When is the best time to visit the Kalahari?

The green season, from about December to April, is when the Central Kalahari comes alive, as antelope gather on the new grass and predators follow them, though it depends on the rains. The dry months from May to August bring cold nights and clear days, and the tracks are easier to drive. September and October are hot, and animals stay close to the waterholes.

Do I need a 4x4 for the Kalahari parks?

Yes. Tracks in the Central Kalahari and the Kgalagadi are deep sand, and there are few facilities inside either park. You'll need a well-equipped 4x4, the gear to dig yourself out, and enough fuel and water for several days. Many people travel with a second vehicle for safety, and a guided trip takes care of all of this if you'd rather not drive.

What is a walk with San guides like?

You'll head out on foot into the bush near camp, usually in the cool of the morning, while your guides show you how their families found food and water in the desert. They'll point out edible roots and medicinal plants, dig for water-storing tubers and read the night's tracks in the sand. The pace is gentle and suits most ages and fitness levels.

How far is the Kgalagadi from Gaborone?

It's a long way. The Mabuasehube section is about 530 km from Gaborone by road, with sandy tracks for the last stretch after Tsabong, and Two Rivers is around 810 km. Many visitors enter at Two Rivers from South Africa instead, or combine the park with a trip through Namibia. Either way, allow at least a full day of driving to get there.

Things to do in Kalahari

Panoramica

The Kalahari covers most of Botswana, but its wildest stretches lie in the west and southwest, far from towns and tar. Camelthorn trees dot the sand and the grass turns gold in the dry months. The wildlife here copes with long spells without rain, from gemsbok that rarely need to drink to the black-maned Kalahari lions. It suits travellers who enjoy space and silence, and trips here run slower and longer than a delta safari.

Ghanzi and the Central Kalahari

Ghanzi is a cattle-ranching town on the Trans-Kalahari Highway. About 35 km north, the Naro San village of D'kar is home to the Kuru Art Project, where San artists paint and print their work. Lodges around Ghanzi offer bush walks with San guides, who teach you to track animals and find water in the sand. The Central Kalahari Game Reserve fills a large part of Ghanzi district and is one of the biggest game reserves in the world. After the rains, from about December to April, Deception Valley and the other fossil river valleys turn green. Springbok and gemsbok often gather there to graze, with lions and cheetahs following, though numbers vary with the rain.

The Kgalagadi Transfrontier Park

In the far southwest, the Kgalagadi Transfrontier Park joins reserves in Botswana and South Africa into one open wilderness of red dunes and dry riverbeds. Two Rivers sits where the Auob and Nossob riverbeds meet, and it's easiest to reach from South Africa. Tsabong, the main town in Kgalagadi district, is the last fuel stop before the Mabuasehube section. There, basic campsites overlook a string of pans, and the waterholes give you the best chance of seeing animals.

Getting there and how long to stay

Distances are long, so most trips here are guided, fly-in or carefully planned self-drives. Ghanzi is a few hours' drive south-west of Maun on tar, and Two Rivers is around 810 km from Gaborone. Allow at least three nights in either park, carry all your water and fuel, and book campsites well ahead. The Kalahari links well with the Okavango via Ghanzi, or with the south on the road through Jwaneng.

Things to do in Kalahari

Ghanzi and the Central Kalahari

The Kgalagadi Transfrontier Park

Getting there and how long to stay

Booking on adventuro

Ghanzi and the Central Kalahari

The Kgalagadi Transfrontier Park

Getting there and how long to stay

Booking on adventuro