Central Kalahari Game Reserve with the San People

Nature
The wow factor for nature - does it show nature at its best? Doesn't need to be the wildebeest migration or diving with hundreds of hammerheads. Rather make you pause as you realise just how awesome the natural world can be
7
Culture
How much does this experience showcase some of the better and finer things that us humans can offer? Sure, it can be ancient ruins and renaissance churches, but it can also be festivals or soaking up some of the great modern cities of the world
7
Fun factor/activity
Very simple - was it fun? This is usually linked in with doing some kind of activity - i mean, walking along some cliffs is nice, but paragliding from them, now that is fun. Its a vastly underrated factor in a truly great experience
8
Avoid the crowds
Big tour groups and being surrounded by loud fellow tourists can sap the life out of even the greatest of travel experiences. This score is to reflect just how much you can avoid this. But. . . The score also takes into account if the crowds actually add to the experience, such as with a party town or a bustling local market
8
World famous
How world famous is the experience?
7
unique
How hard is it to have a similar experience in other places round the world?
8
Overall TE Score
The overall travel experiences score:  fun factor + avoid the crowds + (best of nature or culture) + (best of world famous or unique). Then convert into a score out of 100
77 *What the scores mean and where do they come from
RANKING
How this travel experience ranks compared to all the other experiences on this site, based on the travel experience (te) score
71st/454
Top 20%
continent
Africa
country
Botswana
Length of time
3-4 days
Typical daily price
This gives you a rough idea of the daily price based on 2 people travelling where they can split costs like accommodation. It excludes travel there and back, and factors in inflation the numbers in brackets show the price range for the full time of the experience (so not necessarily daily). It is a range to reflect different budget vs higher end
$310 (typically $250 - $370)
Time of year visited
September
Primary Tags
Click on any of the tags to see all travel experiences with the same tag
Desert Isolation Safari
All Tags
4WD Cycling Local villages Stargazing Sunsets Wildlife - Elephants Wildlife - Giraffes
Wow Factor
The wow factor reflects just how much you’re likely to say “wow”. As there’s a lot of experiences in the world, and a lot of wows, i’ve gone with a simple ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ to ⭐️ score, and a separate category for the truly "gash"
⭐⭐⭐

Summary

The dry heart of the dry south of a dry continent, the Kalahari evokes all kinds of desert images and, above all, remoteness.  Standing on one of the few hills watching the sunsets, giraffes walking slowly in the distance in search of water, maybe a black-maned Kalahari lion roaring somewhere in the far distance, all gives a wonderful eerie experience as you’re surrounded by miles and miles of it all.

But it is the interaction with the San People that really makes this experience one not to miss.  It is just overwhelming how easily they can survive in this inhospitable landscape, how intensely they dance (and sing!), and above all how incredibly happy they are to be back in their home – they have unfortunately been exited from the area by various governments, and are only able to return with tourists.  The enthusiasm is genuine – they are clearly so happy to be there and are enormously keen to share how they live.  We found it very emotional and its a real wow experience.

Central Kalahari - desert experience with the San people

 

Table of Contents

The highlights

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#1 Spending time with the wonderfully enthusiastic San People. One of the highlights of all of Southern Africa

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#2 The sunsets across the Kalahari after the walk up Great Tsau Hill

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#3 Watching the animals have to adapt to what is one of the driest environments on earth

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#4 Heading off on Safari - whilst not the density of the Okavango / Etosha, it has its own remote charm

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#5 - Zipping about on e-bikes. Surprisingly fun!

High level tips for the Central Kalahari

#1 Wherever you book, make sure you have genuine time with the San People

You’re not popping by to maybe buy things from a roadside store.  Instead you want time walking with them to see how they find water and forage, and a full evening with them to share stories and, if lucky, dance!

 

#2 Where to stay

You won’t be allowed in the park without a campsite reservation (and tbh I wouldn’t recommend trying to anything here without guides).  There are several options, but most are super expensive. 

We lucked out with booking via Roots & Journeys and staying at the Great Tsau Hill Camp.  $790 per person for 3 days 2 nights, everything included.  Would recommend (especially considering the alternatives).

 

#3 What do you do

When in camps, they tend to put on a couple of activities a day.  For us:

  • 1st day – 11am pick up from Luke Gate, 2 hour drive, 3pm Safari Drive, 6pm San People dance.
  • 2nd Day 9am San People bush walk (our highlight), 3pm e-Bike ride (surprisingly fun), 6pm Great Tsau Hill climb.
  • 3rd Day 8am Safari Drive, noon return to Kuke Gate.

 

#4 It gets bloody hot, especially around 12-330

One of our days (in late September) was 44 Celsius (111 Fahrenheit), which pretty much rules out most activities at this time, so its either try to get some sleep in a tent with a fan, or grab some shade and hope for a breeze.

 

#5 Type of desert

The north of the game reserve isn’t a classic desert, it is more of savannah-style scrub.  You need to go for to the south for sandy desert.

 

Roadsigns on the way into the Central Kalahari 

Roadsigns on the way into the Central Kalahari 

Experiences Nearby

The below map shows experiences nearby with a colour that reflect the Overall Score of those experiences

Similar Engagement with Local Tribes

Hanging out with the Masai in the Masai Mara
⭐⭐⭐⭐

Chiang Rai overnight trek into the nearby hills
⭐⭐

Hiking the Lost City Trek
⭐⭐⭐⭐

Hiking, horse-riding and staying in yurts in Gorkhi-Terelj National Park
⭐⭐

Hiking near the hot springs of Altyn Arashan near Karakol
⭐⭐⭐

Safari in the Okavango Delta and Kaziinkini Game Reserve
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

Score Detail

The scores above are the real point of this site.

Over 20+ years and 100+ countries, I’ve tried to rank the world’s best travel experiences — from genuinely mind-blowing ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ to the properly gash.

Every one of the 500+ places on this site has both a Wow Factor rating and a more analytical Travel Experience (TE) score based on the things that actually make travel memorable.

If you're curious about the thinking behind it, head to the About page.

Otherwise, explore the map above or on the Home page and see which places truly deliver maximum wow.

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