The iconic Jack’s Camp in Botswana’s Makgadikgadi Pan has been reimagined and rebuilt in preparation for its January reopening and 25th anniversary.
The brand-new Jack’s Camp pays homage to the property’s enduring and much loved 1940s campaign style. With the rebuild overseen by owner and founder Ralph Bousfield, whose father pioneered safaris into the region over half a century ago, the camp promises an Alice in Wonderland-like oasis in the midst of the ethereal Makgadikgadi.
The new-look Jack’s features nine spacious safari tents, each of which is more than double the size of the former tents, and which will have retained the same traditional dark green exterior canvas and iconic interior lining. Furnished with antiques that have been passed down through generations of the Bousfield family, the new, larger guest tents will each have their own miniature natural history museum, a cabinet of extraordinary curiosities ranging from stone tools to fossils, all collected and curated by Bousfield himself. Landscape-orientated to allow panoramic views of the salt pans ahead, seven twin tents feature two queen size beds while two double tents feature extra-length king beds. Each tent can accommodate a child on a third-day bed in the living room.
The furnishings at Jack’s continue to be hand-produced by a dedicated team of craftsmen, whose attention to detail has ensured that the camp’s style has remained inimitable for a quarter of a century. New textiles come from India and Morocco and cushions and bedspreads are all sewn by hand at Ralph’s family home. The guest tents will feature both indoor and outdoor showers and an overhead cooling system for the bed area to ensure a comfortable night’s sleep. Private plunge pools (half outdoor, half indoor) are the perfect place to cool off in the afternoon while spacious decks are ideal for alfresco massages.
The new, larger mess tent retains much of its original look and feel. Framed Peter Beard pictures sit alongside original posters from French taxidermist Deyrolle, which hang side by side with Bousfield family photos. The iconic stuffed aardvark has retained pride of place alongside the cabinets of curiosities while the library, tea tent, and drinks tent all offer spaces where guests can be together or find a quiet spot on their own.
The iconic pool pavilion has been reimagined for 2021 and now includes a sundeck, while the Jack’s Camp shop, which has always been a treasure trove of exotic jewelry and beautiful handmade Bushmen items, has been renovated and restocked.
As a pioneer of trailblazed safaris in the harsh but beautiful Makgadikgadi region of Botswana for 25 years, Jack’s offers a unique safari experience. At first sight, the lunar-like salt pans appear devoid of life, but in the hands of the knowledgeable camp guides, the story of the Makgadikgadi begins to unfold. Whether it’s quad biking out into the remnants of the super lake, hunting for stone tools in the crusty salt flats, or seeing the world through the eyes of the Bushmen, this is a safari where the focus is on learning, appreciating, and being humbled by a vast landscape. All activities at Jack’s Camp are included in the rate, including a complimentary horse-ride and massage.
The new Jack’s Camp will also employ the very latest ‘’clean and green’’ solar technology. The entire camp runs on solar power, including the new Evening Breeze air-conditioning units in the guest tents. In addition, 1.5% of all revenue generated by Natural Selection’s camps goes back to local conservation projects, including a collaboration between Jack’s Camp, Natural Selection, the local community, and Round River Conservation that has seen Africa’s second-largest zebra migration return to centuries-old migratory paths.
Rates at Jack’s Camp will start at US$1,450 per person per night when the property reopens in January 2021.
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