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Game Farms
Kalahari plains camp: A new sustainability frontier
Kalahari Plains Camp, situated in Botswana’s iconic Central Kalahari Game Reserve, is an excellent example of what is possible when a company is committed to the idea of environmental sustainability and works in harmony with its surroundings.
All electricity and hot water are generated completely by solar power. An extensive bank of photovoltaic panels, inverters, batteries and a computer controlled system together create and manage the power source for the camp. Even the fridges and freezers in the kitchen and the entire staff village are powered by solar energy. After three months, the staff is thrilled to see that an entire camp hosting 24 guests can be run with such a light footprint.
More than this, the architecture of the camp as a whole accords well with the environment: the guest units are of an innovative design, with specially insulated canvas walls and roof to keep the temperatures inside comfortable and attention paid to passive architecture in the sense of managing air flow best to regulate temperatures.
Water is of course the most precious commodity in the desert and the camp has implemented an original system to collect the meagre amounts that fall as rain in this arid environment. Every rooftop has been ‘enlisted’ in this project: run-off from all flat roofs flows into gutters and in turn into holding tanks that store 150 000 litres of rainwater; for every 1mm of rain falling, some 2 610 litres of water can be collected and stored!
The camp is beautifully situated on an immense pan, comprising 10 en-suite canvas units with a sleep-out deck above each one from which to enjoy the night skies and nocturnal sounds which range from roaring lions to barking geckos. A brand new airstrip is situated just 30 minutes drive from the camp and the past few months have proved that this area as a whole is a premium desert experience. Over January and February, the enormous pan in front of camp has been teeming with herds of gemsbok and springbok and even the rarer red hartebeest, while a large pride of lion and various cheetah are often seen within a few kilometres of the camp. Added to game drives in the area around camp are half-day excursions to the world-famous Deception Valley to view wildlife gathered here at various times of the year. At present the herds definitely have pride of place in the valley made famous by Mark and Delia Owens’ bestseller, “Cry of the Kalahari”.
Kalahari Plains is a camp that has definitely come into its own and its promise of endless vistas, fascinating animal and bird life – and a place that makes use of its environment in an eco-friendly and sustainable way – is being fulfilled.
Reservations can be made through Safari Adventure Company offices: Tel: + 27 11 257 5111, Fax: + 27 11 807 2110, Email: info@safariadventurecompany.com Website: www.safariadventurecompany.com
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