Central Kalahari Safari Guide: Rain, Herds and When to Go
A desert that runs on rain, not rivers
The name Kalahari comes from the Tswana word kgala, “the great thirst”, and for much of the year the Central Kalahari Game Reserve lives up to it. There is no permanent river anywhere in its 52,800 square kilometres, and the valleys that cross it are fossil riverbeds. Yet a Central Kalahari safari in the green season can mean grass to the horizon, springbok and gemsbok gathered on the pans of Deception Valley, and the predators that follow them. The difference is rain.
This guide explains how the reserve works through the year: why the herds move onto the northern grasslands after good summer rains, what the dry months concentrate instead, which valleys, pans and waterholes matter, and how to plan a visit from Maun, including how long to stay and how the desert fits alongside the Okavango Delta.
A desert that is not quite a desert
Geographers describe the Kalahari as a semi-arid sandy savanna rather than a true desert, because its ground cover is too dense for the stricter definition. Rainfall ranges from roughly 110 to 200 millimetres a year in the driest south-west to a little over 500 millimetres in the wettest parts. For the Central Kalahari, the monthly averages on our Central Kalahari page add up to about 440 millimetres, and close to nine-tenths of it falls between November and March. Large parts of the Kalahari have no permanent surface water at all, which is why the timing of that rain shapes everything else.
The reserve was established in 1961 and covers about a tenth of Botswana’s land area, entirely within Ghanzi District. It was created as a refuge for the San, who have lived in the Kalahari for thousands of years. In 1997 most of the San living inside were relocated out of the reserve, and in 2006 a Botswana court ruled the eviction illegal. Limited self-drive and organised tours began in the 1980s and 1990s. Today there are three gates: Matswere in the east, close to Deception Valley, and Xade and Tsau on the far side.
Fossil valleys and pans
The land is flat to gently rolling, with grass and bush over old sand dunes and stands of acacia and terminalia. Four fossil rivers wind through it. Deception Valley in the north-east is where most visitors go, and Passarge Valley is another of these ancient riverbeds. Both carry sweet grasses that draw springbok and gemsbok, and with them black-maned lions and cheetahs, especially after the summer rains. In a wet year the old riverbeds can briefly hold pools of water. Between them lie pans, flat clay surfaces that are dry for most of the year and may fill for a while after rain, when ostriches, kori bustards and raptors forage on them.
Life here is built around little water. Gemsbok take much of their moisture from grasses and wild cucumbers, as our guide to Kalahari desert animals explains, and the San traditionally drew water from plant roots and desert melons.
How the Central Kalahari changes through the year
Our monthly notes for the reserve divide the year into a rainy season from November to March, a mid-season in April and May, and a dry season from June to October. The animals do not follow a calendar, though. What makes a good green season is how much rain falls and where it falls, so the same month can look quite different from one year to the next.
November and December: the first rains
The first rains usually break the dry spell in November, which averages about 48 millimetres over seven rainy days, with daytime highs near 33°C. The fresh grass draws large herds, the calving season begins and migrant birds start to arrive. In December, with around 75 millimetres of rain over nine days, the reserve greens quickly and the wildlife spreads out across it, with plenty of young animals and active predators. The green season is also when our mobile camp shifts its focus from Moremi and Khwai to the Central Kalahari.
January to March: herds on the pans
January is the wettest month, with about 114 millimetres over ten rainy days and highs near 31°C. During and shortly after good summer rains, the grasslands in the north of the reserve fill with springbok and gemsbok, together with wildebeest, hartebeest, eland and giraffe, and animals gather around the pans of Deception Valley. Newborn springbok, wildebeest and hartebeest draw lions and cheetahs. The Kalahari’s black-maned lions often hunt in the long grass before dawn, and the open country suits cheetahs, which rely on long sight lines. Springbok herds are also where you can watch pronking, the stiff-legged leap whose purpose biologists still debate.
February is the height of the green season, with dramatic skies and grassland stretching across the reserve. In March the rain tapers off while the grazing herds remain. The price for all of this is heat, afternoon showers and tracks that can be in poor condition after heavy rain.
April and May: drying out
April brings about 25 millimetres of rain on three days, highs near 28°C and nights around 15°C. The vegetation thins and animals become easier to spot. Tracks are often in better shape than at the height of the rains, which makes April and May worth considering. By May the grass has turned gold, the skies are clear, and the sightings that remain are concentrated.
June to October: the long dry
From June the reserve is dry and chilly, with warm days and cold mornings. July is the coldest month, with highs around 22°C and nights that can drop below freezing. Animals gather at the water that remains, and in the late dry season the waterholes at Xaxa, Letiahau, Sunday Pan and Passarge Valley become meeting points. Gemsbok and springbok are present all year, and August is a good month for large herbivores such as gemsbok and hartebeest. In September and October the heat returns, with highs of 31 to 33°C. There is very little surface water left, many animals disperse in search of it, and late in October the first clouds and storms may build.
Some residents are worth looking for in any month. Bat-eared foxes and honey badgers are often seen, and brown hyenas, for which the Kalahari is a stronghold, are easiest to find around dusk. Our honey badger guide explains why the open terrain makes that small carnivore easier to see here.
Planning a Central Kalahari safari
Choosing your months
For herds, newborn animals and predators working the open grassland, aim for the green season, roughly December to March, and accept heat, afternoon showers and slower tracks. For cooler days, thinner vegetation and animals drawn to the waterholes, choose May to August and pack for frost at dawn. April sits between the two and offers some of both. Our month-by-month guide to Botswana sets the Kalahari alongside the rest of the country, and suggests adding the reserve in the green season for the contrast between the water-rich Delta and the open desert.
Getting there
Most journeys start in Maun. By road it is four to five hours by 4×4 to Matswere Gate, the main entrance for Deception Valley, and conditions vary enough that the route suits experienced off-road drivers or a guided transfer. Charter flights from Maun to airstrips near Deception Valley are the quicker alternative, with a long view over the Kalahari on the way in.
Inside the reserve
The reserve follows the rules of Botswana’s Department of Wildlife and National Parks, which restrict off-road driving and night driving. Game drives therefore run in the morning and afternoon, or as full-day excursions that reach areas beyond the range of a single drive. Drives follow the seasonal movements of the wildlife: the northern grasslands and Deception Valley in the green season, the waterholes and pans as the dry season advances. Because the drive from Maun alone takes most of a morning, the Kalahari is better suited to a stay of several nights than to a short stop.
Staying under canvas
Our way into the reserve is the O Bona Explorer, a fully serviced mobile camp that is set up just for your safari and also operates in Moremi, Khwai and Savuti. The tents have proper beds and en-suite open-air bathrooms with a flush toilet and a bucket shower. Power comes from solar panels, and there is no Wi-Fi or mobile signal. Meals are cooked in camp, and evenings are spent around the fire under a night sky that Botswana Tourism singles out for the brightness of its stars.
What to pack
The temperature range is wide, so think in layers: light, breathable clothes and long sleeves against sun and insects, a warm jacket for winter mornings and evenings, a wide-brimmed hat, sunglasses, high-factor sunscreen and closed, comfortable shoes. Between November and March, add a light waterproof jacket for the afternoon showers.
Questions about the Central Kalahari
When should I go on a Central Kalahari safari?
It depends on what you want to see. The green season, roughly December to March, brings herds onto the northern grasslands and the pans of Deception Valley, along with newborn animals and active predators, but also heat, rain and difficult tracks. May to August is cooler and drier, with clear skies, cold nights and animals drawn to the remaining waterholes.
How do you get to the Central Kalahari Game Reserve?
Most visitors start in Maun. The drive to Matswere Gate, the main entrance for Deception Valley, takes four to five hours by 4×4, and road conditions vary, so it suits experienced off-road drivers or a guided transfer. Charter flights from Maun land at airstrips near Deception Valley and are the quicker option.
Is there any water in the Central Kalahari?
There is no permanent river. After good rains the pans and fossil riverbeds can hold water for a while, and in the late dry season animals gather at waterholes such as Xaxa, Letiahau, Sunday Pan and Passarge Valley. Many Kalahari animals, gemsbok among them, take much of their moisture from grasses and wild cucumbers, which lets them go without drinking for long periods.
Can you see black-maned lions in the Central Kalahari?
The black-maned Kalahari lions live in the reserve, and lion, leopard and cheetah are all seen on a reasonably regular basis. No sighting can be promised in an area of 52,800 square kilometres, but the green season is a good time, when the herds are on the grasslands and the lions often hunt in the long grass before dawn.
Are night drives allowed in the Central Kalahari?
The reserve follows the rules of Botswana’s Department of Wildlife and National Parks, which restrict night driving as well as driving off the tracks. Game drives take place in the morning and afternoon or as full-day excursions. Nocturnal animals such as brown hyenas are easiest to find around dusk, towards the end of the afternoon drive.
Under canvas in the Kalahari
Our O Bona Explorer mobile camp travels to the Central Kalahari as well as to Moremi, Khwai and Savuti. Tell us when you would like to come, and we will suggest a route that suits the season.