with my 12 year old son we had a very, very pleasant stay at Tau Camp.

From the beginning we had a nice surprise in meeting Hector - the guide I had in Lebala three years ago. Together with Scooper as tracker they are an excellent team that made sure we see lots of animals: many sorts on antelope (oryx, springbok, steenbok, kudu, wildebeest, eland, duicker), jackals, giraffes, bat-eared fox and - of course - the black-maned lion, on our memorable one-day trip to Deception Valley. Various birds were spotted too.

The room was very good - quite large and the showers under the starry skies will be unforgettable. Good food - especially the selection for the breakfast.

We both enjoyed Scooper presentation about the San people customs.

All the people were very nice - worth mentioning BK (the manager) and the quite good natured ...Nature :)

We were sad to leave and hope to be back one day." See all these reviews: 6n in Botswana

"Three nights here were fine for us as we had come straight from the UK. Otherwise two nights would be enough as the drives were a bit limited by national park rules.

Good animals and birds several of which we did not see elsewhere. Staff were very welcoming and helpful." See all these reviews: 9n in Botswana; 3n in Zambia; 3n in Namibia

"Although a beautiful camp, there was no hot water in the rooms and the food was very disappointing. For example, not enough food for all the guests, lasagna half-cooked. The team are uncoordinated in general they were nice. The assistant manager was the only one who was on the border of being rude.

Our guide, Eddie, was excellent and really tried hard for us but the trekker, Scupa, was absolutely useless and never looked nor found anything.

On our day out, again the food, the way it was set out was not to level of other safaris we have done and also not at the same level of as a sister camp, Kwara.

We understand that they have to stick to the regulations of the National park but the difference between Kalahari and Moremi National park is that there are more roads in Moremi that allow you come closer to the animals and see more. They definetely need more roads in the Kalari as the space between pans and roads is far to wide." See all these reviews: 8n in Botswana

"Tau Pan was a late inclusion in our itinerary and a venture into a part of Africa which neither of us had previously visited. We knew that this would be a different experience – not least because of National Park restrictions on driving off-road and during hours of darkness. Add to this tricky terrain and vegetation for animal spotting and we were prepared to have to work hard for limited animal sightings. In fact, we did remarkably well – indeed for both mammals and birds on a par with our other two Botswana destinations.

The birdlife was particularly impressive, a strong resident population augmented at this time by some very interesting seasonal migrants. But we also did very well for mammals, including cheetahs (five separate sightings), the black-maned lions, bat-eared foxes closer than we have ever previously experienced, cape foxes (in daylight), meerkats and honeybadgers. Furthermore we found clear evidence of elephants close to the camp no more than three weeks previously (where there were thought to be none around).

The trip to Deception Valley was well worth the effort. But it would not be for the faint-hearted in the heat – ours was much eased by rain having fallen the previous night.

For all that, this is a very different environment to the private concessions around the Delta and in Chobe/Linyanti/Moremi. We enjoyed it enormously and strongly recommend it for experienced safari-ers, especially those with a keen interest in birds. We left Tau Pan in no doubt that it is situated in a very special environment indeed and one which we hope to visit again in the not too distant future.

Our guide Hector was outstanding (as he had been guiding us at Lebala last year) and it was a real pleasure to spend time with him again. We cannot speak too highly of him.

In the camp itself, we were extraordinarily well looked after by Janet, Sa'adia (both relief managers) and the team." See all these reviews: 10n in Botswana; 2n in Zambia

"Tau Pan is in a beautiful location--pictures really don't do it justice, and it was very interesting to experience a different part of Botswana. We loved this camp, but it is definitely for people who want to experience the Kalahari and see some different game, birds and vegetation. It is not for people who need to see vast quantities of large mammals at very close range.

The staff were outstanding--Lebo did a great job as manager, and all the behind the scenes staff were terrific. Our guide, Hector, is a treasure--a truly wonderful person and the best guide imaginable. If I can return to Botswana, I will try to search out Hector and go to wherever he is working. We also loved our tracker KG--he has so much to offer, not only with his tracking skills, but his general knowledge of the bush.

I wish I had made the effort to find out more about his upbringing and culture; unfortunately it was not until the last morning that I spoke to him about these things. The food was tasty; I don't know how they make such great meals in the middle of nowhere. It is great that they are using solar power, however, the rooms are very dark in the evenings--especially the bathroom area. People might want to bring a good torch. We had a wonderful time there and would definitely go back." See all these reviews: 13n in Botswana

"Visiting this new camp was a great experience, better than we anticipated. I have graded all areas as excellent apart from Rooms which I have shown as good. The reason for this is the washbasins were awful they were too small and the shape meant you could easily splash water. (I understand from the manager that they are being replaced).

It would also be helpful if there could be a light nearer to the washbasins as there is no natural light in this area.

I would like to mention our guide - Hector, he was excellant. The guides were good at all the camps we stayed but Hector beat then all." See all these reviews: 7n in Botswana

"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