Jack's Camp is the most famous place to stay on Botswana's Makgadikgadi Pans and one of the most original safari camps in Africa. It sits among palm trees on the edge of Ntwetwe Pan, a white salt flat so wide and empty that the horizon seems to curve. The camp's look is pure 1940s safari: green canvas, Persian rugs, antique furniture and natural history cabinets in the mess tent.
There are just nine tents, each enormous at 270 square meters including the deck, with a private plunge pool, swing beds overlooking the pans and an ensuite bathroom with indoor and outdoor showers. An over-bed cooling system helps on hot nights and the camp runs on solar power with 24-hour electricity in the tents.
The experiences are unlike a classic game drive. You can sit on the ground among habituated meerkats, walk with Bushmen guides, ride quad bikes across the dry pans and, in the green season, watch thousands of zebra and wildebeest arrive to graze. Jack's Camp is open year round and suits couples who want a safari with a story, a sense of history and wide open space. It is very expensive and it works best as a two or three night addition to a Delta or Chobe trip.
Highlights at a glance
- Nine grand tents with private plunge pools
- Sit among habituated meerkats
- Quad biking across the dry salt pans
- Zebra and wildebeest migration in the green season
- Africa's only pool pavilion of its kind
Why Couples Love Jack's Camp
Emptiness is the draw. After the busy riverfronts and lagoons of northern Botswana, the Makgadikgadi feels like another planet. In the dry season, the pan is white, hard and silent. At night, the sky is crowded with stars.
The camp has a story too. It was founded by Jack Bousfield, a crocodile hunter turned safari pioneer and later run by his son Ralph, who refurbished it in 1940s style. Its collections of fossils, Stone Age tools and old maps make the mess tent feel like a private museum.
The experiences are memorable and shared. Sitting quietly while a meerkat climbs onto your shoulder to use you as a lookout post is something couples talk about for years. Riding quad bikes across the pans toward a red sunset stays with people just as long, for completely different reasons.
Tents to Book
Jack's Camp has nine tents: seven twin tents with two extra-length queen beds and two double tents with one extra-length king bed. For a honeymoon, ask for one of the two double tents when you book.
Each tent is 270 square meters, split evenly between indoor and outdoor space. Inside, there is a living area with a sofa and day bed, an over-bed cooling system and an ensuite bathroom with indoor and outdoor showers. Outside, a deck with a private plunge pool and swing beds looks over the pans.
The décor is grand and old-world, with rich fabrics, rugs and antique furniture. Laundry, Wi-Fi, hairdryers and 24-hour electricity are included. Book well ahead, especially for the green season migration months.
Food, Drink and the Pool Pavilion
Meals are served communally at a 36-seat vintage dining table in the mess tent, which also holds a library, a drinks cabinet and an antique pool table. Dinners are sociable, with guides and guests swapping stories, though private meals can usually be arranged for a special night.
Afternoon tea, with sweets and pastries, is served in the Persian tea tent, which also has a small shop.
The camp's swimming pool pavilion, described as the only one of its kind in Africa, is a shady escape from the midday heat, with cushions and drinks between activities. Spa treatments are available at extra cost. In the dry season, ask about sleeping out under the stars on the pan, which many couples count as the highlight of their trip.
Why guests fall for it
Things to Do
Activities change with the season. In the dry season, from about April to October, the pans are hard and white and quad biking across them is the signature experience. Meerkat encounters, walks with Bushmen guides who share traditional skills and night drives round out the program.
In the green season, from November to mid-April, rain turns the pans into grassland and shallow water. Thousands of zebra and wildebeest arrive, followed by predators. From March to April, flamingos can gather on the flooded pans.
Other options include game drives, horse riding safaris and helicopter flights over the pans for a different view.
Getting There
Jack's Camp is near Gweta, on the edge of Ntwetwe Pan. The easiest way in is a short light-aircraft flight from Maun Airport (MUB), which connects to Johannesburg, Cape Town and Kasane. The drive from Maun takes about two to two and a half hours.
Most couples arrive as part of a wider Botswana safari, after the Okavango Delta or Chobe. The pans make a calm final stop before flying home.
Light aircraft limit luggage, usually to soft bags with a weight limit, so pack lightly. Bring neutral clothes, a warm layer for cold dry-season nights, sun protection and good sunglasses, since the glare from the salt is intense.
Is It Worth It?
Jack's Camp is one of the most expensive camps in Botswana, with rates from about $2,095 to $3,895 per person per night depending on the season (approximate). For couples who want a unique experience, with history, wide spaces and wildlife encounters you will not find elsewhere, it is worth the splurge.
It is not a classic Big Five safari. Game viewing is more about meerkats, migrations and desert species. Couples who want leopard and lion every day should spend more nights in the Delta or Chobe. For a lighter version at lower rates, sister camps San Camp and Camp Kalahari offer similar experiences.
Malaria risk is present in northern Botswana. Talk to a travel clinic, use repellent and if you're pregnant or hoping to be soon, check CDC travel health notices for Botswana.
Insider tips
- Request one of the two double tents, which have a single king bed.
- Visit in the dry season for quad biking and sleeping out on the pan.
- Visit from November to March for the zebra migration and lower rates.
- Pack good sunglasses; the salt glare is strong.
