Windhoek
Country : Namibia
Kalahari Desert Travel Guide
Covering the eastern and the southern part of Namibia, the Kalahari Desert is the niche for San people. The area of 900,000 square kilometres covers the semiarid savannah extending its land to the region of Zambia, Botswana, South Africa, Angola, Zimbabwe and Namibia. Receiving an average of rainfall as compared to the rest of the desert area, the desert, however, cannot be referred to as a true desert, but the fossil desert of Kalahari that houses the habitat of flora and fauna. The population of Cheetah is generally easy to spot in the surroundings of Kalahari Desert. It’s the wide landscape and the open space that offers these wild beasts an ideal surrounding to hunt. The wildlife of Kalahari Desert consists of the black-maned lion, leopard and the endangered species of Africa Wild dog. The dessert does not limit its root to the wildlife, but the Bushmen tribes are dwelling in the Kalahari Desert from the past 20,000 years. The inhabitats have adapted the dry and semiarid atmosphere of the region, depending on the melon and the plant roots for drinking water. With the oldest South Africa tribe and the wildlife, there is a lot making Safari at the Kalahari Desert the best.
Places To visit In Kalahari Desert
Witsand Nature Reserve
Spreading up to a distance of 2,500 hectares, the Witsand nature reserve is the white sand land that is enclosed by the Kalahari Desert. The nature reserve houses the nocturnal species like the porcupine, Cape fox, aardwolf and the bat-eared fox making it the best tourist attraction at the Kalahari Desert.
Tswalu Kalahari Reserve
Preserving the 70 endemic species of mammals and around 200 birdlife the Tswalu Kalahari Reserve is one of the best game reserves. The region boasts the population of San tribes with a series of historical sites that makes one of the major attractions for tourist at the Kalahari Desert.
Eye of Kuruman
The Eye of Kuruman is the natural fountain holding around 20 million liters of fresh water in the Kalahari region. It’s not just the pictorial beauty of the fountain that makes it an attraction for tourism at Kalahari, but it is known to be the natural source of water there. It is one of the top attractions in Kalahari desert.
Sishen Golf Course
The isolated yet beautiful and lush surroundings of Sishen Golf Course make it a popular site for tourist and local visitors in Kalahari. Raking as one of the best Golf course among the top 30, the Sishen Golf course hides immense beauty and charm to lure the visitors.
Riemvasmaak Community Conservancy
The Riemvasmaak Community Conservancy holds the history of land restitution. With a slow development, the conservancy houses the species of fish eagle, quiver trees and camel thorn to make it the tourist spot at Kalahari for hiking and safari tours.
Orange River Wine Route
The wine route is one of the famous attractions near Kalahari that is spreading over 300 kilometers on both sides of the Orange River. The vineyards are known to produce the exotic variety as the white wines, dessert wines and the semi-sweet wines.
Khomani Cultural Landscape
The tribe of Khomani San makes Khomani Cultural land, a small village as the attraction at the Kalahari region. The heritage site of Kalahari houses and preserves the ancient culture and the ancestral community.
Kgalagadi Transfrontier Park
The Kgalagadi Transfrontier Park is lying at the vast land of Kalahari spreading from the part of Botswana to the part of South Africa. This protected area of the Kalahari Desert holds the ecosystem that is preserved from human interference but housing some few endemic wildlife.
Kalahari Red Dunes
The scarlet sand and dunes are the major point of tourism at the Kalahari Desert that is rich in biodiversity and aesthetic beauty. The dunes attract the visitors for the vast adventure opportunities like hiking, safari tour, guided walking tours and much more. It is one of the best place to visit in Kalahari dessert.
Best Time To Visit Kalahari Desert
The Kalahari Desert is best to explore during the months of dry winters from May to August. The dry season continue to extent till October with relatively hotter days. The time is ideal in Kalahari for wildlife watching near the waterholes as the dry climate concentrate the population to the limited area of desert with waterholes.
The central Kalahari can be visited at any period of time as the wilds migrate from season to season around the vast area of Kalahari. The rainy months from December turns the desert in to a Greenland with lush vegetation. You can spot the antelopes, the predators and the herd of Giraffe, buffalo and elephant migrating to and from the one region to another making it the perfect time for Kalahari Desert.
Things To Do In Kalahari Desert
Let the experts guide you to the best of this mesmerizing destination
Exploring the landscape
The red sand, the evening thunderstorm and the wildlife together make the Kalahari Desert, the best place to explore. A walk along the sand dunes and the leisure evening tours are the best things you can plan during your stay.
Spotting the Black-Manned Lion
The desert of Kalahari is the niche for the endemic species of the black-manned lion at the Kgalagadi Trans frontier Park. A Kalahari safari tour at the game reserve will let you spot the majestic population of lions and other endangered species as well.
Canoeing on the Orange River
Enjoy canoeing on the Orange River which is a tour filled with adventure with wonders to spot. Cutting the waves, you will get a glimpse of the fish, the bird life and the locals residing by the bank, making it the best experience at Kalahari. Canoeing on the Orange River is of the best things to do in the Kalahari desert.
Hiking the Dassie Trail
Most famous among the families and non-hikers, the Dassie Trail is the easiest but the best thing to do at Kalahari. This is the self-guided tour where you can explore geological traits and diverse landscape beauty of the route.
Cruise at the Orange River
Explore and experience the beauty of Orange River with a sunset cruise that is surely the best thing you can do during the Kalahari tour. Enjoy the sunset while spotting the bird life conquering the area around Kalahari during the cruise tour.
Mountain biking at Kalahari
The two famous routes, the Riemvasmaak and the Witsnad route are best-known route mountain biking. The scenic beauty, the wildlife, the green terrains and the rocky landscape makes mountain biking, the best adventure to try at Kalahari.
Adventure tours at Kalahari
The hiking routes, 4X4 trails, mountain biking and the game drives are some of the adventures to try during the Kalahari tour. The Riemvasmaak and Khamkirri are two spots where you can enjoy hiking and MTB Hiking. It is one of the best things to do in the Kalahari desert.
Stargazing at Kalahari
For the utmost leisure, don’t miss out stargazing at Kalahari that is definitely the best thing to do at the red sand desert. Away from the campsite and the lodge, stargazing is all about admiring the vast desert area, the unspoiled ambiance and the sky filled with stars.
Photography tour
The landscape of Kalahari is a treat for photographers that boast its vast pristine land area, the large red sand dunes and the wildlife that is hard to spot. During the Kalahari tour, carry your camera to capture the pictorial land.
How to Reach Kalahari Desert
The Kalahari Desert is accessible both from Botswana and Namibia. The desert falls from and part of Botswana and Namibia making it convenient for the visitors to choose their part.
Via air- Windhoek Hosea Kutako International Airport is the nearest airport falling at a distance of 200 km from the Kalahari Desert. The Maun, Gaborone, Sishen are some of the airports you can choose to reach Kalahari. There are private airstrips that can be used for further transfers to the lodges at Kalahari.
Via Land- The
Kalahari Desert is connected via land from the major airports that you can
cover by driving through cars or private transfers. The Windhoek Hosea Kutako
International Airport, being the closest, is a better option for a driving tour
to Kalahari.
