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Home -> Reviews & Tips -> Lodge Reviews -> Planet Baobab
PLANET BAOBAB
General
Run by Unchartered Africa Safari Co. and located near the quaint village of Gweta on the border of the Makgadikgadi Pans, Planet Baobab is well situated for exploring these vast salt pans. Offering accommodation in traditional huts as well as a wide variety of activities, Planet Baobab is a great place to visit on your safari through Botswana.
As its name suggests the main feature at Planet Baobab is the Baobab trees with 14 huge specimens adding character to the lodge, especially at night when they are lit up to great effect.
What to see and do
The main activities at Planet Baobab focus on the Makgadikgadi Salt Pans with the
highlight of any visit being an overnight quad biking trip out to the pans.
After
driving to the edge of the pans you will transfer to your quad bikes and drive out
onto the pans themselves to where a table and chairs will be set up seemingly in
the middle of nowhere! After enjoying a starlit meal you will snuggle into your warm
bedroll under a spectacular African night sky.
Other activities that can be combined
with a pan trip include a trip to Green's baobab or a visit to a Meerkat den where
you can get up close and personal with these fascinating creatures.
During the wet season when the pans are out of reach due to the rains and seasonal flooding there are other activities to be enjoyed in the vicinity of the lodge including nature walks, cultural village tours or a visit to a working cattlepost where a traditional Botswana meal (left) will be served giving you the chance to experience something of the local culture and cuisine!
Due to its convenient location on the popular tourist route north to Maun, Planet Baobab makes an excellent stopover, for tourists en-route to the Okavango Delta or Savuti, with a well kept campsite, comfortable accommodation and a good restaurant.
Wildlife
Although not well known for its animals there are nevertheless a few animals which can be seen in the vicinity of the lodge including elephant which travel down from further north during the wet season. On the overnight pan trip animals such as Steenbok and Jackal are commonly encountered but if you are lucky you could encounter some of the more secretive desert animals such as Aardwolf, Caracal, Aardvark and Brown Hyena. Not forgetting of course the famous Meerkats which have been habituated to the presence of humans allowing close and personal encounters!
Around the camp there are numerous woodland birds which can be seen such as drongos, helmetshrikes, francolins and bulbuls whilst the nearby waterhole attracts a variety of waterbirds throughout the year.
Accommodation
Planet Baobab offers traditional accommodation ranging from fully serviced, en-suite Bakalanga huts (right) to Baobab huts with shared ablutions as well as a pleasantly located campsite with clean ablutions. All of the accommodation is situated near huge Baobab trees which are spectacularly lit up at night.
The main section of the camp features a dining area, outdoor lapa and fireplace as well as a swimming pool where you can cool off from the heat of the sun. The restaurant offers a variety of meals as well as offering a hearty cooked breakfast each morning.