Mabuasehube

Mabuasehube is the eastern arm of Kgalagadi, a cluster of large pans set in red dunes, each with unfenced campsites on the rim looking out over the open ground. It is famous among Botswana campers for exactly that: lions walk through the sites regularly and there is nothing between the tent and the pan. Gemsbok, springbok, eland and brown hyena use the pans, and the sand track west to Nossob, the Mabuasehube-Nossob wilderness trail, is one of the more demanding routes in the country.

The landscape

• The pans - a group of large open depressions with campsites on their rims.
• The unfenced camps - sites on the pan edge with animals moving through.
• The wilderness trail - the sand route west across the park to the Nossob.
• The desert wildlife - gemsbok, eland, brown hyena and Kalahari lion.

When to go

March to May and September to October are the most comfortable. Midsummer heat is extreme and winter nights are below freezing. Campsites must be booked well in advance.

What to expect

Lions in camp are a genuine and regular occurrence and the sites have no fences; this needs to be understood before booking. All water, fuel and supplies must be carried for the full stay. The wilderness trail west is deep sand and requires two vehicles.

Nearby

The main Kgalagadi park is west, and Tsabong is east.

Key facts