Kalahari Desert Safari

Enjoy a Kalahari Desert safari where the vast sandy savannah dominates the land-locked country of Botswana in southern Africa. Deriving its name from the Tswana word “Kgala”, meaning the “great thirst”, the Kalahari ‘s “thirsty” sands leave little trace of the area’s 5-10 inch annual rainfall other than the distinctive camel-thorn trees, that punctuate the grasslands.

The expansive Kalahari basin spills out of Botswana into neighbouring South Africa and Namibia, giving refuge to antelope, elephant, giraffe, numerous bird species, and a variety of predators that reside in its national parks and reserves. The massive salt pan of Makgadikgadi to the north was once a lake the size of Switzerland. Now the pans attract herds of wildebeest and zebra as well as predators like hyena, lion and cheetah which congregate to drink from the shrinking puddles along the region’s historic hunter-gatherer paths.

The Kalahari’s wide-open plains are ideal for predator-viewing and the area is known for the magnificent cheetah, lion, leopard and endangered African wild dog that roam this starkly beautiful landscape. In fact, this desert is recommended as the best place in Africa to view cheetah in their natural habitat, an experience that is especially memorable from the top of Kgalagadi Transfrontier Park’s red sand dunes.

A guided Game drive through Deception Valley in Botswana’s largest reserve, the Central Kalahari Game Reserve, which will bring you up close to the reserve’s lions, wild dogs, cheetahs, leopards, jackals, bat-eared foxes, African wild cats, zebra, giraffes, as well as thousands of birds and insects.

Best Time to Visit the Kalahari Desert on Safari

Wildlife gathers around the few remaining waterholes as the dry season begins in May and June; and this is when game viewing is optimal. However, if you don’t mind a bit of precipitation on your safari, the start of the rains in December to early January transforms this dry landscape into a verdant sanctuary for migrating zebra, buffalo and elephant herds, providing extraordinary sightings of a different kind.