Kalahari Plains

Kalahari Plains in a Nutshell

Kalahari Plains is owned by Wilderness Safaris – the biggest safari company in Botswana. It is well located in a private corner of the Central Kalahari Game Reserve, well away from busier public areas. The lodge is well managed, with typical high standards maintained on all levels of service. The wildlife experience on game drives is as good as you will get in the Kalahari, and the lodge has its own waterhole.

Fast Facts

10 tented chalets
Price range from USD716 – 1025 pppn
In the heart of the Central Kalahari GR
Game drives in open 4×4 vehicles
Cultural walks with bushmen
Access by road or light aircraft
Private waterhole in front of the lodge

Child Policy

Children 6 years and over accepted.
Up to 12 years – a private vehicle must be booked
Up to 16 years – child must share a room with an adult
Family “unit” available – click for family unit layout
Click for “Bush Buddy Program”

How to Get There

You can fly into Kalahari Plains from any bush airstrip . We like this camp because it is also accessible by road on a self drive safari (by special arrangement only) or as part of your itinerary on a mobile safari.

Game Viewing and Activities

The activities on offer here are game drives and cultural activities with Bushmen. This lodge is inside the Central Kalahari Game Reserve, so strict park rules prevent night drives. The park however, offers something special for visitors and it is one of the most sought after destinations for dramatic sightings and true, islolated wilderness – you can sometimes drive for hours in this park without seeing another vehicle. Most drives take the form of day trips (including to Deception Valley) and often involve checking out all of the park’s main waterholes for animal activity.

The lodge employs some Bushmen that originate from inside the park. Walks are led though the surrounding desert as the Bushmen explain and demonstrate how their families survived in such a harsh environment – long before tourists came.

We would say that the best time of year to visit this camp would be during the rainy season (typically from December through to March). However, the timings of the rains in this desert is very unpredictable. (We must add that this lodge is worth visiting at any time of year!)

Camp Environment

Kalahari Plains came to life fairly recently but had to be moved several times as they failed to find good water at the original site. The eventual chosen location, on the edge of an open grassland (called “Big Pan”) was actually a perfect site, well away from busier roads in the park. The airstrip was also purposefully located a decent distance from the lodge to limit unwanted noise.

Accommodation is in comfortable tented chalets with metal roofs (to avoid fire risk). It can get hot out in the desert so innovative methods were used to try and insulate the roofs and sides of the chalets from the power of the sun. One of the “coolest” features is a sleep-out deck on top of each chalet!

The main area is large, open and spacious and boasts a small salt water swimming pool.

The guides at all Wilderness Safaris “Classic” level camps are well trained and knowledgeable.

What We Think

You cannot go wrong really with a Wilderness Safaris lodge – a very professional company indeed.

They have put in their own road network in an isolated part of the reserve, free from other operators – you might not see other cars! However, the do explore the rest of the park on their drives.

It is a good base to explore the CKGR!