9 Day Blooming Desert

The Central Kalahari game Reserve (CKGR) is the largest, most remotely situated reserve in Southern Africa, and the second largest wildlife reserve in the world, encompassing 52 800 sq kms.

During and shortly after good summer rains, the flat grasslands of the reserve’s northern reaches teem with wildlife, which gather at the best grazing areas. These include large herds of springbok and gemsbok, as well as wildebeest, hartebeest, eland and giraffe.

At other times of the year, when the animals are more sparsely distributed, the experience of travelling through truly untouched wilderness, of seemingly unending dimensions, is the draw.

The landscape is dominated by silver terminalia sandveldt, Kalahari sand acacias, and Kalahari appleleaf, interspersed with grasslands, and dotted with occasional sand dunes, pans and shallow fossil river valleys.

CKGR is unique in that it was originally established (in 1961) with the intention of serving as a place of sanctuary for the San, in the heart of the Kalahari (and Botswana), where they could live their traditional hunter/ gatherer way of life, without intrusion, or influence, from the outside world.

The camps tents are 4 x 3m Sahara style tents with high roof with a 2 x 3m en-suite bathroom and a 2 x 3m covered area in front of the tent. The tents are fitted with solid base camp beds made up with mattresses, sheets, duvets and pillows. The tents have en-suite long drop toilet facilities and a bucket shower at the rear of the tent. Showers can be ordered as hot, cold or warm and the water is heated in a bucket on the fire. Showers may be taken at any time but on Kalahari safaris the guide withholds the right to limit water use and showering depending upon the availability of water. Both hand towels and bath towels are supplied for the guests’ convenience but guests should bring their own personal items and toiletries.

Each tent has an oil/paraffin lamp on the veranda and in the bathroom and within the tent itself, a LED rechargeable camp light is supplied along with a side table in the sleeping area and in the bathroom. Although each tent has lighting and there are lamps strategically around the camp for navigation, an essential tool for your safari is a headlamp which lets you read a book at night in your tent or catch up with your safari journal as you listen to the sounds of the wild outside!

For families travelling with younger children on private trips, Letaka Safaris have designed a family safari tent, ensuring the children’s safety and their parent’s peace of mind. A family tent is a two-bedroom unit with an adjoining bathroom and lockable exit/entrance with each tent taking 2 people in each.

The Central Kalahari game Reserve (CKGR) is the largest, most remotely situated reserve in Southern Africa, and the second largest wildlife reserve in the world, encompassing 52 800 sq kms.

During and shortly after good summer rains, the flat grasslands of the reserve’s northern reaches teem with wildlife, which gather at the best grazing areas. These include large herds of springbok and gemsbok, as well as wildebeest, hartebeest, eland and giraffe.

At other times of the year, when the animals are more sparsely distributed, the experience of travelling through truly untouched wilderness, of seemingly unending dimensions, is the draw.

The landscape is dominated by silver terminalia sandveldt, Kalahari sand acacias, and Kalahari appleleaf, interspersed with grasslands, and dotted with occasional sand dunes, pans and shallow fossil river valleys.

CKGR is unique in that it was originally established (in 1961) with the intention of serving as a place of sanctuary for the San, in the heart of the Kalahari (and Botswana), where they could live their traditional hunter/ gatherer way of life, without intrusion, or influence, from the outside world.

The camps tents are 4 x 3m Sahara style tents with high roof with a 2 x 3m en-suite bathroom and a 2 x 3m covered area in front of the tent. The tents are fitted with solid base camp beds made up with mattresses, sheets, duvets and pillows. The tents have en-suite long drop toilet facilities and a bucket shower at the rear of the tent. Showers can be ordered as hot, cold or warm and the water is heated in a bucket on the fire. Showers may be taken at any time but on Kalahari safaris the guide withholds the right to limit water use and showering depending upon the availability of water. Both hand towels and bath towels are supplied for the guests’ convenience but guests should bring their own personal items and toiletries.

Each tent has an oil/paraffin lamp on the veranda and in the bathroom and within the tent itself, a LED rechargeable camp light is supplied along with a side table in the sleeping area and in the bathroom. Although each tent has lighting and there are lamps strategically around the camp for navigation, an essential tool for your safari is a headlamp which lets you read a book at night in your tent or catch up with your safari journal as you listen to the sounds of the wild outside!

For families travelling with younger children on private trips, Letaka Safaris have designed a family safari tent, ensuring the children’s safety and their parent’s peace of mind. A family tent is a two-bedroom unit with an adjoining bathroom and lockable exit/entrance with each tent taking 2 people in each.

Tau Pan is the first semi-permanent camp inside the Central Kalahari Game Reserve and offers truly incredible views from the elevated ridge of an ancient sand dune, an unusual experience in a land as flat as Botswana, and overlooks the famous Tau Pan - recognised for its stark beauty and remoteness.

Activities offered at Tau Pan are game drives, day trips to the well-known Deception Valley, Sunday, Piper and Passarge Pans, star gazing, and nature walks with Bushman trackers.

‘Tau’ which means lion in Setswana, is so named for the pride of iconic black-maned Kalahari lions who frequent the camp (with a particular preference for the family tent!).

Species that can be found in the Kalahari include oryx, the desert-adapted springbok, jackals, the rare brown hyena, red-crested Korhaan and herds of wildebeest.

As with its sister camp, Nxai Pan, Tau Pan has been constructed with the areas ecologies in mind. Both utilise only solar power for the generation of electricity, heating of water and pumping of water from deep under the Kalahari sands. Waste water is treated in a state-of-the-art sewerage treatment plant and the fully treated water is returned to the sands from whence it came.

9 environmentally adapted en-suite tents including 1 family tent are set on raised decks, affording the same spectacular views over the plains. Each has an indoor and outdoor shower, double-basin vanity, open wardrobe, King-sized double bed, living area and writing desk.

The main area of the camp is set around the fireplace, which is the ideal spot for game viewing down to the waterhole. A telescope is also provided for guests’ use. The bar, lounge, curio shop and dining area all encircle the fire place.

The camp also has a sleep-out deck, which is on the eastern side of the camp. In an area as remote and isolated in the Kalahari desert, the light pollution is minimal to none, and consequently the star-gazing is simply magnificent and unrivalled by most other locations on earth. Having an unobstructed view of the night sky to fall asleep under is a truly memorable experience. The elevated sleep-out deck consists of a double bed, and a basin and WC. This experience is available on a ‘first come first serve’ basis upon arrival in camp, however guests staying 3 nights or more in Tau Pan can reserve this pre-arrival with their agent.