Feature on the Central Kalahari Game Reserve in Botswana. Words, photos and maps by Francois Haasbroek.

1. Botswana 22 2018
CENTRAL KALAHARI
Rough, tough
& ravishing
The Central Kalahari Game Reserve is vast and unpopulated – a true
wilderness. You have to be self-sufficient and you need a proper 4x4.
Up for the challenge? Here’s your guide!
WORDS & PICTURES FRANÇOIS HAASBROEK
WILLEMVANDERBERG
T
here are two game-viewing
vehicles at Letiahau waterhole.
The waterhole has more mud
than water – you can smell
it from a distance. There are
no animals, only insects and butterflies
congregated along the seams of the mud.
The two vehicles are empty. Their
passengers are standing around, talking in
German and stretching their legs. It must
have been a long drive. I watch them from
a distance. The waterhole is surrounded
by trees and you can’t see very far. It’s
probably not the best place to get out,
but I’ve been in the Central Kalahari
Game Reserve (CKGR) for a few days
now and I haven’t seen anything other
than plains game.
Behind my Isuzu bakkie, a black-
backed jackal is also watching the
Germans – with less judgement and
more expectation, maybe waiting for
them to drop something to eat.
I put the bakkie in gear and drive away.
The jackal, clearly used to seeing vehicles,
trots off down the road in front of me. I
keep expecting it to veer off, but the grass
is tall on either side of the road. It doesn’t
seem to be in any rush either, jogging
along as if it’s late for a meeting it doesn’t
want to attend anyway.
I follow at walking speed – my
speedometer is barely moving. After
about 100 m, the jackal passes a bush
right next to the road. After that, things
happen at lightning pace: Wings flap as
a greater kestrel takes off, and then a
leopard appears out of nowhere, pinning
the jackal to the ground with one paw. A
clipped yelp, one bite and it’s all over. The
leopard drops the dead jackal next to the
bush and disappears into the grass.
This is the wilderness at its
unpredictable best.

2. CENTRAL KALAHARI
2018 23 Botswana
POINTS OFVIEW. Gemsbok at sunset
in DeceptionValley.
The toughest road
in the land
The CKGR is enormous. Only two
national parks in the world are bigger:
Tassili n’Ajjer National Park in Algeria
and the Northeast Greenland National
Park. The CKGR is about two and a half
times the size of the Kruger Park, but
don’t expect camp shops and chalets
with air conditioning.
There are three types of accommo­
dation: a campsite with a braai, a pit
toilet and a bucket shower; a campsite
with a broken braai, a pit toilet and
bucket shower; and a campsite with
no facilities whatsoever.
You have to be self-sufficient and
bring your own drinking water, firewood,
food and extra fuel.
My tour starts south of the reserve, in
the much smaller Khutse Game Reserve.
I pitch my tent at Molose, a campsite in
the heart of Khutse. (See map on p 31.)
My plan is to tackle the CKGR from the
south and to drive as many of the roads
as possible to ensure that the information
on our maps is accurate.
Armed with four jerry cans of diesel,
lots of water and a GPS, I say goodbye
to Khutse and drive north. There are a
number of pans in the northern parts of
the reserve. (See map on p 28 – 29.) You’ll
see the most animals around these pans,
and the most tourists. I plan to drive
there via Xade, 230 km from Khutse
(a whole day’s driving).
The best way to tackle this road is not
to drive it at all! It’s tough, mind-numbing
work. There are deep holes in the sand
and I rarely go faster than 30 km/h. The
vegetation is so dense you could drive over
a lion’s tail and not even know it. For the
most part, the road is straight as a ruler,
with only two 90-degree bends to break
the monotony. Keep an eye on your GPS
so the bends don’t catch you off-guard –
tracks in the veld show that a few drivers
were asleep behind the wheel…
A much easier way to access the north
of the CKGR is to take the tar road via
Ghanzi from the west or via Rakops from
the east, and enter the reserve through
one of the northern gates like Tsau
or Matswere.
Thunder and lightning
About 40 km from Xade, I realise my
fuel consumption is way too high. I was
planning to only refuel in Rakops, but
there’s no way I’ll be able to explore the

3. Botswana 24 2018
IN OTHER WORDS
whole of the CKGR with the diesel I have
on board. The closest filling station is in
Ghanzi. I decide to reroute.
I drive past Xade, where I had planned
to sleep, as thunderclouds gather on the
horizon. It’s late summer and this part
of Botswana has been experiencing a
good rainy season. It’s still four hours
from the Xade gate to Ghanzi. I arrive
there exhausted and pitch my tent at the
Kalahari Arms Hotel.
The next morning I decide not to
drive back to Xade. I’ll drive to the Tsau
gate instead, on the north-western
corner of the reserve. I fill my tank and
all my jerry cans at the Shell and chat
to owner Stanley Peacock. Stanley is the
right person to talk to if you want to
find out about the road conditions in
the CKGR. The road I’m planning to
follow to the Tsau gate is the same one
he uses to transport fuel to the lodges
in the Hainaveld (see p 96).
I ask whether I should be concerned
about flooded roads and mud. Those
thunderclouds look ready to burst.
“Nah,” he says. “It will only rain here
and there. One farmer might end up with
an overflowing dam while his neighbour
will get no rain.”
He shakes his head when he hears
about the route I took from Khutse to
Ghanzi. “You should never drive that
road alone. If you have no other choice,
take a satellite phone…”
Motopi is the closest campsite to the
Tsau gate. It’s quiet – few people camp
here. I’m not staying either, but I take a
look. There are three stands and they’re
kilometres apart. The first is on a hill
near the turn-off and it has the best view;
the other two are about 8 km deeper into
the veld, near some pans. Camp at one
of these if you want to feel alone in
the wilderness.
The road between the latter two is
rarely used. The middelmannetjie is
high and it tears at the seed net under
the bakkie. I pull over to remove grass
seeds from the radiator. A few pieces
of duct tape and a handful of cable ties
Anita & Bill Daly, Durban
Bill: “I think we’ll come back
here, but next time we’ll do it
differently. We’ll focus more on
the area around Passarge Valley
and Deception Pan.
“Be careful when you camp at
Lekhubu, especially if you have an
inflatable mattress – the place is
riddled with dubbeltjies.”
John & Di Smale, Durban
Di: “We loved the vistas and the
plains. There wasn’t a lot of game
between the valleys, but there were
always grazers on the plains. We
saw a herd of 21 giraffes near a
picnic site at Lekhubu."
John: “When I read Cry of the
Kalahari by Mark and Delia
Owens 35 years ago, it made a
big impression. I recently reread
the book. The CKGR was always
a place I wanted to visit and
I wasn’t disappointed.”
Penny & Ray Martin, Durban
Penny: “We were impressed by the
masses of gemsbok – I haven’t seen
them in such abundance anywhere
else. It’s really special that the CKGR
is so remote. We hardly saw any
other vehicles.”

4. CENTRAL KALAHARI
2018 25 Botswana
ANIMAL ANTICS (from left to right).
A lilac-breasted roller provides
some colour in a landscape where
most creatures try to blend in with
the surroundings.This leopard
caught a jackal shortly before this
photo was taken.They may be
fierce but even lions will look for
shade in the heat of the day.
and the seed net is fixed.
I see gemsbok on Motopi Pan, but game
is scarce for the next 41 km to Passarge
waterhole. Clouds have gathered on the
horizon again and rain falls occasionally,
as Stanley predicted. Because of all the
water, the animals aren’t congregated
around the waterholes. Passarge is quiet
except for a few doves.
The road splits into three at the
waterhole: Left goes to Passarge Valley;
right to Phukwe Pan; the one that
continues straight is the Kalatraverse
cutline road. My destination for the night
is Kori Camp on the eastern side of the
reserve and the fastest route to get there
is along the Kalatraverse road.
I struggle for two hours through sand
and bush, but then the landscape opens
up. I’m in a place called Deception
Valley, which has vast plains of grass
full of springbok, gemsbok, wildebeest
and ostriches.
Kori Camp has four stands on the edge
of this valley. The stands are about 500 m
apart so your neighbour won’t get on your
nerves. My favourite is Kori 2. The road is
behind you and you have an unobstructed
view of the plains.
I bed down for the night as lions roar in
the darkness. They seem much too close
to my tiny hiking tent… I add some logs to
the campfire just in case.
Pure pan pleasure
The circular route through the north of
the CKGR is about 230 km long and takes
you to all the big pans. (Add another
60 km if you also want to see Piper Pan.)
You can drive the route in a day, but why
would you? Rather stay at the campsites
along the way.
From Kori, I head south to Deception
Pan. The pans in the CKGR don’t have
the characteristic white salt layer of the
Makgadikgadi, which means they dry
quicker. They should be safe to drive on
a week after a heavy downpour, but be
careful. At Deception Pan you can follow
a trail around the edge of the pan – if the
soil looks wet, steer clear. I spot muddy
tracks and evidence of rocks and branches
ROAD CONDITIONS?
Keep in mind that places in the
CKGR are far apart.The roads
also take a very long time to
drive. On average, my travelling
speed was 30 km/h. Road
conditions change regularly.
When you arrive at the gate,
get the latest info.

5. Botswana 26 2018
CENTRAL KALAHARI
Wildebeest
are huddled
in the shade
of some
Kalahari-sand
acacias and
bat-eared
foxes play-
fight in
the road.
wedged under tyres – clearly the wet pan
lured some other tourists into its trap.
The 50 km from Deception Pan to the
turn-off to Piper Pan goes through a
shallow valley. The two camps found here,
Lekhubu and Letiahau, each have only
one stand. Piper Pan is another hour’s
drive away from here on the road to Xade,
but you’ll have to drive back if you want
to continue on the circular route. (It’s
better to visit Piper if you enter the reserve
at the Xade gate.)
I carry on past the turn-off and the
road winds around more pans: Phokoje,
San and Phukwe. After Phukwe, I come
to a T-junction. A quick glance at my
watch confirms I have enough time to
complete the loop. If you reach this
point and it’s late, turn right at the
T-junction and go around Tau Pan to
the Kalatraverse road. I go left and
45 minutes later I reach the Passarge
waterhole, where I was yesterday.
It’s hot. Wildebeest are huddled in the
shade of some Kalahari-sand acacias and
bat-eared foxes play-fight in the road. The
only other vehicles I’ve seen so far were in
Deception Valley.
I eventually arrive at Leopard Pan,
late in the afternoon. There’s only one
campsite. I kick off my shoes… And put
them on again when I discover the sand
is full of dubbeltjies.
After tonight, I’ve only got one more
night in the reserve – at Deception Camp
about 20 km away. My journey has been
a strange one in that I’ve tried to cut
through the reserve for the sake of it.
This is unnecessary. If you enter at the
Matswere gate on the Rakops side, you
can spend a week camping wild around
the pans in that part of the reserve and
still bliss out on solitude. It’s the best
part of the reserve for game viewing in
any event, especially around Deception,
Leopard and Sunday pans.
The CKGR is like Van Zyl’s Pass in the
Kaokoveld, or the Acre of Death on the
Skeleton Coast: Once you’ve made it
safely through you have something to brag
about around the braai. If you can get to
the filling station in Rakops in one piece,
you can say you’ve survived one of the
most remote wilderness areas in Africa.
Yes, the CKGR is a 4x4 feather for
your cap, but also much more. You
might see a pride of lions and have
them all to yourself. When the sun is
hot in the middle of the day, make like
a wildebeest and find a tree next to one
of the pans. Wind down your windows.
A gemsbok, wildebeest or ostrich might
keep you company, along with the silence
all around.
You might also hear the cry of a jackal
in the distance. It’s looking for its mate,
which a leopard stole away…

6. CENTRAL KALAHARI
2018 27 Botswana
Bookings? There are two kinds of
camps in the CKGR: The public
camps are run by Botswana’s
Department ofWildlife & National
Parks (DWNP) and the other camps
by a concession operator called
BigfootTours.
On our map, the public camps
are indicated in dark green and the
Bigfoot Tours camps in light green.
There’s no difference between the
facilities at the stands in the various
camps, public or concession: Each
stand has a bucket shower and a pit
toilet.The only difference is that the
privately managed camps are more
expensive than the public ones.
We’ve found that general
enquiries mostly go unanswered by
BigfootTours, but they do respond
promptly when you want to make
a booking.
It’s better to phone if you want
KNOW BEFORE YOU GO
to make a DWNP booking. Before
you call, make sure you know which
camps you’d like to stay at, as well as
alternatives if your preferred camps
aren’t available. Some stands aren’t
well marked, but you’ll get a list with
the GPS co-ordinates of each stand
at the gate.
The DWNP camps are Deception,
Kori, Leopard Pan, San Pan, Phokoje
Pan, Qwee Pan, Bape, Molapo, Xaka,
Xade, Kukama and Matswere.
The camps managed by Bigfoot
Tours are Passarge, Sunday Pan,
Lekhubu Pan, Letiahau, Piper Pan
and Motopi.
Rates: DWNP camps P30 (R39)
per adult; P15 (R19) per child aged
8 – 15. Bigfoot Tours camps P250
(R324) per adult; P125 (R162) per
child aged 8 – 15. All visitors must
pay a conservation fee of P50 (R65)
per vehicle per day.
Contact:
• DWNP: 00 267 397 1405;
00 267 686 1265; dwnp@gov.bw
• BigfootTours: 00 267 395 3360;
00 267 391 0927;
bigfoottours.co.bw
ANYTHING FOR NON-CAMPERS?
There are two luxury lodges,Tau Pan
Camp and Kalahari Plains Camp.
The roads to the lodges are only
open to guests. Kalahari Plains Camp
from R3 593 per person (rate for
SADC citizens); R2 874 per person if
you’re part of theWilderness Safaris
Members Club.Tau Pan Camp from
R4 545 per person.These rates
include almost everything.
Contact:
• Kalahari Plains Camp: 021 702
7500; wilderness-safaris.com
•Tau Pan Camp: 00 267 686
1449; kwando.co.bw
BEPREPARED.Makesureyoucarry
enough fuel if you want to drive
the road between Khutse and
Xade. Be on the lookout for big
and small critters. If you stay in one
place for long enough you’ll spot
the ticks in the long grass…
EXPERT OPINION
Dawid deWet, tour leader at
toerboer.co.za
“My aunt Ester visited the Bush­
men of the Central Kalahari in the
early 1990s and this reserve has
always been a dream destination
of mine. Now I get to accompany
tour groups.
“When I last visited the CKGR,
we came across a lion about 50 m
from the campsite one morning.
We followed it to the rest of
the pride – they were eating a
gemsbok right next to the road.
We were the only people there;
it seemed like we were the only
people in the whole reserve!
“The lions got up later, chased
some other lions over a sand dune
and returned to their breakfast.
The day ended on a high note
when we saw a black-maned
lion walking around the edge of
Piper Pan. Just as it was getting
dark, the lion roared with all his
might. We all huddled very closely
around the fire that night!˝

7. Piper Pan 2
Piper Pan 1
Phokoje
San
Tau Pan Lodge
Passarge 3
Motopi 3
Passarge 2
Motopi 1
Motopi 2
Motopi
Tsau
Sunday
Deception
Xade
Malapo
Xaxa
Molose
Bape
Khutse
LethlakengDutlwe
Phuduhudu
Kang
Rakops
New Xade
Kukumane
Kuke
Xhumo OrapaMopipi
Tsau
Matswere
Xade
Khutse
MotopiPan
PassargePan
PhukwePan
SanPan
PhokojePan
TauPan
PiperPan
Passarge Valley
Passarge
Motopi
Piper
toKuke/Ghanzi
toXadegate
toSehithwa/Maun toMaun/Gweta
toLetlhakane/Serowe
toMolepololetoJwaneng
toGhanzi
toGhanzi
toHukuntsi
CentralKalahari
GameReserve
KhutseGame
Reserve
A2
A30
Tsau Hill (1 118 m)
There’saroadoneithersideofthefence.
Kalatraverseroad
Enlargedarea
Thissandycutlineroadisnotveryscenic,but
it’sausefulshortcutbetweenthewestern
andeasternpartsofthecircularroute.
I had to stop for a family of
bat-eared foxes playing in
the road.
CENTRAL KALAHARI GAME RESERVE
This vast reserve offers some of the best wilderness camping in Botswana. You must be fully self-sufficient – take enough fuel, food and
drinking water. It is also a 4x4 challenge – roads are very sandy and areas around the pans can be muddy during the rainy season. Take
recovery equipment along and drive in a small convoy. Park fees: P120 (R166) per adult; P60 (R83) per child aged 8 – 17; free for younger
kids; plus P50 (R69) per vehicle per day.
Circularroute

8. ge
Letiahau Lekhubu
KalahariTrails
Kori 1 – 4
Sunday 1
Sunday 2 & 3
Leopard
Passarge 1
Kukama
Deception 1 – 6
Haina Kalahari Lodge
Brakah Camp
DeceptionValley Lodge
Matswere
Kuke Corner
DeceptionPan
SundayPan
LeopardPan
KukamaPan
HAINAVELD
y
DeceptionValley
Sunday
Letiahau
toMalapocamp
toRakops
CentralKalahari
GameReserve
20 km
Thisroadisovergrown;drivetoRakopsviaMatswere.
toMakalamabedi/Maun
Public camp
BigfootTours camp
Private camp
This is where I witnessed a
leopard catching a black-
backed jackal.
Circularroute

9. Botswana 30 2018
Small reserve,
big lions
Khutse Game
Reserve is a (much)
smaller version of
the Central Kalahari
Game Reserve.
It’s also more
accessible and
chock-full of game
– especially lions!
I
t’s busy at the gate into Khutse Game
Reserve. There are about 10 vehicles
in the queue and their passengers
are standing around while the group
leader does all the paperwork inside
the office. I park my Isuzu bakkie and go
stand in the queue.
It’s late afternoon and most people
seem to be exiting the reserve. If it’s this
busy at the gate, it must be crazy inside…
Once my paperwork is done, I look for P40
(R54) in the cubbyhole of the bakkie to
buy a bundle of firewood. As I’m loading
the firewood, a vehicle drives past and a
young man leans out of the passenger side
and says with a shrug: “No lions.”
The guy who sold me the firewood just
smiles. “Not everyone is lucky,” he says.
My campsite is 15 km away. Daylight is
running out and lightning dances in the
distance. I say goodbye to the firewood
seller and drive into the park. All the
activity at the gate must have been an
anomaly. I don’t know it yet, but the
firewood seller is the last person I’ll see
for the next four days…
Unlike the Central Kalahari Game
Reserve, it’s relatively easy to reach
Khutse from South Africa. I left Vryburg
this morning.
Between the gate and Khutse Pan, I
pass two smaller pans: Jobe and Sutswane.
Pans are important in Khutse because it’s
where the animals congregate. It’s early
April and the rainy season is nearing its
end. The pans are covered in grass. It’s
almost dark when I arrive at Khutse Pan.
There are no other people around, but that
doesn’t mean I have the place to myself.
No lions, huh? Then why is there one
in my camp? As I drive down the jeep
track to my stand, a young lion appears
up ahead and saunters along in front of
the bakkie, to the exact place where
I have to pitch my tent.
I switch off the engine and wait. The
lion marks its territory and eventually
moves on. I sit in the car for almost an
hour, wracked with indecision. Should
I even get out and pitch my tent? Where
exactly did that lion go?
I decide to get out. I open the door and
Mores
APANJUSTFORYOU.AtKhutsePan,
yourcampsitecomeswithatree,a
braaiplaceandapittoilet.Bringyour
owndrinkingandwashingwater.

10. 2018 31 Botswana
immediately hear something rustling
in the grass behind the vehicle. I slam
the door closed and make my decision:
Tonight I’m sleeping right here, as
uncomfortable as it might be. A while
later I put a gas stove on the ground
outside the door and cook some noodles
for dinner. I open the door a little to stir
the pot when needed.
Here’s a tip: If you ever have to sleep
in the cab of a bakkie, it helps to open
the windows a crack. But only do this
once you’ve turned off the cabin lights,
otherwise you’ll attract every insect in
the Kalahari.
It’s a moonless night. I lie back and
watch the lightning roll closer in the
darkness. The air smells like rain. I don’t
see the lion again, but I can hear it moving
in the grass around the camp. When it
roars, it feels like it’s on the back seat.
In the distance, thunder roars back.
One benefit of a lion in your camp
is that you don’t have much to pack
up the next morning. I head out early,
driving a circular route along which you
can see almost the whole reserve. You
could easily do this route in a day and
return to Khutse Pan for the night, or
you can take it easy and camp at some
of the other pans along the way. (See
the map above.)
I turn south on the circular route and
drive as far as Moreswe Pan. The mud
has baked dry and some gemsbok wade
through the mirages to the manmade
waterhole on the northern side of the pan.
By the time I reach the campsite at Molose
Pan, it starts to rain. I manage to get my
tent up just before the drizzle turns into
a downpour.
Huddled inside later, thinking of that
lion, my nylon shelter feels very thin…
– François Haasbroek
Khutse 1 – 10
Park gate
Moreswe 3 & 4
Moreswe 1 & 2
Mahurushele 1 & 2
Mahurushele 3
Molose 1
Molose 2 – 4
Khanke 1 – 4
JobePan
SutswanePan
KhutsePan
NqaoPan
GwiaPan
PanZonderNaam
MoreswePan
MabuakolobePan
BowringPan
MolosePan
KujwePan
MotailanePan
TshilwanePan
MahurushelePan
KhankePan
Khutse
GameReserve
CentralKalahari
GameReserve
Khutse is 250 km from Gaborone.
The first 150 km are tar; the final
100 km are dirt. Fill your tank
in Letlhakeng because it’s the
last filling station you’ll see for
a while.
This road over the dunes is more
sandy and overgrown than the
main route. Use it as a short cut
to get to the Molose waterhole if
you need to.
This road is sandy and overgrown
– you won’t save much time if you
use it as a short cut.
This road joins up with the main route between
Khutse and Xade in the CKGR. It was so overgrown
when we visited that the vehicle couldn’t
get through.
There’s a sign here that says Xade is“only”
236 km away.This is the northern border of
Khutse Game Reserve; everywhere further
north is the CKGR.There is no gate or fence.
This circular route follows the courses of two
prehistoric rivers, around some petrified dunes.
Khanke Pan is within easy reach if you’re camping at
Khutse Pan.Take a drive here in the morning to watch the
game and you can be back at your campsite by lunchtime.
toXade
toGobe
toLetlhakeng
10 km
PARK FEES
All the campsites are managed
by BigfootTours. P250 (R324)
per adult; P125 (R162) per child
aged 8 – 15. All visitors must pay
a daily conservation fee of P120
(R166) per adult; P60 (R83) per
child aged 8 – 17; P50 (R65)
per vehicle.
Contact: Bigfoot Tours
00 267 395 3360; 00 267 391
0927; bigfoottours.co.bw
BigfootTours camps