It is located 25 kilometers north of Serowe. The best conservation site for both White and Black rhino and was established in 1993 to reintroduce rhinos in Botswana as they were extinct due to poaching

The name “Kalahari” is derived from the Tswana word Kgalagadi, which means “land of thirst.” This name reflects the region’s scarcity of fresh water, as finding drinkable water without salt in the Kalahari is extremely difficult.

Nothing prepares you for the vastness of this reserve, nor its wild and mysterious beauty. You’re immediately struck by the sense of infinite space and the feeling that you have the entire reserve to yourself.

Waist-high golden grasses stretch endlessly, broken only by scattered dwarf trees and scrub bushes. Wide, empty pans appear as vast, white, saucer-flat expanses of earth, blending into a soft, blue-white sky. At night, the stars dominate the land, their brilliance and proximity completely captivating.

The Central Kalahari Game Reserve (CKGR) is the largest remotely located reserve in southern Africa and the second-largest wildlife reserve in the world, covering an area of 52,800 sq. km—larger than Denmark, Lesotho, and Eswatini combined.

During and shortly after the summer rains, the flat grasslands in the northern parts of the reserve teem with wildlife, drawn to the best grazing areas. These include large herds of springbok and gemsbok, along with wildebeest, hartebeest, eland, and giraffe. The landscape is characterized by silver terminalia sandveld, Kalahari sand acacias, and Kalahari apple leaf trees, interspersed with grasslands, occasional sand dunes, pans, and shallow fossil river valleys—the most famous being Deception Valley and Passarge Valley.

CKGR is unique in that it was originally established in 1961 as a sanctuary for the San people, allowing them to live their traditional hunter-gatherer lifestyle in the heart of the Kalahari without intrusion or outside influence. The reserve remained closed to the public for about 30 years. In the 1980s and 1990s, limited access was granted for self-drive and organized tours, strictly controlled to preserve the area.

Deception Valley in the north is one of the reserve’s main highlights, thanks to the high concentration of herbivores that are drawn to its sweet grasses during and after the rainy season—followed naturally by predators. This area is also the most frequented part of the reserve, featuring several public campsites and close proximity to the eastern Matswere Gate. The other two gates—Xade and Tsau—are located on the opposite side of the reserve.

Rising abruptly and dramatically from the Kalahari bush—its neck-like face glowing copper in the dying sun—Tsodilo Hills captivate and mystify with an undeniable magnetic presence. There is a powerful spirituality about the hills that immediately strikes every visitor.

According to the people who live around the hills—the San, the original inhabitants, and the Hambukushu, who have periodically occupied the area for the past 200 years—Tsodilo is a sacred and mystical place where ancestral spirits dwell. In earlier times, their ancestors performed religious rituals here to seek assistance and pray for rain. They also created rock paintings, the meanings and symbolism of which remain a mystery even today.

The early Iron Age site at Tsodilo, known as Divuyu, dates from between 700 and 900 AD and reveals that Bantu-speaking people have lived at the hills for over 1,000 years. These were cattle farmers who settled on the plateau and traded copper jewelry from the Congo, seashells from the Atlantic, and glass beads from Asia—likely in exchange for specularite and furs. There was significant interaction between various groups, and the trade networks were extensive.

Rock paintings are found almost everywhere at Tsodilo, representing thousands of years of human habitation. These are among the region’s finest and most important examples of ancient art. There are approximately 4,000 rock paintings in total, including red finger paintings and geometric designs. It is widely believed that most were created by the San, with some attributed to the pastoral Khoe who later settled in the area. The red paintings were primarily made during the first millennium AD.

Tsodilo was declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 2002 because of its exceptional historical and cultural significance.

Imagine, if you will, an area the size of Portugal, largely uninhabited by humans. Its stark, flat, and featureless terrain stretches—seemingly—to eternity, merging with a milky-blue horizon. This is the Makgadikgadi: an area of 1,200 square kilometers, part of the Kalahari Basin, yet unique within it—one of the largest salt pans in the world.

Africa’s most famous explorer, Dr. David Livingstone, crossed these pans in the 19th century, guided by a massive baobab—Chapman’s Tree—believed to be 3,000 to 4,000 years old and the only landmark for hundreds of miles. Standing before this remarkable tree today offers a glimpse into an era when much of the continent was uncharted and explorers risked their lives navigating the wilderness on oxcarts through harsh, grueling terrain.

Humans have inhabited areas of the pans since the Stone Age and have continually adapted to the region’s geographical and climatic changes. Archaeological sites across the pans are rich with early human tools and the bones of the fish and animals they once consumed.