The Savannah Grasslands of Botswana
STRETCHING across six countries, the Kalahari Desert is nowhere more beautiful and classic than in its heartland in central Botswana - remote, a true wilderness, this is the last refuge of the traditional San people.
The interminable space and haunting silence is broken only by huge migration herds trudging across vast expanses in search of the few waterholes that preserve wildlife here.
Often referred to as "Deception Valley" after a book written about the Central Kalahari, the area is contrary to what one might expect - although sand dunes and pans do occur, the flat desert tableau is surprisingly well vegetated and in summer boasts a large concentration of game.
But probably the main attraction is its wilderness atmosphere, wide-open spaces and intense solitude and silence - an experience which every soul deserves at least once in a lifetime!
It is here in this place of haunting beauty and under the scorching sun, that the people known throughout the world as Bushmen - but correctly referred to as San - have hunted and gathered for thousands of years.
Most of these fascinating people inhabit the southern and western reaches of the Kalahari, while the wildlife concentrates in the north around Deception and Sunday's Pans - gemsbok, kudu. Springbok, giraffe, hartebeest and wildebeest are followed in their tracks by the predators, lion, cheetah and hyena.
The traveler reaches the Kalahari by either 4 x 4 vehicle or air charter from Maun. Accommodation is in comfortable tents with beds and bedding under camelthorn trees, while a cook and camp hand handle the camp chores. A trained guide takes care that the visitor experiences the region to its fullest and most rewarding.
