Kalahari Desert

An interesting region for a Namibia safari, the Kalahari Desert is a large, semi-arid savannah that covers 900,000 square kilometres (350,000 square miles) extending over seven countries: Botswana, Zambia, South Africa, Zimbabwe, Angola, the Democratic Republic of Congo and Namibia.

It is interesting to note that the Kalahari is not a true desert in that parts of the region receive over 250mm of erratic rainfall annually thus classifying it as a fossil desert. The area contains a variety of habitats including grasslands and Acacia trees and is home to a number of game reserves. 

The Bushmen, the ancestors of Southern Africa’s original inhabitants have lived as hunters and gatherers for 20,000 years in the Kalahari Desert. They rarely need to drink water instead, quenching their thirst with plant roots and desert melons. 

The Kalahari is a superb birding destination on a Namibia tour with varied wildlife including cheetahs, giraffes, springboks, zebras and more. Various activities like game drives, hiking, Bushmen walks and cultural visits have helped the Kalahari Desert to become a popular tourist destination.  

Tswalu Kalahari is South Africa’s largest private game reserve while the Central Kalahari Game Reserve is the world’s second-largest protected area. It also hosts the Kgalagadi Transfrontier Park which straddles the borders of South Africa and Botswana with no boundaries between the two countries allowing animals to roam freely.