Home / Makgadikgadi Pans / Meno a Kwena
Meno a Kwena
Not luxury, and not pretending to be. Nine tents high on a rock bluff over the Boteti, with a position that is very hard to beat.
Meno a Kwena sits along an escarpment above the Boteti River, a short way from Makgadikgadi National Park. The nine tents are strung out along the bluff, all facing the river, and the river is what does the work: zebra, wildebeest, elephant, giraffe, antelope, predators and a great deal of birdlife come down to drink, and you can watch the whole thing from your own veranda.
We would rather be straight than oversell. This is not a luxury camp. It is friendly, genuinely comfortable, and the position is extraordinary, but if you want polished you should look at Jack's or San Camp instead. What you get here is the feeling of being on an adventure rather than a holiday.
The tents are traditional Meru style, canvas over a wooden frame, tucked among trees along the riverbank with sliding doors onto a shaded veranda. Comfortable beds, en suite with a flush toilet and both indoor and outdoor showers.
Meals are taken at a long communal table in the mess tent surrounded by safari memorabilia, which sets the tone nicely. Outside there is a plunge pool cut into the natural rock, looking over the river.
One point of geography worth getting right: Makgadikgadi National Park is not the same thing as the salt pans, which are further away. You explore the park by 4x4 for oryx, springbok, ostrich and meerkats, and a full day gets you out to the salt pans themselves or to Nxai, with a picnic on the way. If pure volume of wildlife is your priority, this is not the strongest place in Botswana, but what you do see is in an unusual and memorable setting.
The walk with a Bushman group is the thing not to skip here. There is also a viewing hide a short walk from camp on the riverbank, which is excellent for photography. Stay four nights or more and a specialist meerkat safari, conservation safaris and a scenic flight over the salt pans all become possible.
Nine tents, seven twin and two double, canvas walls and ceiling over a wooden frame, set among trees along the riverbank. Sliding doors onto a private shaded veranda, en suite with flush toilet and indoor and outdoor showers. All river facing.
Tell us what you are after and we will tell you honestly whether it is the right fit, and what else is worth considering.
Plan my trip →We use essential cookies to make the site work. We would also like to set analytics cookies, so we can see which pages help people plan a safari, and marketing cookies, so we can measure our advertising. Nothing optional is switched on until you say so. Read our privacy policy.