# Jack's Camp *Source: https://bonamy.co.uk/lodges/jacks-camp* 1940's style tented camp in Botswana’s Makgadikgadi Salt Pans ## Profile Jack’s Camp pays homage to the much-loved 1940s campaign style of the existing camp. Adorned with a classic East African safari feel, the nine guest rooms are enshrouded by green canvas and muslin-draped walls. Each tent is embellished with Persian and North African rugs, paraffin lamps, brass fittings, luxuriant textiles and mahogany campaign furniture. There is a comfortable living area, with a sofa and day bed for expansive views of the Kalahari. You’ll discover Natural History Museum cabinets curated by Ralph Bousfield himself, an overhead bed cooling system to ward off the desert heat and an en-suite bathroom with indoor and outdoor showers. Outside, each veranda has a private deck with a sparkling plunge pool as well as several velvet-clad chairs overlooking the glittering ancient landscape. ## Profile The large mess tent houses the renowned Natural History Museum, library, vintage 36 seater dining table that served as an officer’s mess table in the 1820’s, well-stocked drinks cabinet and antique pool table. The iconic, nomadic Persian tea tent is a daily feature for a sumptuous afternoon tea. Framed Peter Beard pictures sit alongside original posters from French taxidermist Deyrolle, both complemented by Bousfield family photos. The swimming pool pavilion is still the only one of its kind in Africa. ## Quick facts Jack’s Camp is a year-round destination, yet the two seasons couldn’t be more different. The dry season, from April to October, is the desert as you know it: a shimmering whiteness envelops the scorched landscape, like a mirage floating over the crusted salt, and you’ll spot nomadic herds in the distance, as if an illusion. This is the time of year for whizzing across the pans on the back of a quad bike, sleeping under the stars, and enjoying the pans in their most iconic state. When the rains start to fall in November, the Makgadikgadi Pans are transformed. It’s a time of plenty (even in the desert), and the salt flats are turned into watery grasslands, almost unrecognisable from the previous months. A layer of emerald-green grass stretches out in every direction, pink clouds of flamingo and flocks of migratory birds arrive to nest, and Africa’s second largest mammal migration of wildebeest and our black and white striped friends floods the plains. The green season in the desert is one of Africa’s, great unpredictable spectacles, and a magical time to visit. Rain transforms everything, turning the pans into lush grasslands from November onwards. Animals are on the move and the desert becomes a green oasis teeming with life, notably thousands of zebra and blue wildebeest that feast on the sweet summer grasses. The safari activities are similar in these months although you usually won’t travel as far; on many days you can see the wildlife direct from your veranda. This green season continues until mid-April and corresponds with the off season for tourism in Botswana, making it a slightly cheaper time to travel. --- ## Contact Email: safari@bonamy.co.uk Phone (UK/EU): +44 (0) 20 3575 1098 Phone (US): +1 917 310 1920 Website: https://bonamy.co.uk