The kalahari game reserve

This morning we have breakfast enjoying the spectacular view of the Deception Valley illuminated by the sunlight rising and then we leave; we go down to see if there is someone at the Sunday waterhole, but today, apart from some birds, there is no one. From here we go back to the Leopard Pan where we see many herbivores, mostly oryxes, there are some very large flocks although they are a bit distant from us.

From here we continue our exploration to the South and to the Deception Valley and we see several giraffes walking with their grace and prettiness, some are busy eating, we have not yet seen them here in the CKGR and we are happy; here the spaces are open and you can see them in the distance. We arrive to the main junction and we take the road leading to the Gate Matswere, if it was for us we would still be a bit longer in the reserve, but unfortunately we have to exit the gate by It takes almost two hours from here to get to the gate and we do not want to get late, we do not want to get some fine.

We arrive at the Matswere Gate at Today we are heading to Maun, we have a long way to go; so we leave, letting the Central Kalahari Reserve behind us. We will definitely return, landscapes and the sense of freedom just won us, and the fact that it is more difficult to find animals makes the sightings even more exciting; next time we will venture a little further South to discover new places and scenarios.

The Central Kalahari Game Reserve. On the pond's edge there are helmeted guineafowls, some sandgrouses and crowned lapwings. We also notice a few bunches of springboks and a herd of wildebeests. It is indescribable the beauty of this place and it's all for us. Southern Africa's Deserts Expedition Route. Our car! The Expedition Blog. A day in Johannesburg and Soweto. The Khama Rhino Sanctuary. Kubu Island and the Sua Pan. Nxai National Park. Moremi Game Reserve. The Tsodilo Hills and the San.

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TOP 8 Highlights of Botswana. Points of Interest. Info 3. General information. Specifications Type. Lion, leopard, cheetah, giraffe, wildebeest, zebra, springbuck and many more. Central Kalahari Game Reserve - Wilderness far from mass tourism. Central Kalahari Game Reserve.

Lion couple. Bat eared foxes. Roads in the Central Kalahari Game Reserve. Signpost Deception Valley. Hunting African Wild Dogs.

Vast landscapes. Boomslang and Weaver Birds. Herd of Spring Buck. Campsite sign posts. Central Kalahari Game Reserve in the dry season. Ground squirrel. Marabu at a waterfilled pan. Points of interest Central Kalahari. Accommodation Central Kalahari. When booking accommodation or activities with Info-Botswana you will enjoy several advantages. Read more. Info Namibia.

Originally nomadic hunters and gatherers, the lifestyle of the Basarwa has gradually changed with the times and they now live in settlements, some of which are situated within the southern half of the Central Kalahari Game Reserve.

Other fairly recent residents were Mark and Delia Owens, who spent many years in the Deception Valley area of the park undertaking research, mainly on brown hyena. The ecosystems, wildlife and landscapes in the Central Kalahari Game Reserve differ very much to what you would experience further north of the Okavango regions. In the reserve, you will notice a variety of species are more prolific than elsewhere in Botswana such as brown hyena, aardwolf, oryx, bat-eared fox and ostrich.

Game viewing for animals including giraffe, brown hyaena, warthog, wild dog, cheetah, leopard, lion, blue wildebeest, eland, gemsbok, kudu, red hartebeest and springbok is best between December and April when the animals tend to congregate in the pans and valleys. The game viewing in the Central Kalahari can seem sparse compared to the Okavango-Linyanti-Chobe region. Springbok are the most numerous of the large herbivores. Oryx numbers in the Central Kalahari are also very strong, often seen in herds exceeding in the short grass plains during the rains.

Red hartebeest, eland, wildebeest, kudu and giraffe can also be found in good numbers. The main predators are lion, cheetah and leopard, although leopard are much less frequently seen. The lion prides range over large territories and are connected by loose associations. Many of the lions are solitary or live in pairs and will often hunt smaller prey such as porcupines. The birdlife in the Central Kalahari is varied.

The largest of these, the ostrich and kori bustard, are doing extremely well and are commonly spotted. Doves are well represented with Cape turtle doves, laughing doves and Namaqua doves all seen in high numbers. All the sub-Saharan species of sandgrouse can also be found in the reserve. During the day, these can be difficult to spot with their excellent camouflage.

However, during the mornings, large numbers can be seen flying to the waterholes. Large flocks of red-billed queleas are also common, often seen as they swarm down from trees to drink or in search of food. There are also a good number of black-shouldered kites, rock kestrels, bateleurs, black-breasted and brown snake eagles, martial and tawny eagles and lanner falcons are also around.

There are three entry points to the reserve; through Khutse in the south, then a western entrance through Xade and also in the northeast through Matswere. Access to Xade, where there are two undeveloped campsites near the Xade Wildlife Camp, is made by turning off east from the Ghanzi-Kang road about 36 kilometres south of Ghanzi indicated by signpost.