Close to the remote Deception Valley region of Botswana's Central Kalahari Game Reserve, Kalahari Plains Camp is an ideal base from which to discover the secrets of this little-visited but hugely rewarding destination. Built from canvas and timber, this completely solar-powered camp offers morning and afternoon game drives in open vehicles, guided walks to discover the fascinating secrets of life in the desert and some surprisingly excellent bird watching.
Many of the staff are descended from the local San/Bushman clans and will gladly explain aspects of their unique culture during your walk. Keep an eye out for the Kalahari's abundant herbivores - gemsbok, giraffe, wildebeest, eland - as well as the predators that follow closely behind. Game viewing is excellent throughout the year but it is at its most spectacular during the early summer months when the rains turn the desert green with new grass, attracting not just thousands of springbok but the cheetahs, lions and leopards that prey on them.