Reviews of Camp Kalahari

"I am absolutely thrilled that I decided to include de Makghadikgadi Salt Pans in my itinerary . The place is mesmerizing and of course there are the meerkats ! Staff at Camp Kalahari is very friendly and pleasant. And the rooms are very, very much ok ! Anyhow, the activities are the same as in the other 2 camps (San and Jack's camp), as well as the food /menu apparently.

The Camp did everything possible to accommodate my wishes, which were known beforehand because Expert Africa had informed the camp about what I would like to see or (not) do. So thank you for that Expert Africa ! As my main reason for the visit were the meerkats I had booked a private and it absolutely paid off. Camp manager Olga and guide Ngave looked for all possible time slots to be with the meerkats. And still have the food waiting for me.

People tempt to come here for the nocturnals (I had an excellent sighting of a very chubby aardvark and an excellent daylight sighing of a brown hyena ) and the meerkats, but the environment is very special as well. As the rains had come late, the place was still full of wildebeest and zebra. Because it was still relatively wet, the overnight stay out at the pans was not possible yet (and the temporary camp not yet constructed)." See all these reviews: 20n in Botswana; 1n in South Africa

"This area of Botswana is very interesting a contrast to the more densely wooded areas to the north. The pans are awesome to see. The camp was close to perfect. Our chalet had everything we needed. There were just 2 small light bulbs, since they are off the grid. Bringing a head lamp will be helpful.

The staff was excellent, friendly, helpful, the food wonderful. We had dinner with some of the staff and guides and were able to chat with them over our meals, something we didn't experience elsewhere on our trip. Our guide was somewhat new on the job and appeared unsure at times but overall she was excellent.

There were quite a few mosquitos during our stay early in the dry season but with repellant we were able to avoid bites effectively. We could not stop smiling during our visit to the meerkats who climbed on our heads! Other wildlife was quite plentiful including large herds of wildebeest and zebras, an aardwolf, honey badger, many birds." See all these reviews: 4n in Botswana; 2n in Zimbabwe; 2n in Namibia

"This was the final stop on our trip and we are so pleased we visited this camp. We wanted a contrast from the delta areas and this was completely different. We expected the area to be very arid but were pleasantly surprised that there was a fair amount of grass and water around. There were also large herds of zebra and wildebeest. The landscapes and sunsets are spectacular.

The camp itself was comfortable, although more basic than the camps we had previously visited. Our only negative experiences were the amount of mosquitoes and the poor quality and lack of choice for the food.

We originally feared that the trip to see the meerkats and bushmen might be a little touristy but they were both excellent - do them if you get the chance. Our relatively young guide was very knowledgeable and passionate about this area and this contributed to our positive experience." See all these reviews: 11n in Botswana

"The meerkats experience was absolutely fantastic. We were lucky to see two mother meerkats with six baby meerkats.
There was still quite a lot of water in the pans, so we saw lots of flamingos.
The camp itself is quite unique, with colonial style furniture.
Friendly, attentive staff, good food." See all these reviews: 6n in Botswana

"The Camp even has a swimming pool but do not let this give you the impression that the Camp is anything less than intimate and welcoming. While we have to admit that the rains had not finished and as a result the mosquitoes were abundant, the "tent" that was our room was well up to the job of keeping them out. Even the shower/Loo and changing room was fully netted. The local mosquitoes, if one did get bitten, were in reality not a lots worse than ours in the UK.

Despite the Camp being full on one of the days our Landcruiser never had more than 4 tourists and sometimes just the two of us. If one chooses Botswana for a holiday one is not paying for a "bus tour".

The drives were varied and stunning! The staff gave the impression that the Camp had only just opened and they were so pleased to see people coming again.

Oh and the food was just fabulous in variety, quality and of course quantity." See all these reviews: 12n in Botswana; 1n in South Africa

"Excellent all round - accommodation, catering (too much food!) and guiding. The Camp staff were extremely hospitable and our guide highly entertaining but knowledgeable too. The Camp swimming pool provided welcome respite in the heat of the day and was a great birding spot!

The activities were varied so, in addition to wildlife viewing, there were opportunities to drive out on to the salt pans by quad bike (an experience in itself) and we were privileged to spend some time with San bushmen.

There was much more wildlife than was anticipated, especially around the waterholes and the habituated wild meerkats were a real highlight." See all these reviews: 16n in Botswana; 10n in Zimbabwe

"Incredible location, very friendly people, great guides.

The experience could have been even better if the camp paid more attention to details in the rooms and there was better variety of food." See all these reviews: 6n in Botswana; 1n in Zambia

"Bart was a very knowledgeable guide and his insight into animal biology and behaviour really enhanced our trip.

He made the trip very enjoyable." See all these reviews: 7n in Botswana; 3n in Zimbabwe

"Less than thrilled with the Lodge - but the Makgadikgadi area is incredible. Starting with something positive - all of the food was delicious.

After staying at 2 superior lodges in Zimbabwe and Zambia arriving here was an unpleasant surprise. The staff and "schedule" are strict. During our briefing we were Told the schedule for the next 3 days. All 4 of us did not want to do the Bushmen and we had to push hard to have it removed from the schedule. Two of us asked if we could see meerkat the next day and were told "no" even though the meerkat was one of the most influential reasons why they booked at the lodge.

The script for the briefing was less than factual. We were told 1) that we could ask for our laundry to be completed early; and 2) that the beverages were available to us 24/7.

1) Laundry was not returned in the evenings and we had to ask for it the following morning. We then asked if we could have it by dinnertime so we could pack and staff reacted rudely and said it is not possible.

2) Everyone returned from an evening drive to find padlocks on the beverages. Staff seemed put out by having to find the key and open the containers. They allowed each of us to take 1 beverage and then forced us back to our individual tents. We were unable to enjoy the common areas and talk about our excitement at having just seen 4 cheetah and an aardvark.

Last comment about the strict schedule...we were expected to be up for a 6AM breakfast even though our flight was at 11am. We pushed back and were able to "sleep in" and have breakfast at 8am.
After the experiences at previous lodges we felt constantly rushed here. No additional time was given even if you were late because an elephant was blocking the walking path.

My last concern is that I saw one of the trackers/drivers [thankfully, not ours] sneaking wine after lunch. The trackers are undoubtedly very familiar with the area but I'd prefer mine to be driving me around without having consumed.

The environment of the surrounding area and wildlife was amazing. I highly recommend the Makgadikgadi Pans but I cannot recommend this lodge, unfortunately." See all these reviews: 3n in Botswana; 3n in Zimbabwe; 2n in Zambia; 1n in South Africa

"At Camp Kalahari the staff was again very friendly like at other places we travelled. Be aware it can be really hot, our max was 47 degrees C. At night it cools of. We were there beginning of November so almost the rain season so the heat was building up. Last night we did have lots of wind ending in a sand storm during the game drive.

We mentioned that we preferred a double bed and although it cannot be guaranteed (which we understand) we were surprised to get at tent appointed while the camp was not full with two beds and next to a building area as some weeks before another tent was destroyed because of a sandstorm. This is not really a good guest experience/feeling. That first evening we stayed in the dessert. When arriving back the next morning I asked if we could change from tent due to the fact there was only one other couple in camp so there were more tents with double beds (and it was our anniversary) plus I don't want to be in a surrounding seeing the place where a tent was destroyed (last I did not mentioned). It was no problem at all to change tents so the staff solved it very well, but I would not have done this in the first place.

In the final tent appointed our fan was broken, first they came to fix it provisionally with the promises they will fix it once we were on game drive. They never did. I would suggest just take the whole fan out directly, put another in (there were no guests in camp besides us and another couple) and fix it somewhere else.

The swimming pool could not be used due to the elephants that came in camp the whole day and made one mess and dirt pool of it. Too bad and disappointed guests esp as it was so hot during the 3 days we were there where between the activities you have lots of time to relax.

A special memory is the meet & great with the San people. They really taught us what is important to survive and more about their habits and culture.

Last but not least the Meerkat encounter was nice.

What we experienced as maybe too much is the games during the quads drive. It is good to explain that your mind can play tricks on you once blindfolded but not the whole group has to do it. We are on safari and not on a teambuilding event. Two or three persons to show what is happening once you lost eye sight or your coordination is enough to get the message." See all these reviews: 14n in Botswana; 4n in Namibia; 2n in Zimbabwe