Located in northeastern Botswana, just outside the eastern boundary of the Makgadikgadi National Park, Jack’s Private Camp is an exclusive-use retreat in one of Botswana’s more unusual destinations.
Overview
Sister property to the much-loved Jack’s Camp, which has been in operation since 1993, Jack’s Private Retreat is its latest addition created for multi-generational families and privately guided groups of friends seeking a more tailored and private desert safari into some of the largest salt pans in the world. Built into the shade of a cluster of fan palm trees, Jack’s Camp consists of a standalone under-canvas villa, with two bedroom suites connected by a central area with a lounge, dining area and library opening onto a veranda with a private swimming pool.
Food & service
The emphasis at Jack’s Camp is always on simple comforts, on the quality of rest, and on the high standard of its food and its service. As such, guests have a private guide, a chef and a full staff complement to curate each day’s activities to meet a truly unique discovery of the magnificent Makgadikgadi Pans.
Rooms
There are two ensuite bedrooms, each with their own bathroom, private veranda and day bed. One room has one large king-size bed and the other has two king-size beds, with over-bed cooling systems and mosquito nets. The bathrooms each have two indoor showers, a brass bathtub and an outside shower. The tents are cool, spacious and decorated with a classic East African safari style.
Activities
In the wet season (November through to March) large herds of zebra and wildebeest are drawn into the area by seasonal water on the pans. However this dries up quickly, the wildlife disperses and the pans appear deserted yet again. Except for a few desert specialist species little remains in the dry season (April to October) and there is very little big wildlife to be seen – but this is not the point of the camp or the area.
For these reasons, the activities are based on the process of discovery rather than simply viewing. They include day and night wildlife drives – exploring the pans in 4x4s and quad bikes; guided nature walks with local San trackers; and trips into the park.
Longer excursions include a four-night quad bike expedition to Kubu Island, southwest Sua Pans. Kubu Island is an isolated granite rock from which gnarled baobabs grow and is considered sacred by the local San; such is its spiritual significance.
“The Makgadikgadi is a place to simply be, to listen to the wind in the grass and the salt cracking beneath your feet on the pans. The quality of the guiding is exceptional and it never ceases to amaze me how much more there is to the bush than first meets the eye – particularly if it is a barren salt pan or a spiky salt-grass savannah!
“As the big wildlife is so sparse during the dry months and the experience so specialist I would strongly recommend leaving Jack’s to last in an itinerary. I feel that it is advisable to first see the big game and then move down to the wilderness where you can truly appreciate this exceptional landscape without the restless urge to see more wildlife. Jack’s provides you with the opportunity to think and reflect on where you are and what you have done.
“Whilst standing in the middle of the pans, staring at an endless horizon, punctuated by shimmering mirages, the feeling of complete isolation and solitude is overwhelming. It is an old cliché but the silence is deafening and one quickly loses oneself without obvious visual or audible reference points.” – Will Jones, field notes