Kalahari

You’ve no doubt heard of this mystical desert. The Kalahari Desert resonates across the common consciousness. It is a place of wonder, beauty, and austerity. It’s the home to the San, and debatably is the cradle of humankind.

While a Desert, the Kalahari is home to an abundant wildlife which includes great numbers of wildebeest, giraffe, zebra, hyena, and buck. The area is also acclaimed for its black maned lions, an iconic site. The Kalahari also happens to be the area where you would be most likely to see a cheetah in the wild. Cheetah numbers have dropped worldwide over the past years, but a healthy population still thrives in the Central Kalahari Game Reserve.

Owing to the absence of green hiding places, the Kalahari is the perfect place to observe some of the smaller and more interesting creatures such as the honey badger, porcupine, meerket, and – if you’re very lucky – the pangolin.

The Kalahari is probably most famous for being home to the San group of hunter gatherers. The San, an iconic group of hunter gatherers, have called the Kalahari home for over 50,000 years. That’s a lot. And over time they have developed a unique skillset that helps them survive the hardships of the Kalahari. The San attitude towards life is nonchalant and their laughter is infectious. They care little for material possession, and are far more concerned with giving thanks to all mother earth for what she provides them. They have no words for possessives such as ‘mine’ and ‘yours’, but they have 20 different words to describe a smile. Any trip to the area should include spending time with the San – whether in a community or on a walk tracking game the traditional way.