The Central Kalahari Game Reserve is enormous and quiet. The Botswana Tourism Organisation gives its size as 52,800 square kilometres and calls it the largest and most remotely situated reserve in southern Africa. It was established in 1961 as a sanctuary for the San people in the heart of the Kalahari, so that traditional ways of life could continue with limited outside influence. The landscape is wide and subtle. Waist-high golden grasses stretch to the horizon, dotted with dwarfed trees and scrub; flat white pans lie under a pale blue-white sky; and old fossil river valleys cut through dunes and grassland. Silver terminalia sand veld, Kalahari sand acacias and Kalahari apple-leaf are the dominant vegetation. Visitors rarely come for crowds of animals. They come for solitude, for the tracks of lions in the sand, and for a night sky the tourism board describes as especially brilliant. The north of the reserve, around Deception Valley, Sunday and Leopard Pans, Passarge Valley and further south Piper's Pan, holds the most accessible and rewarding country.
When and what
The key to the Central Kalahari is the rain. During and shortly after good summer rains, the northern grasslands draw large numbers of springbok, gemsbok, wildebeest, hartebeest, eland and giraffe to the best grazing, and the predators arrive in their wake. Deception Valley, the most heavily travelled area because it is close to Matswere Gate on the east side, is a highlight when herbivores are concentrated.
Outside the green season the reserve is dry, hot by day and cold at night in winter, and wildlife is thinner and more dispersed. The experience then becomes about tracking, silence and the desert itself, so it suits patient travellers.
Ways to visit
You can self-drive, join an organised tour or fly in to lodges on the edges of the reserve or inside it. The government allocated lodge concessions after the reserve was closed to most visitors for about thirty years, which is why fly-in tourism now exists alongside basic camping. Activities include game drives, wilderness drives, nature walks with Basarwa (San) guides and culture-based dances.
Public campsites are available in Deception Valley, which has many of them, and at Xade and Tsau, on the far side of the reserve. Camping here is wild: you need to bring all your own food, water, fuel and recovery gear, and be prepared for deep sand.
Planning from Maun
Maun-based operators run small-group camping safaris into the Central Kalahari, usually over three or four days, because the drive in and out is long and the main attractions are far apart. These can be combined with Nxai Pan and the Makgadikgadi to form a loop of desert Botswana, and they pair naturally with a Delta trip, giving you both ends of the country's landscape. If you self-drive, travel with at least two vehicles, a satellite phone or other emergency communication, and a good paper map, as phone signal does not exist.
For most people a reputable guided trip is the sensible way to see the reserve. Dress in layers, bring a warm sleeping bag for winter nights, and protect yourself from sun and wind. It is not a place for those who want comfort at every turn, but it gives a sense of space and stillness that few places in Africa can match.
What to expect
The experience
A planning overview of the reserve: landscapes, wildlife, the San connection and the guided, self-drive and fly-in ways to visit.
Best time
Shortly after good summer rains for concentrations of herbivores and predators; the dry season for solitude and clear stars.
How long
Three to four days from Maun, since the drive in and out is long.
Tips
Go with a reputable operator or travel in a well-equipped convoy. Carry all food, water and fuel, and expect no phone signal.
Quick picks
- Best for
- Adventurous travellers who want empty horizons and a true wilderness feel.
- Families
- Suits older, adventurous children; camping is basic and drives are long.
- Couples
- A dune-top sundowner and a sky full of stars make it quietly romantic.
- Pair with
- Makgadikgadi and Nxai Pan, then the Delta in Maun.
- Time needed
- Three to four days.
Good questions
How big is the Central Kalahari Game Reserve?+
About 52,800 square kilometres, making it the largest and most remote reserve in southern Africa.
When is the best time to visit?+
During and shortly after good summer rains, when animals gather on the northern grasslands. The dry season is quieter but wildlife is thinner.
Who is the reserve connected to?+
It was established in 1961 as a sanctuary for the San people. Visitors can take nature walks with San guides and see cultural dances.
Can I self-drive?+
Yes, with a capable 4x4, sand-driving experience, full self-sufficiency and ideally a second vehicle. There is no phone signal.
Where can I camp?+
Public campsites are available in Deception Valley, which has many of them, and at Xade and Tsau.
