23 Apr 2019

Jack's Camp, Botswana will be rebuilt and reopen in May 2020

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The iconic Jack’s Camp in the Makgadikgadi, Botswana is to be rebuilt by and will reopen with a luxurious new look in May 2020 to celebrate the camp’s 25th anniversary.

The new look Jack’s will feature ten spacious safari tents, almost double the size of the existing tents, with an interior floor area of 130m2. The tents will retain 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, each one 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 and three double tents feature extra-length king beds. Each tent can accommodate a child on a third day bed in the living room. 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 are the perfect place to cool off in the afternoon and a wood burning morso stove will warm the tents during the Makgadikgadi winters.

The new, larger mess tent of Jack’s Camp, which is a Natural History Museum in Botswana, will retain 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. On one side is a Moroccan inspired tea tent where a lavish daily spread is served. 

The iconic pool pavilion will be reimagined for 2020 and will include a sundeck. A dedicated spa tent will be the perfect place to treat tired limbs to a massage. The Jack’s Camp shop, which has always been a treasure trove of exotic jewellery and beautiful handmade Bushmen items, will be renovated and restocked.

The rebuild will begin in October 2019 and during that time guests will have the option to stay at Jack’s Migration Camp. This new camp will be located close to sister property Camp Kalahari and will offer all the same comforts as Jack’s Camp including a tea tent and swimming pool. The temporary camp will be run by the Jack’s Camp team including the legendary guides Super Sande and Chabba Selei. The same activities and menu will be offered, and it will be a seamless transition between the old and the new.

The new Jack’s Camp will employ the very latest ‘’clean and green’’ Tesla solar battery technology. The entire camp will run on Tesla solar power, including the new air-conditioning units (‘Evening Breeze’) in the guest tents. 1.5% of all revenue generated by Natural Selection’s camps goes back to local conservation projects. Thanks to the partnership between Jack’s Camp, Natural Selection, the local community and Round River Conservation, Africa’s second largest zebra migration, which was almost destroyed by vetinary fences in the 1960s, has returned with thousands of ungulates returning to centuries- old migration paths. Natural Selection co-founder Dave van Smeerdijk says: ‘’We are thrilled to be partnering with Jack’s to take both their conservation and guest experience to the next level. Jack’s is an iconic property and one we are very proud to be working with’’.

For more information please contact [email protected]