Tau Pan Camp
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.
‘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.
The Central Kalahari Game Reserve
The CKGR was established in 1961 by the British Government to protect the traditional way of life of the nomadic San Bushman tribes. The park covers an area of 52800 square kilometres and makes up an 11th of Botswana’s total land area making it the second largest game reserve in the world, the first being the Selous Game Reserve in Tanzania covering 54 000 km2. The CKGR is a scrub desert with almost no surface water available.
Home to the famous “Kalahari Lions” the area has healthy populations of cheetah, brown hyena, gemsbok, springbok, giraffe, wildebeest, bat eared fox and the tenacious honey badger.
A landscape with endless horizons, the early evening air is dominated by the never ending calls of the Kalahari barking geckos.
Makgadikgadi Pans National Park
The Makgadikgadi zebra migration moves east away from the Boteti River into the huge open grasslands of the Makgadikgadi Pans after our first good rains. Our camp will be erected in the grasslands just north – west of the expansive Ntwetwe Pans or further north at Baines Baobabs or Nxai Pan.
The salt pans cover an area of over 16 000km2 in the Kalahari Basin and form the bed of the ancient Lake Makgadikgadi which evaporated millions of years ago.
Although Nxai Pan was once part of the great super lake, it is quite different to the Makgadikgadi Salt Pans as it boasts broad hectares of short sweet grasslands with occasional “islands” of trees. The rich grassland provides good grazing and attracts springbok, impala, gemsbok, giraffe, kudu, hartebeest, zebra, wildebeest, all followed by lions and hyena, as well as a wide array of birdlife. The grasslands of the Makgadikgadi hide small colonies of meerkats that have become habituated to people and provide a few hours of rewarding interaction. Baines Baobabs, a cluster of seven Baobab trees are located within the park. The Baobabs were painted by Thomas Baines when he passed through travelling with John Chapman in 1862.
Tour Highlights
- 1 Night Tau Pan Camp a great first night in Botswana including light aircraft transfer Maun to Tau Pan
- 3 Nights serviced camping in the Central Kalahari Game Reserve
- 3 Nights serviced camping in the Makgadikgadi National Park in search of the Makgadikgadi Pans zebra migration
- 1 hour heli scenic Zebra Migration flight
Tour Prices
Kalahari Migration Safari will run for Private Departure Groups only with a minimum of 4 guests.
Rack US$ 5220 per person sharing
