Ghanzi is a ranching town far out in the western Kalahari, surrounded by cattle farms. Afrikaner trekker families settled here at the end of the nineteenth century, long after the Naro and other San peoples, whose communities still live around the town. It's the main stop on the road between Maun and the Namibian border, and it has a relaxed, frontier feel. The district is huge, and more than 40 per cent of it is the Central Kalahari Game Reserve, one of the largest game reserves in the world.
Art, bush walks and the Central Kalahari
About 35 kilometres up the Maun road, the village of D'Kar is home to the Kuru Art Project, where San artists paint and print scenes of Kalahari life. Their work has hung in galleries from Gaborone to London and has even flown on the tail fins of British Airways planes. On farms around Ghanzi, San guides lead gentle bush walks and show you how to find water and food in the bush. For the Central Kalahari you'll need a well-equipped 4x4 or a guided trip. Tsau Gate is about 155 kilometres away, the last 40 of them in thick sand. Inside, the grassy fossil valleys can fill with springbok and gemsbok after good summer rains, drawing lion and cheetah, though sightings depend on the rain.
Booking on adventuro
For the transfrontier park in the south-west, see Kgalagadi, and our guide to the Kalahari covers routes and seasons across the whole desert. Use the Book here tab to see live dates and prices.
