The CKGR is the largest, most remotely situated reserve in Southern Africa and the second largest wildlife reserve in the world, encompassing 52,800 sq. km.

Nothing can prepare a visitor for the sheer size and immensity of the Central Kalahari Game Reserve (CKGR), nor its wild, mysterious beauty. There is the immediate impression of unending space, which gives the impression of having the entire reserve to yourself.

Wide and empty pans appear as vast white stretches of pancake-flat earth, meeting a soft, blue-white sky. At night the stars are genuinely awe-inspiring, utterly dominating the land with their brilliance and immediacy.

Initially established in 1961 to serve as a sanctuary for the San people in the heart of the Kalahari (and Botswana), the CKGR provides space for traditional lifeways, without intrusion or influence from the outside world. Following 30 years of closure, the 1980s and 1990s saw limited self-drive and organised tours. Following initiatives lead by the Government of Botswana to diversify tourism across the country; authorities allocated concessions for lodge construction. These sites are at the peripheries of and inside the reserve, allowing for fly-in tourists.

Activity highlights in CKGR include the following:

  • Game drives
  • Wilderness drives
  • Nature walks with the Basarwa (The San)
  • Culture based dances