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Kalahari desert Kgalagadi Transfrontier Park Botswana Africa

At some 52,000 square kilometres, making this Africa’s second largest reserve, Central Kalahari feels as wild and unfathomably remote as it was 50 years ago.

There are just two lodges inside the park and a smattering of scattered campsites used by mobile safari operators and self-drives, meaning it often feels like you have the whole park to yourself.

The game-viewing is best just after the rains when herds of oryx and springbok congregate in lush fossilised river valleys, preyed on by huge black-maned lions, cheetah and leopard. Other resident desert specialists include bat-eared foxes and brown hyenas while raptors flock to the park during the rainy season. The mammal density and diversity is not quite a match for the northern parks making it less well-suited to first-time safari travellers but for the feel of a true African wilderness, CKGR is tough to beat.

Hugging the park’s northern boundary, the Hainaveld consists of a handful of compact, segregated, privately-owned reserves, which offer an alternative Kalahari wildlife experience. The denser habitat means the landscape is less scenic than inside the park, but pumped waterholes concentrate the game in the dry season. Several of the lodges employ local Kalahari bushmen with legendary tracking skills, who will also teach you about their way of life on a guided walk.

Hidden gems in Central Kalahari Game Reserve

Central Kalahari Game Reserve

Taste true wilderness in the Central Kalahari

Anthony Ham
Anthony Ham

Measuring 52,000 square kilometres, I think this vast wilderness is a signature Botswana safari experience. Known for its golden grasslands, salt pans, sand dunes covered in vegetation and wide former river valleys, it’s a soulful experience that’s custom-made for a self-drive safari. The mammal density and diversity are not quite a match for the northern parks making it less well-suited to first-time safari travellers but for the feel of a true African wilderness, CKGR is tough to beat. Hugging the park’s northern boundary, the Hainaveld consists of a handful of compact, segregated, privately-owned reserves. The denser habitat means the landscape is less scenic than inside the park, but pumped waterholes concentrate the game in the dry season. Several of the lodges employ local Kalahari bushmen with legendary tracking skills, who will also teach you about their way of life on a guided walk.

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Central Kalahari Game Reserve

Camp out in Khutse Game Reserve

Anthony Ham
Anthony Ham

The southern extension of the CKGR, Khutse gets very few visitors (except on weekends). I love its remote campsites (I once slept here, 40 km from the nearest person), its classic Kalahari scenery, and its lions, leopards and so much more.

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Central Kalahari Game Reserve tours

Blooming Desert
Botswana

Blooming Desert

10 day small group tour
10 days From £4,550 pp
Botswana Wildlife Camping Safari
Botswana

Botswana Wildlife Camping Safari

9 days From $2,950 pp

Central Kalahari Game Reserve travel companies

Africa

Discover Africa Safaris

Authentic Luxury African Safaris, tailored for you
Botswana

African Wild

Botswana tours and safaris
Africa

Take Me To Africa

Experts in small group travel to Africa
Central America, Africa, Central Asia

YellowWood Adventures

Sustainable travel for the modern-day explorer
Botswana

Lelobu Safaris

Affordable Botswana Safaris

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