Central Kalahari

Waist-high golden grasses seem to stretch endlessly, shadowed by dwarfed trees and scrub bushes. The main wildlife concentrations are to be found in the northern part of the reserve. Although called a desert, the Kalahari is covered with a wide variety of habitats: sand dunes with many species of trees in the North, flat bushveld in the central area, mopane forests to the south and east, wide grasslands in vast open plains, acacia trees forests, saltpans and ancient riverbed. Wide and empty pans appear as vast white stretches of saucer-flat earth, meeting a soft, blue-white sky. At night the stars utterly dominate the land; their brilliance and immediacy are totally arresting.

A spectacular migration takes place when the summer rains arrive in December to April. The season transforms the area into green grasslands in the North allowing visitors on holiday in the Central Kalahari Game Reserve to view Giraffe, wild dog, leopoard, lion, brown hyena, cheetah, warthog, a wide variety of antelope, kudu and springbok, among others. You will also enjoy fascinating reptiles, scorpions and insects, magnificent skies during the day, with impressive cloud formations during the summer rainstorms and spectacular starry nights during your Central Kalahari Game Reserve holiday. The great spectacle of the Deception Valley, an 80km long ancient riverbed where mirages take place is a highlight of your holiday to the Central Kalahari Game Reserve.

Unlike in other safari locations, the rainy season from November to March or its later months from February to April are the best time to visit. The dry season from May to October is hot, dry and dusty and as a result few animals are to be seen under these harsh conditions. However, this time of year does offer the unique experience of travelling through a truly untouched wilderness of seemingly unending dimensions. The landscape during this time is dominated by silver terminalia sandveldt, Kalahari sand acacias, and Kalahari appleleaf, interspersed with grasslands, and dotted with occasional sand dunes, pans and shallow fossil river valleys.

The Central Kalahari is probably at its most enticing when travel there is most difficult: in the first few months of the year. At this time, the beautiful inter-dune valleys become lush with vegetation, attracting thousands of springbok and gemsbok.

You'll also find good numbers of ostrich and giraffe, herds of wildebeest, excellent cheetah and the Kalahari's famous black-maned lions. Leopard and brown hyena are common residents too, though very rarely seen.