Dinaka

Dinaka Camp lies within a private 40,000-hectare reserve on the northern boundary of the Central Kalahari Game Reserve, one of the largest and least developed protected wilderness areas in southern Africa. The name “Dinaka” means “horns” in Setswana, a nod to the plains game that gathers around the camp’s permanent waterhole throughout the year, drawing predators and grazers alike to this remote stretch of the Kalahari.

Accommodation comprises eight thatched safari tents with double or twin beds, together with a two-bedroom family tent, all raised on wooden decking overlooking the waterhole and well spaced for privacy. Each tent has a shaded veranda where guests can watch the water’s activity from their own private vantage point, and the camp’s understated, classic safari styling keeps the focus on the surrounding wilderness.

Dinaka’s standout feature is its underground photographic hide, sunk at eye level with the waterhole, allowing guests to observe and photograph elephant, lion and other visiting wildlife from remarkably close range without disturbing them. The camp is also known for its resident San Bushman guides, who lead walks sharing traditional tracking and survival skills passed down through generations in the Kalahari.

Most guests fly into Dinaka’s own private airstrip from Maun, with a short transfer of around ten minutes to camp. Game drives run morning and afternoon, often continuing into the evening, across open grassland and fossil river valleys that support more than 200 recorded bird species alongside gemsbok, springbok, eland and the Kalahari’s famous black-maned lions.