Central Kalahari Game Reserve
Larger than Denmark, the Central Kalahari Game Reserve spreads across some 52,800 square kilometres of grassy dunes, fossil riverbeds and salt pans in the heart of the Kalahari Desert. For travellers seeking solitude, no other Botswana tourist attraction comes close.
Established in 1961, the reserve was created partly to protect the land and way of life of the San, who have lived in the Kalahari for tens of thousands of years. Despite the name "desert", much of the Central Kalahari is covered with grass, acacia scrub and scattered trees, and after good rains it becomes surprisingly green. Ancient river valleys, dry for thousands of years, wind across the landscape and attract much of the wildlife.
Why visit the Central Kalahari?
Black-maned Kalahari lions, brown hyenas, cheetahs and leopards hunt gemsbok, springbok, red hartebeest and wildebeest here, while bat-eared foxes and meerkats patrol the grasslands. The reserve is also the ancestral land of the San, whose desert knowledge is unrivalled.
The animals here are superbly adapted to life with little or no surface water: gemsbok can go for long periods without drinking, getting moisture from tsamma melons and roots. Watching them survive in such an environment is one of the reserve's great fascinations, and with so few vehicles around, you may spend hours without seeing another person.
Getting there and around
Matswere Gate lies about 200 kilometres south-east of Maun via Rakops, with the last stretch on deep sand. There are no shops or fuel inside, so most visitors either fly to a lodge airstrip or join a guided trip such as the 3-day Central Kalahari mobile safari, which camps inside the reserve.
A southern entrance at Khutse Game Reserve, which adjoins the Central Kalahari, makes it possible to approach from Gaborone. Distances inside the reserve are huge and tracks are sandy, so driving between the northern valleys and the southern areas can take a full day.
Highlights not to miss
- Deception Valley: A fossil riverbed known for lions and the research of Mark and Delia Owens, who described it in their book Cry of the Kalahari.
- Piper Pans: Waterholes drawing gemsbok, springbok and predators.
- San bushwalks: Learn tracking and plant lore from San guides, from finding water in roots to making traditional tools.
- Night skies: Among the darkest and clearest in Africa, with the Milky Way stretching from horizon to horizon.
Practical tips
Independent travellers should go in convoy with fuel, water and food for several days; campsites are bare and must be booked. Winter nights can drop below freezing, while summer days exceed 40 °C.
Carry a satellite phone or satellite messenger, as mobile coverage is non-existent, and let someone know your route. Grass seeds can clog vehicle radiators, so check and clean them regularly. Campsites are unfenced, and lions and hyenas may pass through at night.
Best time to visit
Counter-intuitively, the rains from December to April are best: the valleys green up and draw big herds of springbok and gemsbok, with predators close behind. The cool dry months are comfortable, but wildlife is more scattered.
Thunderstorms in the wet season are spectacular, and tracks are generally passable, though clay pans can become slippery. September and October are the hottest and harshest months, best avoided by inexperienced travellers.
Accommodation and food
Wild campsites without facilities contrast with a handful of luxury lodges on concessions bordering the reserve, where dinner is often served beneath the stars.
Lodges typically offer game drives, guided walks with San trackers and sometimes the chance to visit habituated meerkat colonies, all included in full-board rates.
How does it compare to other Botswana tourist attractions?
Game is less concentrated than along the Chobe River or in the Okavango Delta, but the sense of space is unmatched. Pair it with the nearby Makgadikgadi Pans for a desert-themed journey.
It is the best counterpoint to Botswana's water-based safaris, showing a completely different side of the country's wildlife and landscapes.
In summary
Plan carefully, allow at least three nights, and the Kalahari will reward you with lions on the dunes and a silence you can almost hear.
