Elephant Sands Gate

Camping Chronicles: Elephant Sands – Arriving at a Buzz of Activity

Family Camping Adventure at Elephant Sands, Botswana

In this Article:

The road that leads to Elephant Sands

We start our adventure in Botswana after a week’s stay at a hunting farm in Baltimore. After a tearful goodbye, we hit the road towards the border, about 60km away. The Martin’s Drift border post was quieter than a library at midnight—just us and driving up, a parade of trucks that seemed to be in no rush whatsoever. Besides a long line of trucks, we were the only people having passports stamped and cleared of exit and entry. After Botswana officials snapped a picture at the gate, we embarked on our epic 5-hour trek in the direction of Nata. The drought was clearly auditioning for a role in a horror movie, leaving the land and animals looking a bit worse for wear.

We were surprised and intrigued by the number of camping vehicles, with South African number plates, we passed, heading in the opposite direction. Clearly, Botswana is the hot new vacation spot! Little did we know, we were about to find out why.

Welcome to Elephant Sands!

Around 4 o’clock, we turn off into the soft sandy road, heading into Elephant Sands. We were all looking forward to having something cold to drink. The drought and scarcity of food were even more evident here. Elephants have eaten and broken almost all of the plants on our way into Elephant Sands.

We reported at reception and upon arrival at reception, we were greeted by the friendliest staff, who informed us we could camp anywhere we liked. Wait, what? We booked a year in advance! We get back into our vehicle and after almost getting stuck in the soft sand, our hopes of a quiet peaceful evening were dashed faster than a balloon at a porcupine party when we saw the campsite. It felt like being told you can sit anywhere in a restaurant, but all the good tables are taken.

Campsite Shenanigans

The campsite was buzzing with more people than a bee convention. Clearly marked spots with cute little shelters and braai facilities marked what we suspected were the official campsites. Spoiler: they were obviously already all occupied. We plopped down in a random spot between the ablutions and the restaurant. Apparently, we just missed the OppiePanne festival—an event to raise funds for elephant water holes—so everyone who attended decided to crash at Elephant Sands. We fell in with the after party it seemed.

Restaurant and Poolside Buzz

Originally when planning the trip, we thought we’d dine at the restaurant, and boy, were we glad we did! We left the trailer and vehicle at our “campsite” and headed to the restaurant and bar area for a nice cold one. We snagged a nice table close to the waterhole and ordered some drinks. The elephants seemed to be having their own happy hour. We asked the kids if they wanted to swim in the crystal-clear pool, but they turned up their noses, declaring, “It’s too peoplely!”.

The annex is so close to the waterhole that you could practically high-five the elephants (we didn’t at risk of becoming a flat-five). This we found had an upside and a downside. The upside? Epic close-up photos! The downside? Let’s just say, when elephants let one rip, you might want to be a few tables away. We used this to our advantage and for dinner, we strategically relocated—especially when the breeze picked up!

Elephants Racing To The Water
Ellies racing to the water!

Dinner (and the next morning’s breakfast) was served in a buffet style and the food was delicious and very well-priced.

Back at the Campsite

By 9 PM, we retreated to our camp to set up the rooftop tent for some well-deserved rest. Although it was well-deserved, “rest” is a relative term when you’re surrounded by rowdy campers and elephants having their own late-night brawls. We just hoped none of these fights turned into a WWF/WWE showdown between campers and elephants. We woke up groggy at 6 AM to the sounds of the camp coming to life.

Ablution Adventure – Mind the Spikes!

Beware of the spikes!
Beware of the spikes!

In the daylight, we noticed signs warning about spikes. Running to the bathroom barefoot, we at first thought those were put up for the very serious prickly thorns scattered in the soft sand. But upon reaching the busy ablution block, we realised they referred to much larger spikes around the ablutions, to keep the elephants from crashing one’s shower experience. Steam escaping from the shower stalls hinted at warm water, but it was too “peoplely” for our taste, so we skipped the showers and headed straight for breakfast.

The Curious Shop

After breakfast, we quickly folded up the rooftop tent and hit the curious shop. The girls each got a trinket and we decided that buying a pack of cards would be a great investment for the trip. That decision was brilliant! The curious shop definitely is something to visit and they do tend to cater for keepsakes for everyone’s taste. Perfect for those “I was here” moments.

Farewell, Elephant Sands

As we packed up to leave, we looked forward to a nice shower at Senyati, where things would hopefully be quieter. We couldn’t help but wonder what Elephant Sands would have been like if we’d picked a better date. But hey, that’s a mystery for another trip!

Sunrise at Elephant Sands
Sunrise at Elephant Sands

If you’ve got your own Elephant Sands tales to share, don’t be shy—visit the forum and spill the beans!

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