Kalahari Desert Holidays

Game viewing in the huge Central Kalahari Game Reserve, or the smaller reserves and conservancies around its edges, is an unmissable highlight of the Kalahari Desert, but its attractions don’t stop there. Discover the two-season landscape of the Makgadikgadi Salt Pans and the incredible survival routine of the huge Baines’ Baobab trees at its corner. Travel through three countries in one day at Kgalagadi Transfrontier Park. 

Browse the Louvre of the desert at Tsodilo Hills UNESCO World Heritage Site where 4,500 rock paintings are proudly displayed on the sacred hills of the San tribes. Take the two-day Trans-Kalahari Walk through red dunes and arid plains. Learn how to hunt, gather food, and make fire with San tribesmen. Or simply lay back and take in the shimming stars of the unspoiled night sky, far from the pollution and noise of the cities.

The environment might be different in the Kalahari, but the wildlife is still breathtaking. Visit Central Kalahari Game Reserve, more than three times the size of the Serengeti, to spot African wild cats, bat-eared foxes, black-maned lions, cheetahs, giraffes, jackals, leopards, wild dogs, zebra, and flocks of birds, not to mention insects. 

Pass through three countries in one day at Kgalagadi Transfrontier Park at the corner of Botswana, Namibia, and South Africa and take a scenic game drive across dry plains to find Africa’s most majestic big cats, packs of hyena, and the antelope on which they prey. Take a perch on a high dune for a unique and serene perspective of the habitats below. Cross the border into South Africa to visit Tswalu Kalahari Reserve, a sanctuary for 70 endemic mammal species, or into Namibia to witness the fish eagle, camel thorn, and quiver trees of Riemvasmaak Community Conservancy.

Head to the northeast of the Kalahari Desert to discover one of the largest salt pan basins in the world at Makgadikgadi. This mesmerising collection of pans totals around 10,000 square miles and sits neatly between the wetlands of the Okavango Delta and the arid landscapes of the Kalahari. Explore this vast land of two seasons, empty and eerie in the dry winter months but bursting with life when the summer rains come and bring huge migrations of zebra and wildebeest. 

Spot predators preparing to target the herds and witness the vibrant pink of flamingos crowding on the horizon. Take time to visit the magical oasis at the edge of the pans where the Baines’ Baobab trees sit. Seven sleeping sisters who use the summer months to soak up to 120,000 litres of water into their substantial trunks ready to subside on through the long dry winter.

The Kalahari is a desert of two seasons, each with its own charm. April to October is the winter season and the land is bone dry, with temperatures cool during the day and cold at night. November to March is summer and temperatures rise throughout the early months of the year making for much warmer days. Summer also brings rain, which is heaviest in December and January. 

While game viewing is possible all year round, animals are more dispersed in the winter and tracking them can be harder and across much larger distances. From December to February the Kalahari is home to the largest animal migration in Africa and a game viewing experience comparable with the most visited parks in the world.