The Central Kalahari Game Reserve is larger than Denmark and, at approximately 52800 km², is the largest game reserve in Botswana and the second-largest game reserve in the world. Set up in 1961, the Central Kalahari Game Reserve is an arid vista of open plains, saltpans and ancient riverbeds in the central part of Botswana. The reserve varies from dunes with many species of trees and shrubs in the north to flat bushveld in the central area and to more heavily wooded in the south, with mopane forests to the south and east.

After the summer rains arrive in the northern section of Central Kalahari Game Reserve, the vast plains become one of the prime game-viewing areas in Botswana. Magnificent cloud formations are seen during the summer rains creating phenomenal sunsets. The vast plains come alive with sweet grasses and beautiful flowers which entice thousands of gemsbok, springbok and wildebeest, together with smaller numbers of lion, cheetah and jackal. Visitors to the reserve can hope to see a selection of predators such as lion, cheetah, leopard, spotted hyena, brown hyena, wild dog, aardwolf, caracal, black-backed jackal, honey badger, African wild cat, black-footed and striped polecat, common genet, bat-eared and Cape fox, meerkat and banded, yellow and slender mongoose. Other animals include springbok, hartebeest, gemsbok, wildebeest, duiker, springhare, porcupines and Brant’s whistling rat.

Bordering the northern perimeter of the Central Kalahari Game Reserve is the Hainaveld region, which comprises private concessions and farms. This region is known for its great accessibility, bird watching and excellent wildlife spotting opportunities, cultural tourism and interaction with the bushmen or locals to learn about the ancient traditional way of life of the Kalahari. Explore the area on foot during a nature walk, relax at a luxury lodge or spend a day on safari spotting abundant wildlife on a game drive. The Hainaveld offers an authentic African bush experience featuring remarkable desert landscapes inhabited by a wide range of desert-adapted wildlife, including gemsbok, springbok, giraffes and ostriches.