What to see at KALAHARI DESERT, NAMIBIA

The Kalahari Semi-Desert is the world's biggest cohesive sand plain. The Kalahari is part of the Kalahari Basin, a massive desert basin that runs from the Orange River through Angola, west to Namibia, and east to Zimbabwe.

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Getting There

The Kalahari is a huge territory, encompassing 900,000 km² and 3 independent nations. So whether you want to visit the Kalahari in South Africa, Namibia, or Botswana will determine how you get here.

Botswana

Most tourists to the Kalahari go to the Central Kalahari Game Reserve, a massive reserve in the country's centre, or the immense Makgadikgadi Pans, which are somewhat farther north. Maun is the nearest town, with daily flights from Johannesburg, Cape Town, and other Botswana locations. Because Maun is still quite a way from the reserve and Makgadikgadi, most visitors will take a private charter flight to their preferred camp.

South Africa

Visitors can visit the Kgalagadi Transfrontier Park, which extends into Botswana. To reach here, take a South African Airlink domestic flight from either Cape Town or Johannesburg to Upington. You must travel to the Twee Rivieren Entrance Gate, which is roughly 250 kilometres north of Upington.

Namibia

The Kalahari Desert is found in the country's south and east, and is frequently paired with a visit to the magnificent Fish River Canyon. A long trip from either South Africa or Windhoek is required to get here. As a result, most tourists fly to Botswana to see the Kalahari since it is the most practical chevalier.

Big Cats of Namibia

Photo by Keyur Nandaniya

lions

In Namibia, lions are occasionally reported in the Kaokoveld or in the Central Highlands, but Etosha and the Caprivi's parks are the most reliable places to see them. Occasionally, they used to find their way down river valleys and take seals on the coast as prey. However, there are no reliable reports of this in recent years.

leopard

The mighty leopard is Africa's most solitary and secretive large animal. It hunts at night, using stealth and strength to get as close to its prey as possible before pouncing.

Leopards are the most frequent of Africa's huge cats, yet seeing one in the wild is exceedingly rare — in fact, there are several reports of leopards living unnoticed in close proximity to humans for years. Aside from the desert, they may be found almost anywhere, however, they prefer areas with plenty of shelters, such as riverine woods and rocky kopjes. Leopards thrive in Namibia's Central Highlands, where they are numerous on farms. Some resorts, like Okonjima, promote sightings by giving food.

Cheetah

Photo by Tobias Freeman

This amazing spotted cat has a greyhound-like body and can sprint at speeds of up to 70 kilometres per hour, making it the world's fastest land mammal. Cheetahs are nocturnal hunters which prefer to kill smaller antelope like steenbok and duiker, as well as small animals like scrub hares, during the colder hours of the day.

Namibia is home to Africa's largest cheetah population, believed to be 25% of the world's total. This is partly owing to the removal of lion and spotted hyena from extensive sections of commercial farms, where cheetah are not often considered a threat to cattle (by enlightened farmers). Though several farms have a larger number of cheetah, Etosha is Namibia's greatest area for seeing them in the wild.

Meerkats of namibia

Photo by Jon Hunter

Meerkats may be found in Botswana's Kalahari Desert, Namibia's Namib Desert, and southwestern Angola's Namib Desert, as well as South Africa. A "mob," "gang," or "clan" of meerkats is a group of them. A typical meerkat clan has roughly 20 members, but some super-families have 50 or more.

Meerkats, like all mongoose species, are agile and effective predators. Though insects make up the majority of their food, they will also consume other arthropods, reptiles, small birds, and eggs. Meerkats are water-free and eat a variety of fruits, roots, tubers, tsamma melons, and even Kalahari truffles to fulfil their moisture requirements.

The IUCN lists the meerkat as not currently endangered and at low risk of becoming endangered. However, they should not be overlooked; they play a crucial role in preserving biological balance in the desert. They feed predators such as jackals and eagles, as well as reducing pest infestation by eating insects.