Tau Pan is the first semi-permanent camp inside the Central Kalahari Game Reserve and offers truly incredible views from the elevated ridge of an ancient sand dune, an unusual experience in a land as flat as Botswana, and overlooks the famous Tau Pan - recognised for its stark beauty and remoteness. Activities offered at Tau Pan are game drives, day trips to the well-known Deception Valley, Sunday, Piper and Passarge Pans, star gazing, and nature walks with Bushman trackers. ‘Tau’ which means lion in Setswana, is so named for the pride of iconic black-maned Kalahari lions who frequent the camp. Species that can be found in the Kalahari include oryx, the desert-adapted springbok, jackals, the rare brown hyena, red-crested Korhaan and herds of wildebeest. The camp also has a sleep-out deck, which is on the eastern side of the camp. In an area as remote and isolated in the Kalahari desert, the light pollution is minimal to none, and consequently the star-gazing is simply magnificent.
Star ratings are intended to indicate the general level of features, amenities, and services to expect. This property is classified according to Giata.
Even if the water hole is man made it creates a beautiful and calming atmosphere in the plain of the desert. Especially when you get to see lions and giraffes drinking while you are having breakfast. Due to dryness we did not get to see as many animals as in other places. Our guides Kenny and Zimbo still did their very best! Most exciting was to hear the lions roaring at night time and finding their tracks on the sandy pathway to the main house in the morning. However I would recommend not to go on safari every day but to relax and enjoy the luxurious ambiente . Comfortable accommodation with inside and outside shower, private terrasse, swimming pool, excellent food and drinks, always very friendly and helpful staff. We liked especially the double towels which were provided in rooms to wet and wear to calm down the heat.
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Date of stay: January 2020Trip type: Traveled with family
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We stayed here for 3 nights in the start of Botswana’s rainy season in January 2020 at the start of our Kwando safari adventure. The camp is set high on a sandbank with great views over the area. There is a watering hole which attracts passing animals, although the rains had given them a lot of other drinking options. This camp is in a National park, so off-road tracking isn’t allowed & you have to be back at the lodge for 7pm which makes game viewing more challenging. Tuelo was our talented guide & Scouber out tracker, was an ex bushman & was a real expert in this area of Botswana. Rooms are comfortable, the meals are plentiful & all the staff are great. We had some great sightings despite the challenges, lion, leopard & even a rare wild dog pack sighting. Very happy stay & interesting environment to explore.
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Date of stay: January 2020Trip type: Traveled as a couple
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We loved Tau Pan. We (my mom and I)traveled to Botswana just before Covid 19 exploded. It began to greatly unfold during our trip, which was very surreal and unsettling. The staff were wonderful and made all feel safe and pampered. The lodge is beautiful and the view is astounding. Food was fantastic. We were welcomed to our meals with songs from the sweetest of voices... Staff sang and danced often and I think it greatly lightened the mood of pandemic concerned visitors. Central Kalahari is magical. Guiding was not bad but not on par with other Kwando camps. Will definitely return happily:)
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Date of stay: March 2020Trip type: Traveled with family
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We were here as part of a group of friends and loved this camp. Very different from the other Kwando camps as you are in a desert environment rather than within the delta but it is such a good place to visit. We had great game viewings, including coming face to face with two lionesses walking through the camp in the late afternoon, and we learnt so much from the knowledgable guides and trackers. The morning spent with Scouper learning more about the Bushmen was fascinating and a must do. Quality of food was excellent, they managed our dietary needs well (dairy free) and the staff team has such pride in their camp and their work. The rooms are spacious, have to remember you are in the African bush so there are some bugs which the guides will sort for you, but everything about this camp was just so special
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Date of stay: February 2020Trip type: Traveled with friends
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Since it was Aug, we were the only ones there. Our room was very comfortable with a great view of the watering hole. Hot water takes a bit longer to heat up though as compared to Camp Moremi. Also, the bathroom is a bit darker than I'd like, esp at 6am. The bed was comfy & I liked the idea of the outdoor shower. Didn't try it as it was too cold in the evenings to shower outside.
The food (esp at tea) was excellent especially the chili jam. We have been to UnderCanvas and Camp Moremi & we felt Tau Pan had the best food. Too bad we missed local food night though.
Vasco (our guide) & PK (our tracker) were friendly and informative, & we learnt a lot from them. Once they knew what we wanted/hoped to see, they especially kept an eye for those animals. Although it was dry season, we still saw several foxes, jackals, ostriches, oryx, lots of impalas, quite a few wildebeest, honey badger, & thanks to PK, we final got a photo of a steenbok! We also saw mating lions & the rest of his pride. Oh! If it's offered, do the Bushman walk. PK made it interesting & so informative.
We had enjoyable conversations with Pro & Florence at meal times. I esp liked the fire pit pre-dinner drinks. They made us feel like we were visiting friends & we were sad to leave.
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Date of stay: August 2019Trip type: Traveled as a couple
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Warm welcome on arrival, room is spacious and serviced several times per day. For hot summer days there are kikoys in the room. Wrap the wet fabric around the body and lie underneath the fan, it helps to cool down! Our ranger MP has a great knowledge about game and the tracker Mr Scoper is a brilliant storyteller and made the bush walk to an outstanding experience. He is the best! Camp mangerin Lets attended special requests and gets things done quickly. Food was plentyful and offering a good choice, considering that all fresh groceries need to be flown in. Staff is very attentive, friendly and forms a wonderful choir.
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Date of stay: February 2024
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Trip type: Traveled as a couple
Room Tip:Â January is green season with occasional rain. Our booked sleep out night under the stars had to...
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
I recently spend 2 nights at the camp with my family and it was a truly unforgettable experience. The staff were absolutely fantastic, they were all incredibly friendly and made us feel very comfortable. The camp itself is very nice and the central fireplace was always a great spot to be, the view from it was fantastic. We did the day trip to Deception Valley and did not regret it. It gives you a true sense of just how big the park is, we drove most of the day and only saw two other cars. I am hesitant to mention any names of staff only because I know I will be leaving people out, but massive shoutout to our guide and tracker, Vasco and PK, as well as Molemi the camp manager. Over and above that a massive thank you to all the other staff who made our stay as good as it was. The food was perfect and drink options extensive. My only big recommendation is to pack warmly if going in the middle of the year. The temperature dropped to 0 Celsius on our last morning, but it does heat up during the day. The staff helped us combat the cold by giving out hot water bottles every night and on game drives, a great touch.
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Date of stay: June 2023
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Trip type: Traveled with family
Room Tip:Â Pack warm if going in winter.
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The Kalahari desert was totally different to what we had seen before during our trip through Botsuana. Tau Pan Camp is situated on a hill with an incredible view into the desert and with a water hole nearby which is regularly visited by lions. Our guides were Kenny and Zimbo. We did a whole-day trip with them spanning 11 hrs and 360 km through the desert. We saw all the animals we could hope for, very different landscapes and impressions. The camp team is very friendly and forthcoming, and good fun to be with. Thank you all for welcoming us to the camp and making our stay an unforgettable one!
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Date of stay: January 2020
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Service
Room Tip:Â There is an open air room for the dry season - must be spectacular!
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Glad we only stayed 2 nights at this camp as we saw nothing. Despite our guide tearing through the bush and bouncing our expensive cameras everywhere beyond a jackal there was not much else. The room was nicer than Nxai Pan as was the food and the management team were cheerful and upbeat an improvement from our previous camp (see review). Its nature and nature was against us so the animals did not come out to play.
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Date of stay: February 2024
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Trip type: Traveled as a couple
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
First stop on our 7 day safari. The staff were fantastic, the food absolutely delicious. The accommodations were a bit dated and I would have expected better for the price. We actually had a rat in our room, crawling all over our beds and pillows! It was an absolute nightmare. I tried to convince my family that this was part of the bush experience..but it was a tough sell. We were at Tau Pan during the rainy season so game was a bit spread out. It’s a public park so no off road travels. Our tracker took us on a Bushman walk(Mr G). He was great, so sweet and showed my children lots of animals and plants. Would I go to Tau Pan again..this one would be a pass..until they do some updating.
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Date of stay: December 2023Trip type: Traveled with family
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Hi, there outlets in the rooms, at least in two rooms that we had booked. So no problem at all to charge devices. Of course you can also use outlets in the central area.
There are more places to choose from in the Central Kalahari Game Reserve area.
ALSO KNOWN AS
tau pan camp hotel central kalahari game reserve
LOCATION
BotswanaGhanzi DistrictCentral Kalahari Game Reserve
NUMBER OF ROOMS
8
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