Kalahari Desert - Northern Cape, South Africa

Spanning 7 countries and covering an area of 900 000 square kilometers, the Kalahari Desert is a large semi-arid sandy savannah in Southern Africa. The Kalahari covers much of Botswana and parts of Namibia and South Africa but is not a classic desert with tall sand dunes like those associated with Sossusvlei. Instead this fossil desert receives a higher amount of rainfall than others leading to a landscape of golden grass and small red dunes. In Namibia it is referred to as a desert because it's porous, sandy soils cannot retain surface water, but in some areas annual rainfall can be as high as 250mm, which accounts for the luxuriant grass cover during good years.

The best known of the Kalahari's inhabitants are the San Bushmen, numbering only a few thousand and squeezed into inhospitable pieces of land. The Bushmen are a proud people, and are keen to demonstrate their origins and knowledge of living in the bushveld. They still retain some specific cultural and linguistic characteristics such as the very interesting and unique 'click' language, and listening to is a wonderful experience in itself. The Bushmen are the remnants of Southern Africa's original inhabitants who occupied the whole sub-continent, long before black and white settlers invaded their territories and forced them to the margins. As proof of the fact that they occupied extensive territory, there are the superb 'Bushman' rock paintings that are found in great numbers in caves and rock shelters all over southern Africa. In Namibia, excellent examples of Bushman rock art can be found in the Damaraland region. Although there is no national park in the areas of Namibia covered by the Kalahari, there are several recommended guest farms which allow visitors to explore this desert area.

In Namibia, the Kalahari Desert is covered with trees, temporary rivers and fossil watercourses, and the reasonably regular rainfall patterns each year allow for huge numbers of mammals, birds, reptiles and amphibians, plant life and insects to thrive. As far as flora is concerned, most of the southern section is taken up with camelthorn, red ebony and other acacias, and towards the centre silver terminalia and shrubs are common. As you travel further north, where the climate is wetter, the acacia gives way to bush savannah and dry woodland of kiaat, Zambezi teak, wild seringa, manketti, shiwi and other magnificent timber species. Large numbers of Tamboti trees grow in the Grootfontein area. There are also three species of aloe that grow in this area including the quiver tree, aloe hereroensis and aloe littoralis.

The various habitats in the Kalahari are home to many different animals, the bush and grass provide perfect cover for cheetah to get within sprinting distance of springbok, hare and porcupine. The high Acacias provide additional sustenance for the Giraffes that can go without drinking water for several weeks. Zebra graze on leaves, grass, bark and roots throughout the area and gemsbok, surely one of Namibia's most remarkable mammals, obtain sufficient moisture from leaves and grasses. Black-footed cats prefer short to medium-length grass. And the Black-backed jackal kill young livestock (as do caracal), scavenge foe carrion and otherwise survive on insects, birds and rodents and if the opportunity presents itself, small antelope. There are also primates like the lesser bushbaby and vervet monkey, the insect-eating aardwolf and other mammals including honey badger, meerkat and yellow mongoose, that make the Kalahari their home.

One of the largest cave systems in Africa, the Arnhem Caves, is situated close to Windhoek on the edge of the Kalahari. A visit to its surrounding famous red sands is well-worth the effort as well as the opportunity to spot the giant leaf-nosed bat, the largest insect-eating bat in the world.

But there is more to view than just landscape and animals, for the birders out there the Kalahari is also a very popular destination. There is a very wide variety of bird species making the Kalahari a superb birding destination, especially for those wanting to watch raptors. Visitors can expect to see the martial eagle, brown snake eagle, black-breasted snake eagle, white-backed and lappet-faced vulture. Swallows, snakes, bats and rodents make an easy meal for the red-necked falcon. The area is also home to crimson-breasted shrike, rosy-faced lovebird, Gaber goshawk, pygmy falcon and ant-eating chats, the rolling dunes and deep Kalahari sands provide ample birding and photographic opportunities.

Frogs are Namibia's only amphibian and these can be found in the Kalahari with the best known being the giant bullfrog. It is not only known for its size but also because when it is disturbed it will inflate itself, jaws open ready to give you a painful nip. Other frogs include the tongueless and eardrum free common platanna, the running frog which are often exposed at night by torchlight at the edge of the water and the rapid, high-pitched tuneful notes of Tandy's sand frog.

But none of these fauna or flora are the main draw card to the Kalahari, its true attraction lies in its silence and solitude, both in the sparsely grassed plains and open spaces. There are few people living in the Kalahari, and most of these live in scattered populations. Sheep, limited ostrich farming and other agricultural enterprises are the main commercial activities in the Kalahari and many of these work hand in hand with the tourist industry. Farm tours, game drives, hiking, guided Bushman walks and cultural visits around ranches large and small have enabled the region to become a popular tourist destination in its own right, especially for self-drive travelers.