Makgadikgadi Pans, Botswana
Renovated
2021
Price
$$$$
Rated for
Design Local ClassicOutside the door
The house
Natural SelectionVintage campaign camp
Days run like a classic desert expedition, trading Wi-Fi for evening lanterns and guided tracking walks across the salt flats.
“It’s about getting to know a remote, difficult, and stark corner of the world, through people who have lived there for a long time.”
What it’s good at
Remarkable
Muslin-draped campaign pavilions filled with antique mahogany furniture and Persian rugs.
Remarkable
Guided Kalahari tracking with Ju'/hoansi Bushmen across the Makgadikgadi Salt Pans.
What they say
Also in Condé Nast Traveler and AFAR.
It has a bonafide back-to-basics bush approach but with all the trimmings of a luxury property.
Tucked away
A place apart: the property is the destination.
The Makgadikgadi Salt Pans stretch to the horizon in stark white flats, home to resident meerkat clans and seasonal flamingo flocks.
1 of 4
The rooms
Four-poster beds have overhead cooling systems, and private timber decks hold cold plunge pools facing the desert.
The pool
Bring a swimsuit.
The canvas-draped pavilion shelters a swimming pool set into timber decking, looking out across the pans toward a waterhole.
Restaurant
The Mess Tent
Silver-service dinners are served under draped canvas, beside an antique billiard table and a drinks chest filled with cut-glass decanters.
How it began
Ralph Bousfield built the camp in 1993 for his pioneer father Jack, gathering artifacts that now form an official national museum.
The app
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Our shorthand
How we rate hotels.
The medals
Gold
Extremely rare. Sets the global standard.
Silver
Brilliant execution. And we’re picky.
Bronze
They did this well. You’ll notice.
Listed
A defining trait. Makes the hotel what it is.
The eight vibes
Design
Built around a vision. Even the door handles have a designer.
Luxe
Cared for at every turn. The bath is drawn before you ask.
Local
It could only be here. You wake up knowing where you are.
Social
Where the city goes out. The bar is full and the night is young.
Heritage
A building with a story. Once a palace, a monastery, a station.
Wellness
You leave feeling new. Rest, sweat, soak and sleep like a stone.
Classic
The city grew up with it. Same rituals, same regulars, same bar.
Resort
A world of its own. Something to do from breakfast to nightcap.
The scene
Lively
Where things happen: restaurants, shops, people.
Central
Well-located: walkable to some things, a short ride to more.
Quiet
Away from the crowds. Getting around takes intention.
Secluded
A place apart: the property is the destination.