Jack's Camp

From the Hideaway Report

February 2012 Hideaway Report

Jack's Camp is located on a low island at the edge of the pans, an hour by light aircraft southeast of Maun. On our first visit more than 15 years ago, it was an atmospheric place of silence and emptiness, overseen by the immense and cloudless Kalahari sky. But back then, its tents were too basic to appeal to most Harper members. However, over the years, reports reached me that Jack’s had become more sophisticated, so I decided to take a second look.

We were met at the airstrip by Super, an employee for more than 20 years, who politely (if implausibly) claimed to remember us from our previous visit. A charming and articulate man, he drove us to camp by a leisurely and circuitous route. It was toward the end of the hot, dry season, but the Kalahari grasslands were scattered with zebra and wildebeest that had arrived in anticipation of the rains, which, in a matter of days, transform the desert into a vast meadow of nutritious green grass.

Jack’s was founded by the adventurer and filmmaker Ralph Bousfield in memory of his father, a larger-than-life pioneer whose scarcely credible resume includes a stint as a lion tamer for the movie “Born Free.” The enormous main living and dining tent reflects the men’s shared passion for Africa’s most elemental places. A stuffed lion in a glass case stands guard over a treasure trove of animal skulls, fossils, eggs, spears, arrows, hundreds of books and maps, 19th-century etchings, and framed posters for exhibitions by the artist and photographer Peter Beard. The tent itself is dark-green canvas on the outside, but its interior is lined by a voluptuous canopy of pale raspberry-pink cotton. The dark wooden floor is covered by sisal mats and Persian carpets, while the easy chairs come with kilim-covered cushions. Down the center of the tent, a dining table seats 20 in comfort, and looks as though it might originally have been intended for army officers on some far-flung Victorian campaign.

The 10 guest tents share the same nostalgic décor, with four-poster beds, writing desks, antique furniture, brass-bound chests and bookshelves crammed to capacity. However, now they are also extremely comfortable, with large electric fans, en suite baths, effective indoor and outdoor showers, and spacious verandas.

Aside from the significantly upgraded accommodations, the camp’s other most obvious innovation is a splendid swimming pool, shaded from the desert sun by another flamboyant cotton canopy. Close by, a waterhole has been dug — paradoxically, just a few feet beneath the surface of the Kalahari lies an abundant supply of pure water — which, along with elephant, zebra, wildebeest and various antelope species, occasionally attracts a wandering pride of lion. Wildlife sightings at Jack’s are much more prolific during the December to April wet season, but the waterhole now ensures that there is something to look at year-round. (It is possible to visit northern Botswana at any time of year, as the rainy season generally involves brief downpours between extended periods of sunshine. However, October and November can be unpleasantly hot during the day, and in the June-August high season, the nights are often chilly.)

After a delicious lunch, accompanied by icy homemade lemonade, Super proposed a late-afternoon visit to a nearby meerkat colony, whose occupants have become habituated to human visitors. Meerkats are endearing small mammals belonging to the mongoose family that characteristically use their long tails to stand upright to spot predators such as jackals and large eagles. After a short drive in a Land Rover, we came to their network of burrows and sat down to await their return. Within minutes, around 20 of the creatures had arrived, squeaking excitedly. Being in constant danger of attack, meerkat groups appoint sentries, and the designated animals then seek out the highest vantage points from which to keep watch. To my amazement, one meerkat identified an ideal observation tower and promptly ran up my arm to stand on top of my head, where it remained for more than five minutes!

Some activities at Jack’s Camp are seasonal. For example, during the dry season, guests can venture out onto the Makgadikgadi pans to search for Stone Age artifacts, to gaze at the overwhelming night sky or to undertake longer mobile safaris. (At this time of year, a second camp is erected immediately adjacent to the salt flats.) However, some equally memorable experiences, such as walking with the local San Bushmen hunter-gatherers, are possible year-round.

For those of a romantic and adventurous spirit, Jack’s Camp cannot be recommended too highly. It is a unique and unforgettable place, one, moreover, that is extremely well-run and well-organized. And its epic Kalahari setting provides an astonishing counterpoint to the tangled waterways of the Okavango Delta.

Amenities