Central Kalahari Game Reserve |
Botswana Game Reserves: Larger than Denmark or Switzerland, and bigger than
Lesotho and Swaziland combined, the 52,800 km² Central Kalahari Game Reserve is the
second largest game reserve in the world. Situated right in the centre of Botswana, this
reserve is characterised by vast open plains, saltpans and ancient ...
Central Kalahari Game Reserve | Botswana Game
Reserves: Situated right in the centre of Botswana, this reserve is characterised
by vast open plains, saltpans and ancient riverbeds. Varying from sand dunes with many
species of trees and shrubs in the north, to flat bushveld in the central area, the
reserve is more heavily wooded in the south, with mophane forests to the south and east.
Rainfall is sparse and sporadic and can vary from 170 to 700 mm per year.
The people commonly known throughout the world as Bushmen, but more properly referred to
as the Basarwa or San, have been resident in and around the area for probably thousands of
years. Originally nomadic hunters and gathers, the lifestyle of the Basarwa has gradually
changed with the times and they now live in settlements, some of which are situated within
the southern half of the Central Kalahari Game Reserve.
Other fairly recent residents were Mark and Delia Owens, who spent many years in the
Deception Valley area of the park undertaking research mainly on brown hyaena. They set up
their camp in the northern section of Deception in a prime "tree island",
however tree islands are no longer used for camping in these days of more environmental
awareness. The Owens' book, "Cry of the Kalahari" brought the attention of
readers to this previously little-visited area and even today many people refer to the
Central Kalahari simply as Deception. The name "Deception" comes from a pan the
dry surface of which sometimes appears convincingly full of water until one gets right to
the edge.
Game viewing for animals which include giraffe, brown hyaena, warthog, wild dog, cheetah,
leopard, lion, blue wildebeest, eland, gemsbok, kudu, red hartebeest and springbok, is
best between December and April, when the animals tend to congregate in the pans and
valleys. |
