Uncharted Africa Safari is offering Kubu Quad Bike Expeditions into the lunar-like saltpans of Botswana's Makgadikgadi Pans in the Kalahari Desert. The program combines three nights at Jack's Camp or Camp Kalahari with a quad bike journey across the pans. Guests spend two nights sleeping out under the stars among the boulders and baobabs on Kubu Island. This crescent-shaped island has terraced slopes with fossil beaches of wave-rounded pebbles, providing startling evidence of the prehistoric lake's former water levels.
Crowned with an array of ancient, gnarled baobabs and surrounded on three sides by a vast grey emptiness, Kubu has a unique atmosphere. Not far away is an ancient defense fortification that was only discovered recently. Guest can clamber to the top for an awe-inspiring view of the enormous Sua pan. Dryness of the pans permitting, visitors travel to the end of the Great Rift Valley, a 400-foot escarpment that drops off into the Makgadikgadi Pans. This is the end of the greatest of all fault lines, which starts in Turkey and travels along the East Coast of Africa. The Rift Valley has arguably been the reason for the development of our species.
There are not many other places in the world where the silence is so complete that visitors can hear the blood circulating through their ears. As the vivid colors of the evening sky give way to a blanket of stars, a dining table dressed with white damask table linen, decked with glassware and bone-handled silver stands ready. A mobile drink chest is set up by the team, and guests are able to lean back in their safari chairs while basking in the toasty warmth of the roaring camp fire. Later, bedrolls are arranged in the open air to create a truly unique experience of complete serenity. This is a perfect conclusion to days filled with excitement and wonder. The two-night Kubu Quad Bike Safari is combined with at least three nights at Jack's Camp or Camp Kalahari, and is also available to guests staying at Planet Baobab. For more information, call 27 (0)11 447 1605, email [email protected] or visit www.unchartedafrica.com.
For the latest travel news, updates and deals, subscribe to the daily TravelPulse newsletter.
Topics From This Article to Explore
