In complete contrast to the wetlands of the Okavango, the dry Kalahari holds its own wonders. The Kalahari is one of the oldest desert environments in the world, and had its origins when the African, Antarctic and South American continents were still joined. Imagine the sense of history when you explore this destination! Roger Dugmore Safaris can take you to an ancient stand of seven baobab trees named after the explorer Baines who came across them in 1862, and then travel across rolling grasslands, extinct rivers, and ancient lake beds where you can discover stone tools used over 50,000 years ago... You are in the footsteps of David Livingstone as he walked though this area to eventually come upon the majesty of a great waterfall he named after his Queen.
The woodlands, palm belts, and grasslands create a haven for wildlife. oryx, eland, springbok, giraffes, zebras, wildebeest, cheetahs, meerkats, brown hyenas, aardwolves, jackals, leopards and lions are regularly seen. Dry country birdlife is prolific, and the night skies populated with more stars than you could ever imagine.
Nxai Pan
The fossil lakes in this region are younger than the huge salt pans of the Makgadikgadi. Nxai Pan is an area of lush grasses, islands of acacia trees, and long stretches of ivory palms. Elephants still use paths made centuries ago to traverse the area in search of water.
Makgadikgadi
Seen clearly hundreds of miles from outerspace. Sua and Ntwetwe are the two large pans that make up this system. The largest salt flat complex in the world. These salt pans cover 16,000 km2.
Tantika
Along the fringes of the Makgadikgadi one finds isolated cattle posts inhabited by people who are able to co-exist with wildlife in this great thirstland. Abundant meerkat clans, the rare brown hyena and nocturnal aardvark are just a few examples of desert dwellers.
Central Kalahari
Is a 52.800 km2 reserve and one of the largest protected areas in Africa. It is home to vast numbers of specialized mammals and birds that have adapted to an environment of erratic rains and extreme temprature variations. These animals are constantly moving between the vegetated dunes, dry fossil valleys and grassy plains, all in search of new grazing.
Tsodilo Hills
Tsodilo is a UNESCO World Heritage Site located in northwestern Botswana. These hills are of great cultural and spiritual significance to the San peoples of the Kalahari. They believe that these hills are the site of first Creation. They also believe the hills are a resting place for the spirits of the deceased and that these spirits will cause misfortune and bad luck if anyone hunts or causes death near the hills. Factually, the San people painted more than 4500 rock paintings against the magnificent stone faces of the Tsodilo Hills, making it one of the most historically significant art sites in the world. The exact age of the paintings is not known although some are thought to be more than 20,000 years old. The hills contain 500 individual sites representing thousands of years of human habitation.