The Wild Kalahari Exploration links effortlessly for guests at Maun on the end of some of the Migration Routes departures and is a highly recommended add-on. This trip is also the perfect value-add starting point to a lodge itinerary through the Okavango and Linyanti to the north.

The Central Kalahari Game Reserve, one of the largest protected areas in Africa, is an extremely diverse and productive thirstland ecosystem, providing sightings of thriving herds of springbok and gemsbok and the iconic black-maned lion. Thanks to its habitat diversity, healthy game populations move through the area and are present to a greater or lesser degree all year long.

Exploring the Kalahari unlocks the fascinating wildlife treasures found in this wonderful area. A San Bushman experience provides a fascinating insight into the unique experience of this fast disappearing culture.

Explorations are led by highly skilled and qualified professional guides with an incredible passion for the natural regions they work in. Sharing the adventure and guiding you on this journey of discovery combined with their vast knowledge of the natural world, history and culture are their professions and personal hobby. Years of experience in the field and a depth of understanding of animal behavior and the environment will leave you with a sense of complete wonder.

Exclusive experience: Deception Valley Lodge, Kalahari Plains Camp and air linkages are open to other guests. All activities and guides are private for the group on this safari.

Routes: Maun – Central Kalahari – Maun.

Transfers: Transfers are by road on comfortable tar and 4x4 tracks. 4x4 tracks in wilderness areas are not maintained, can take time to navigate and may be bumpy.

Safari Style:  Discoverer

SAFARI COST (2010):
04-Jan to 31-Mar 2010: $1,850 per person sharing
01-Apr to 26-Dec 2010: $1,888 per person sharing

SINGLE SUPPLEMENT (2010):  none

There is a limitation of 2 single tents per safari and a maximum number of 5 tents at any site while on safari. No single supplement is payable. When there are more than 2 single guests on a safari, we will attempt to match guests with another guest of the same gender. No triple rooms are accepted.

Upon arrival in Maun we depart overland to Deception Valley Lodge.

Deception Valley Lodge is located approximately 25 miles from Deception Pan, bordering the Central Kalahari Game Reserve. The lodge accommodates 16 guests in private chalets, each with a spacious lounge, en-suite Victorian-style bathroom, outdoor shower and veranda. The main area, connected to the units by elevated wooden walkways, boasts dining, lounge and bar areas. From the deck wildlife can be seen at the nearby waterhole and there is a curio shop, small library, swimming pool and boma for evening meals.

After an early breakfast at the lodge, we will have the unique opportunity to experience the Kalahari Bushman way of life.

We then depart by road on a game drive transfer to Kalahari Plains Camp where we will spend the next two days exploring and observing the unique fauna and flora that this starkly beautiful region has to offer.

Kalahari Plains Camp is situated in a remote part of the diverse and productive Central Kalahari Game Reserve and offers some fascinating wildlife viewing opportunities. Located in the Kalahari Desert biome in the central part of Botswana, this reserve is the largest conservation area in this country and at 5 million hectares (12 million acres), one of the largest in the world.

Kalahari Plains Camp comprises six Meru-style en-suite tents with a central area with lounge, dining area and central bar. The tents and main area are all raised off the ground to catch the breeze and take in the sweeping spacious view across the Kalahari. Solar power provides electricity and hot water, and the innovative insulated canvas walls and roof keep the temperatures inside comfortable.

Thanks to the diversity of habitats, healthy game populations move through the area.  
In the winter months, the Kalahari is more typically a desert-type system: warm and dry. Game viewing remains productive and moves into the vegetated dunal belt and pan systems surrounding the valleys; a series of ecologically placed waterholes further enhance wildlife viewing. Gemsbok, springbok and blue wildebeest are commonly seen. Predator concentrations can be good and sightings of lions are complemented with possibilities of the best cheetah viewing in Southern Africa. Wild dog and leopard are seen on occasion and black-backed jackal and bat-eared fox are common. Other mammal possibilities include southern giraffe, steenbok, red hartebeest and the charismatic ground squirrels and meerkats (suricates).

DAY 4
Road transfer to Maun
After an early breakfast, we travel by road back to Maun, arriving in time to bid farewell to your guide for onward arrangements. Please note that this transfer arrives in Maun at approximately 12h30.