Re-opening in Botswana: All new at the legendary Jack’s Camp

Jack’s Camp in the north-east of Botsuana will celebrate its reopening before the end of January. Just in time for its 25th birthday, the legendary luxury camp in the Makgadikgadi salt pans has been rebuilt and completely renovated. However, the unique atmosphere of the 1940s with the classic green canvas of the tents, the walls draped with muslin and the iconic interior has been preserved.

Jack’s Camp, which is powered exclusively by solar energy, still consists of only nine safari tents, but they are now almost twice as large at 270 square metres. The indoor and outdoor areas each account for 135 square metres. All tents have en-suite bathrooms with indoor and outdoor showers and a private plunge pool on the veranda, where velvet-covered chairs also await. New features include textiles from around the world and a cooling system above the bed to combat the desert heat.

The pool tent is still the only one of its kind in the whole of Africa, but has been extended to include a sun deck. The significantly enlarged “exhibition tent” houses, as usual, the library, the old billiard table and the renowned National History Museum with one of the most comprehensive collections of ancient artefacts in Botswana, collected and curated over decades by the Bousfield family. The Persian Tea Tent is also a little bigger now.

Jack’s Camp is one of only three accommodations in one of the largest private game reserves in Botsuana. Activities include classic game drives, walks with bushmen, quad biking, visits to the meerkats and horse rides. Those planning a visit should know, however, that the two seasons here could not be more different.

While the world’s largest salt pans present themselves as a fascinating lunar landscape devoid of vegetation in the dry season from mid-April to October, they transform into lush grasslands in the rainy season from November to mid-April. Thousands of zebra, springbok and wildebeest then enjoy the sweet summer grasses and quickly attract predators, making for fantastic game viewing. Fortunately, this green season is considered the low season in Botsuana, which makes prices a little cheaper.

Click here for the Jack’s Camp website