The Central Kalahari Game Reserve covers a large section of central Botswana. Its harsh, sprawling terrain is dominated by grasslands, home to wildlife such as giraffes, cheetahs, hyenas and wild dogs. There are several fossilized river valleys, including Deception Valley and Passarge Valley.
The Central Kalahari Game Reserve is Botswana’s biggest reserve and is situated in the middle of the Kalahari Desert. This is pure, untrammelled wilderness. The inhospitable desert habitat doesn’t support the wide variety of safari animals found in greener destinations – but sightings in this arid landscape are special.
Big herds of desert-adapted antelope, such as springbok and oryx, can be seen walking along the dunes. Predators are easy to spot on the plains. The Kalahari black-maned lions are particularly stunning, and cheetah thrive in this open country. Lucky visitors might even come across a pack of wild dogs or a solitary honey badger.
The Central Kalahari offers good bird watching. Over 250 species have been recorded, and the park is particularly good for raptors due to the high volume of small animals for them to feed on. Some of the big ground dwelling birds to look out for are ostrich, secretary bird and kori bustard. Smaller bustards, such as black bustard and red-crested bustard are common as well.
The scenery can be monotonous but the endless horizons – as the sun gets low in the sky and afternoon colors soften – are mesmerizing. The landscape is a mix of straggly bushes, including the desert-adapted silver terminalia, patches of acacias, pans and fossil riverways interspersed with dunes. In the Wet season, the inter-dune valleys transform to green.
December to MarchBest in Deception Valley
July to OctoberThe park never gets crowded
Adventurous destination, Stunning desert scenery, clear starry nights
Good all year, wetter months from November to April migrants present
The best time to visit Central Kalahari Game Reserve is during the wet months, from December to March. Wildlife migrates through the park with the seasons and during these months animals congregate around the pans in the Deception Valley area.
The desert climate of the Central Kalahari is at its most testing in the Dry season (April to October), with average daytime temperatures peaking at 33°C/91°F. The only exception is early in the morning when you’ll need to rug up against the chill if you’re doing a game drive. The Wet season (November to March) cools things down with its intermittent showers.
For prime wildlife viewing and fewer crowds, you should avoid the driest times of the year and visit in the Wet season (November to March). This is also when animals make the most of the returning rain by gathering around the pans in Deception Valley.
