The ultimate safari sleepout
Enjoy a billion-star experience at Feline Fields Lodge
There's little to beat a night in the bush, sleeping under a canopy of twinkling stars, a welcoming campfire crackling nearby and the soft light of a myriad paraffin lamps casting shadows that seem to dance in the darkness. This is where you ponder the greatest questions of humankind while marvelling at the lofty firmament above and your place in it, eventually surrendering to sleep as the Kalahari shares its ancient wisdom in secret, whispered lullabies...
At Feline Fields Lodge we offer all guests the chance to experience the ultimate safari sleepout and connect directly with the incredible wilderness that surrounds the lodge. And, in true Feline Fields style, it's something we do with no small amount of panache and flair!
While you are filling your day at the lodge with wonderful activities like tennis, horse riding, walking with the bushmen, cycling and generally exploring the wonderful, wild surroundings, we're setting up an overnight camp a short drive from the lodge. With "see-through" tents made from mosquito netting and plush, floor-level mattresses topped with sumptuous linen, we take pride in creating a true "glamping" experience with a difference - the sheer finish of the netting magically disappears at night, offering you a view of the Milky Way that's absolutely breathtaking.
A firepit and dining area complete the camp, along with a bush toilet, and as the sun begins to dip below the horizon we transport you and your small overnight bag to this slice of paradise, in time for sundowners and a leisurely dinner, with after-dinner drinks around the campfire. When you're ready for bed, we provide you with a place to freshen up and escort you to your tent, where your overnight bag has been placed ready for you.
We wish you good night and leave you to soak up the magic of the moment. But don't worry, because members of our team stay with you overnight to ensure your safety and to be on hand if you need anything during the night.
And so, to bed... Laying back under the fluffy duvet staring up at the galaxy that's on full, undiluted display above is a truly transformative experience. It's also thoroughly mind-boggling. There are few places on our planet with skies clear enough to see the Milky Way in such detail, where there is no light pollution and dust in the air. We are blessed here in Botswana with some fabulously dark and unpolluted night skies, especially in the Kalahari, where the desert air is crisp and visibility usually excellent.
It's hard to believe that the light that you see in the sky above you is ancient, having left the stars that generated it sometimes hundreds of thousands of light-years ago. It's like looking at a snapshot of the past as your mind tries to grapple with the enormity of it all. Earth is located in its own solar system - a grouping of eight planets and various comets, asteroids and dwarf planets which orbit the sun - in the Orion Arm of the Milky Way. The Orion Arm is one of the galaxy's spiral arms and our solar system is about two thirds of the way out from the centre of the galaxy.
The Milky way is vast, measuring around 120,000 light-years in diameter; being around 1,000 light-years thick and home to 400-billion stars. A light-year is around 9,5-trillion km long. So that's some serious maths!
It got this big by absorbing other galaxies like the Sagittarius Dwarf Galaxy and is currently consuming the Canis Major Dwarf Galaxy, whose stars are being steadily added to the Milky Way. Its closest spiral galaxy neighbour is the Andromeda Galaxy which is twice as big as the Milky Way and steadily moving towards it, being scheduled to collide and merge with it in around 5-billion years' time!
Even without this basic understanding of the universe above us, looking at the magnitude of stars above you as you lay back under your star-gazing friendly tent triggers a similar response in all of our guests - one of complete awe and fascination - a truly humbling experience. If you stay awake long enough you may be lucky enough to see shooting stars, and satellites passing overhead. If you have a star-gazing app on your cellphone, it's the perfect time and place to use it and zoom in on some of the stars that twinkle like diamonds on a sheet of black velvet.
With all of the fresh air, sleep tends to come quickly out in the open, and waking up can be as exhilarating, as the first rays of light begin to illuminate the sky and life in the Kalahari prepares for the sun's arrival, accompanied by the dawn chorus. Enjoying a cup of fresh coffee as you watch the sunrise is an experience you'll never forget.
As soon as you are ready, we transport you back to the lodge to freshen up and have breakfast, and spend another amazing day discovering the secrets of the Kalahari with us.
