QUADBIKING KUBU - 5 Nights

Day 1 & 2 - Camp Kalahari, Makgadikgadi Salt Pans

 

Arrive at Camp Kalahari, nestled amongst the acacias and Mokolwane palms of Brown Hyaena Island, on the edge of the Makgadikgadi Salt Pans, adjacent to the Makgadikgadi-Nxai Pans National Park, Botswana. This traditional bush camp has eleven spacious Meru tents, comprising six twin tents, four double tents and one family unit which has two adjacent tents, accommodating two Guests in each with an inter-leading bathroom. All Guest tents have en-suite covered bathrooms, hot and cold running water and flush loos along with four poster beds, crunchy cotton sheets, rich textiles, Moroccan kilims and hot water bottles in winter.

Join your Guide for tea before driving into the grasslands and the beautiful evening light. Stop to watch the sun set and listen to an explanation of how the Makgadikgadi pans, the remnants of the world’s largest ever super-lake, were formed. Return to camp for dinner in the elegant mess tent.

• Camp Kalahari (BLD)

 

Day 3 - The Lost Island of Baobabs

 

After an early breakfast, wrap a kikoi around your head in the style of Jack Bousfield and set off on the quad bikes across Ntwetwe Pan for The Lost Island of Baobabs, your campsite for the next two nights. The journey to and from the heart of the Makgadikgadi Salt Pans is completely extraordinary. A convoy, driving Indian fashion ensures low-impact trespass and that you leave as little behind as possible as you barrel across the vast lunar expanses of scorched white earth. As the day heats up, mirages swim and eddy. Topiaried bay trees appear to hang above shimmering lakes - actually families of ostrich. Flocks of swallows fly in ragged formation in bas-relief on the parched earth, and lie perfectly preserved in salt where they fall to earth with exhaustion. Elephant tracks walk in a circle and then enigmatically disappear, past the skulls of zebra, the bleached remainders of a previous migration.

Lose contact with time, space and direction. Travel without perceptively moving. Open the throttle and close your eyes and travel, knowing there is nothing to crash into until you fall off the edge of the earth. Break the journey and your astral reveries for a picnic lunch on the moon! As the sun begins to drop, arrive at The Lost Island of Baobabs, where the Staff has set up camp; a cauldron of water bubbles for the shower suspended from a tree. The dining table is set and the drinks tray stands waiting. Your bedrolls replete with hot water bottles and duvets have been arranged on the high places in a five gazillion star bedroom. Enjoy a star-spangled silver service dinner and fall into bed.

• Fly Camping (BLD)

 

Day 4 - Kubu Island

Wake up to an early breakfast then head off for Kubu Island. This is what you have come to see. A granite extrusion island studded with baobabs, one of the most graphically beautiful spots in Botswana and rich with intriguing detail, such as walling, trade and Bushmen beads brought here to barter in pursuit of the salt that ices the surrounding pans. Filigreed with baobab trees like fat, red ballet dancers bigger than buses, older than Christ. The place has been the holiest secret of the Kalahari Bushmen for longer than anyone knows, a place of power and ritual. Not far away is an ancient defense fortification that was only discovered a couple of years ago. Clamber to the top for an awe-inspiring view of the enormous Sowa pan, and a picnic lunch amongst the boulders and baobabs of Kubu Island.

Visit the extinct mouth of the Zambezi, which together with various other rivers, once flowed into the Pans. The remaining beach is covered with beautiful waterworn pebbles amongst which you can find semi-precious stones such as garnets and cornelians. Kubu is close to what is probably the biggest greater and lesser flamingo breeding site in the world. 30 000 flamingoes fledge there when water is good and although nests are abandoned during the dry season, the acres of strangely shaped mud mounds are an eerie and strangely compelling sight. Unhatched eggs remain in some of the thousands of empty nests while many chicks are left to die if they hatch too late to be able to join the long march across the Pans that the young flamingo undertake in search of water. Their remains lie on the pan surface almost petrified by the salt. Return to camp for one last night out under the stars

• Fly Camping (BLD)

 

Day 5 - Camp Kalahari

 

Set off once more across the Pans on the quad bikes, ending your desert adventure with a night of comfort back at Camp Kalahari.

• Camp Kalahari (BLD)

 

Day 6 - Departure

 

Spend the morning walking with the Zu/’hoasi Bushmen. Uncharted Africa has pioneered and passionately supported cultural tourism in Botswana since the company’s inception in 1993. It has long been their belief that it is a vitally important tool in terms of preserving this unique, but sadly fast vanishing, culture. The camp has been working closely with the Zu/’hoasi people of the Western Kalahari for many years and are privileged to have twenty-four Bushmen women, men and pre-school children comprised of four generations, living at Jack’s Camp in the Makgadikgadi. Offering a window into the past, they teach you how they have survived in this harshest of environments, using their vast and ancient knowledge of plants, animal behavior and survival skills. The Zu/’hoasi lead a semi-traditional lifestyle, and share their traditional hunting and food-gathering skills as well as how they make jewelry and hunting equipment, it is a glimpse into their fast vanishing, traditional way of life, but by no means an attempt to keep them frozen in time.Through our initiative, a community is able to work together and share their knowledge with each other and Guests, allowing the older generation to pass the knowledge on to the next generation. The young children are the future and we hope that they carry the knowledge and traditions of their incredible ancient culture into the modern world with a sense of pride and personal empowerment. After breakfast, drive through the bush to the traditionally built Bushmen village, where the community gathers during the day. The huts provide shelter from the harsh Kalahari environment but are not the community’s permanent accommodation. On arrival, the elders of the community will meet you in a traditional manner after which you will walk out into the bush with the men, women and children. The focus of the walk will be to provide a gentle introduction to the Kalahari and Bushmen way of life. The group will point out the distinct ecological characteristics of this area and its animal and bird species. Spontaneous gathering and discussions about the uses of plants and wildlife by your Bushmen Guides provide the link between culture and wild environment that we seek to offer our Guests. Time for one more delectable lunch; before you bid farewell to San Camp in preparation for your onward journey.

Type of Safari

Comfortable Lodge and Fly Camp with bedrolls

2 - 6+ people, available for
Private Bookings

 

Accommodation style

Fully serviced, walk-in tent,
shower and toilt en-suite and open air bedroll

 

Duration

5 Nights / 6 days

 

Countries

Botswana

Included

• Comfortable walk-in tents at Camp Kalahari with built in floors and mosquito gauze. Beds are comfortable camp stretchers including all bed linen and a towel
• Fly camp and bedrolls while out at Kubu Island
• CK en-suite bathrooms with a bucket shower and bush loo
• Licensed and experienced professional guide
• Game drives and local transfers in custom made open game drive vehicles with shade roof, game viewing seats
• All entrance and camping fees within the National Parks & Game Reserves. Private campsites are used wherever possible
• All meals & selected drinks 
• Dedicated safari team including cook, camp assistant and back up driver
• Bathroom amenities (soap, shampoo and insect repellent)
• Medical evacuation insurance
• All activities as specified in the itinerary

 

Excluded

• International & domestic or charter flights and airport departure taxes
• Visas
• Laundry
• Travel, cancellation and medical insurance (essential on all safaris)
• Optional safari extensions
• Spirits (other than Gin)
• Items of a personal nature

 

Vehicle

Quadbike, 4x4 safari vehicle

Please send us info on the safari/s you are interested in, your preferred dates, how many adults and children [+ ages] and we will come back to you with a detailed quote.

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