The Central Kalahari Game Reserve (CKGR) is one of the largest protected areas in Africa, covering more than 52,000 km² in the heart of Botswana. It is not desert in the Saharan sense: most of it is flat grassland, scrub and acacia, cut by the fossil river valleys of Deception, Passarge and Letiahau.
For most of the year it is dry and quiet. But after the rains, from roughly December to April, the grass turns green and the valleys fill with springbok, gemsbok, wildebeest and hartebeest — and with the predators that follow them, including the famous black-maned Kalahari lions and cheetah. The reserve is also the ancestral land of San communities.
Top things to do: Central Kalahari Game Reserve
Deception Valley
The most famous valley in the reserve, made known by the researchers Mark and Delia Owens. In the green season it is one of the best places to watch lion, cheetah and huge antelope herds.
Stargazing and silence
With no light pollution for hundreds of kilometres, CKGR offers some of the best night skies in Africa. Camping here is the ultimate "off-grid" safari.
A guided camping safari
Most travellers visit on a 3-day or longer guided safari from Maun, which handles the vehicle, water and permits.
How to get to Central Kalahari Game Reserve
- From Maun: the Matswere gate in the northeast is roughly 4–5 hours by 4x4.
- By air: the few lodges in and near the reserve use light aircraft from Maun.
- Self-drive: only in convoy or with serious desert experience; there is no fuel, food or water inside the reserve.
Insider tips
- Book campsites through the Department of Wildlife and National Parks well ahead; they are few and remote.
- Carry all your water (at least 5 litres per person per day), fuel and recovery equipment.
- The green season (December–April) is the best time for wildlife, but temperatures and rain can be intense.
- Allow at least three nights to justify the long drive.
Best tours & safaris: Central Kalahari Game Reserve
These top-rated experiences are the easiest way to see Central Kalahari Game Reserve:
Camping safari from €1055 From Maun: 3-Day Moremi Game Reserve Safari Tour
Three days is the minimum we would give Moremi, and sleeping in the reserve is what makes it work: you are on the tracks at first light when the predators are moving, and back at camp for the sounds of the night. A mobile camping safari from Maun with guide, vehicle and camp.
- Two nights camping in Moremi
- Early-morning and late-afternoon game drives
- Over 400 bird species in the region
Camping safari from €2638 Maun: 6-Day Okavango, Savuti, Chobe & Victoria Falls Tour
The great northern Botswana overland in under a week: from Maun into the delta country, north through the predator territory of Savuti, along the Chobe River and out to Victoria Falls. It solves the logistics of linking the three big sights in one go, which on your own means flights or very long self-drive days.
- Okavango Delta, Savuti and the Chobe riverfront
- Finishes at Victoria Falls
- Camping with a guide and support crew
