Letaka Tented Safaris - Central Kalahari

The first two nights of the journey are spent at Kalahari Plains, a smart but simple contemporary lodge with an excellent pool and a long, slender deck. Next is Tau Pan, a rambling thatch-roofed lodge set on an ancient dune with views across the scrubby thicket to the horizon. The last stop is Letaka Tented Camp, tucked into a grove beside a seasonal lagoon. Here, a broad mess tent serves as the dining room, and the campfire is your lounge.

Each of the three camps offers a different degree of luxury, though all are comfortable, clean and well-appointed. The most luxurious is the first, Kalahari Plains, with glass doors, a large deck, a star bed and en-suite facilities. Tau Pan is spacious with sliding mesh doors, huge verandas and en-suite facilities. A classic Meru-style tent, Letaka provides the most basic accommodation, with a few (very comfortable beds) and en-suite bathrooms with flush toilets and bucket showers.

Walking in the Kalahari with San Bushmen is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to experience these ancient people's tracking skills and understanding of the landscape. Their world may seem stark, but look around and you'll see creatures ranging from formidable predators to insects. Explore the woody vegetation of Piper's Pan to see cheetah, lion and leopard. Game drives, walks, night drives and mokoro excursions in the much-loved Khwai region reveal scrums of hippo, crocs, antelope, waterbirds, gleaming spiderwebs and shimmering dragonflies.