Central Kalahari Game Reserve

The Central Kalahari Game Reserve covers 52,800 km², about a tenth of Botswana, in open, dry country of grassland, scrub and ancient riverbeds.

After the summer rains, springbok, gemsbok and wildebeest gather in valleys like Deception Valley, and the black-maned Kalahari lions follow.

What and Where It Is

The reserve lies in the middle of Botswana, south of Maun. Its best-known feature is Deception Valley, a fossil riverbed in the northeast that began to form around 16,000 years ago and is named for the mirage over its pan. There is very little natural surface water, and many animals get much of their moisture from plants such as wild melons.

The San have lived in this area for thousands of years, and guided walks with San trackers, who show how to find water, read tracks and use plants, are one of the best parts of a visit.

Wildlife and Activities

The Kalahari's lions are known for their dark manes. Cheetah, leopard, brown hyena, African wild dog, bat-eared fox and meerkats also live here. Plains game includes springbok, gemsbok (oryx), blue wildebeest, red hartebeest, eland and kudu. Wildlife is spread thin in the dry months and gathers on the valley grasslands after rain.

Activities are mainly game drives and walks with San guides.

Best Time to Go

December to April, after the rains, is when the valleys turn green and herds gather, with predators following. March and April are a good balance of wildlife and drier roads. June to October is dry and cooler at night, with sparse vegetation that makes animals easier to spot, though there are fewer of them. Birding is best from November to March. See our month-by-month safari guide for more.

Getting There and How Long to Stay

Lodges are reached by light aircraft from Maun. The reserve is also open to self-sufficient 4x4 travellers, with campsites but no supplies, through four entrance gates. Give it at least two or three nights, as distances are large and the rewards come with time.

Where to Stay in the Central Kalahari

There are only a few lodges here. Tau Pan Camp was the first permanent camp built inside the reserve, and Deception Valley Lodge sits on a private reserve on the northern boundary. We do not yet feature a Kalahari lodge on our site, so get in touch and we will find the right fit. For another desert landscape that pairs well with the Delta, see the Makgadikgadi Pans.

Species in the Area

Mammals

Lion (black-maned Kalahari)
Cheetah
Leopard
Brown hyena
African wild dog
Bat-eared fox
Black-backed jackal
Meerkat
Springbok
Gemsbok
Blue wildebeest
Red hartebeest
Eland
Greater kudu
Steenbok

Birdlife

Kori bustard
Secretary bird
Ostrich
Pale chanting goshawk
Northern black korhaan

Brown Hyena

The brown hyena is the rarest hyena in the world, with an estimated 4,000 to 10,000 left, and the Kalahari is one of its last strongholds. It is listed as Near Threatened. Brown hyenas live in small clans but forage alone, mostly at night, scavenging carcasses and adding insects, eggs, fruit such as wild melons and the occasional small animal. In the Kalahari, where lions and spotted hyenas are scarcer, they are often the dominant carnivore at a carcass. The biggest threat is persecution by farmers who see them feeding on dead livestock and assume they killed it. Large, unfarmed areas like the Central Kalahari give them space without that conflict.

Central Kalahari Game Reserve

Desert lions and fossil river valleys