Central Kalahari Reserve

The Land of Life and Thirst

In the middle of Botswana lies the heart of the Kalahari – a flat sea of sand in a dry and featureless world. But within this monotony a wealth of wildlife and breathtaking landscapes awaits discovery. The shimmering façade of baked sand hides an incredible diversity of strangely adapted plant and animal life. There is the Devil’s claw, a spiky weed pod that contains natural aspirin; the majestic gemsbok with a built-in air conditioner; and the distasteful dung beetle upon whom almost everyone’s survival depends. This expansive landscape has always held a magnetic attraction for man, and since the middle of the 19th century explorers have been drawn here, searching for undiscovered wealth. So far treasure and lost cities have eluded all, and many people have died trying to cross the dry interior. A rusty trail of broken, sun-bleached wagons can still be found littering the lost Missionaries’ Road which once carved its way across this inhospitable interior, bringing with it the first early explorers.

Central Kalahari Game Reserve

Established in 1961 this massive reserve covers 52,800km2 (20,000 sq miles), just slightly smaller than the combined size of Holland and Belgium. But, unlike other reserves which are usually set aside to protect animals, this area was originally intended as a sanctuary for its human inhabitants – it was the last domain of the nomadic Bushmen. Until recently there were still a few small groups of these remarkable Stone Age people wandering through the wastes of the southern reserve, completely unaware of the encroaching ’civilized’ world. The last of these Bushmen, or San as they are known, now reside in small village communities in the reserve at places like Xade, Xaka, Molapo and Metseamonong.

Deception Valley
Deception Valley is all that remains of a sprawling riverbed that has long since dried up. Stretching across about 80km (48 miles) of the park’s north, the valley is now covered with short grass, dotted with the occasional island of bushy trees. Some of the roots of the larger trees extend as far as 50m (165ft) below the surface to the water table, enabling them to survive the dry winters. The low canopies of these tree grove islands, usually made up of umbrella thorn (Acacia tortilis) and buffalo thorn (Ziziphus mucronata) provide shelter for game during the heat of the day and one can often see lion dozing in the shade of these thickets. The fossil valley was first brought to the world’s attention in 1985, by the book Cry of the Kalahari written by Mark and Delia Owens, who lived on the pan for seven years studying the brown hyena that live here. Camping is permitted in Deception Valley at Piper’s Pan and at Sunday Pan, although there is no drinking water or any other facilities at these sites. Drinking water is only available in the reserve at the Game Scout Camp at Matswere, near to the entrance gate on the road from Rakops. It is important to note that firewood must also be brought along as any removal of wood or even kindling will permanently damage the fragile desert environment.