Explore the mysterious and compelling Kalahari Desert and Makgadikgadi Salt Pans. The desert area is home to the greatest species diversity in the world and host to Southern Africa's last great zebra & wildebeest migration.
Below are a few tour options and suggestions for a safari to the Kalahari. Need some advice? Our friendly safari experts are on standby to tailor a tour that suits your every need and will assist you with each step of your journey.
Traveller tip: During the rainy season, the two largest pans – Sowa to the east and Ntwetwe to the west – flood, during this time flamingo numbers can run into the tens – and sometimes – hundreds of thousands, and the spectacle can be completely overwhelming.
The best time to view game is during the drier winter months, during which, a high concentration of game gather around diminishing water holes. Winter is characterized by dry weather, endless blue skies, warm days and freezing nights.
September - October
The days begin to heat up from September to October, while the weather remains dry and the nights cold. These conditions are great for game-viewing.
December - January
Landscapes are transformed during the rainy season of December to early January. The Kalahari Awakens with new life (many antelope give birth during this time) and the emergence of greenery from the mid-summer rains, making this a truly astonishing time to visit (if you can stand a little rainfall).
An accessible park, that unlike the vast salt pans of the South, is a smaller area made up of a mixture of both salt pans and grasslands. In spite of being the smallest of all three parks in the Kalahari, it is home to a high concentration of diverse wildlife. Sightings of elephant, giraffe and jackals are pretty much guaranteed.
Must see: Baine’s Baobabs; a bundle of ancient baobabs jutting out of a salt pan island.
Being the giant of all three conservation areas; The Central Kalahari Game Reserve is a predator’s paradise owing to the abundance of wildlife that congregate around various waterholes.
Must see: Deception Valley where the luscious grasses attract a bounty of herbivores and their accompanying mammalian predators.
The largest salt pans on earth situated in North-East Botswana; the Makgadikgadi Pans are a rare and beautiful sight for any adventurer. Infinite horizons of blue sky and bare earth make for an other-worldly experience. The Park itself also contains grasslands that offer ample grazing to an abundance of wildlife.
Must see: Kubu Island - an island of granite - considered a sacred site by the indigenous people in the area, arguably one of the most incredible places on earth.
Mar 28, 2024
Safari.com was helpful start to finish
Safari.com was helpful start to finish. The sign up process was clear, the support was great as we tailored our experience. Directions were perfect to get there. Everything in the safari was as we thought it would be and even better. It literally was the trip of a lifetime and exceeded our expectations.
Mar 28, 2024
Heleen 's service was superb
Heleen 's service was superb: prompt, friendly and efficient. She altered my reservation promptly and efficiently. She warned me that SAN Parks might not be able to accommodate my wishes, but all is well.
Mar 28, 2024
A superb experience
Dear Jayson, You are a star. The very professional pieces of advice and the optimal design of the schedule that turned our holidays into an extraordinary experience. Thank you so much! Leopard Hills are indeed the boutique luxury camp that you recommended. People there are incredible friendly and knowledgable. The guide was excellent. And the cook, she was a friendly star too. The flight connections went well, despite that rather long drive, and the very early morning start. Wake up calls at 4 AM should be forbidden :) Mauritius was great, Club Med The Plantation Albion was the perfect choice. (The other Club Med @ Cannonier we visited only and were glad we didn’t chose that one…) Thank you again for the superb organisation.
Mar 28, 2024
Shamiel was very helpful with advice on…
Shamiel was very helpful with advice on our trip and responded promptly to all my queries.
Mar 27, 2024
I have enjoyed working with Safari.com
I have enjoyed working with Safari.com! We are bringing a big group, and they have been amazing coordinating the different changes we have had to make. We will work with them in the future!
Mar 26, 2024
This is the second trip we book with…
This is the second trip we book with Candis from safari.com. Candis is super knowledgable, is extremly customer service and experience focused and did everything possible to organize the trip as we wanted it. I can highly recommend booking a safari with Candis and safari.com
Mar 25, 2024
These will be mine second time going to…
These will be mine second time going to Africa, the first time I booked everything with safari.com and pascal helped. He was amazing everything went perfect. Now going back to Botswana and pascal did everything again very fast and perfect. I had the best time and everything was super vip, and can’t wait to be back.October can’t come soon enough.
Mar 25, 2024
So far, great service
This review is for the booking only as we have not taken our trip yet. Safari expert Sara Van Coille has been great to work with. We booked later than we planned and she was able to come up with an itinerary that was perfect for our group. Sara has responded to all our questions and was very quick to get back to me. From our experience so far, we would definitely recommend Safari.com
Mar 25, 2024
Shamiel from Safari.com was awesome as…
Shamiel from Safari.com was awesome as everyone says. He got us exactly what we wanted at a very reasonable price. We will be back.