Game reserve

Central Kalahari Game Reserve

Botswana's vast Kalahari wilderness: fossil valleys, open pans, black-maned lions and campsites with nobody else in sight.

52,225 km² · 3 gates · 24 campsites · Run by Department of Wildlife and National Parks (DWNP), Botswana

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About the park

At 52,800 km², the Central Kalahari is bigger than the Netherlands, a flat to gently rolling sea of grass, scrub and low trees cut by fossil river valleys and white salt pans. Days here are about space and silence: you can drive for hours between camps and see only a handful of other vehicles. Game is spread thin in the dry months, but after good summer rains springbok, gemsbok, wildebeest and hartebeest gather on the fresh grass of Deception Valley and the northern pans, with lion and cheetah following them. Most people come self-drive and camp in unfenced wild sites; a few lodges on the edge and inside the reserve take fly-in guests from Maun. It suits experienced, fully self-sufficient 4x4 travellers. The catch is that there is no fuel and almost no water inside, so you carry everything for the whole trip, and campsites must be booked before you arrive.

Highlights

Deception Valley after the summer rains, when the plains game gathers on the new grass
The drive north from Deception Valley through Sunday Pan, Leopard Pan and the Passarge Valley
Piper Pan, further south, for a quieter camp away from the busier northern circuit
Nature walks with San guides, offered by some lodges
Night skies from an unfenced wilderness campsite

Good to know

52,800 km² of Kalahari grassland, fossil river valleys and salt pans; the world's second-largest wildlife reserve
Gates include Matswere (east, nearest Deception Valley), Xade, Tsau and Kang, opened in 2024 in the far southwest
Deep sand tracks: a high-clearance 4x4 is needed
No fuel for sale inside; carry all drinking water
Unfenced public campsites run by DWNP or a private operator, plus a few lodges

Wildlife you may see

Black-maned Kalahari lion
Gemsbok
Springbok
Cheetah
Blue wildebeest
Red hartebeest
Eland
Giraffe
Brown hyena
Bat-eared fox
Honey badger
Ostrich

Sightings are never guaranteed.

When to go

Open: 1 Apr–30 Sep 06:00–18:30; 1 Oct–31 Mar 05:30–19:00

Best time: December to March, after good rains, for game on the pans; May to September for cooler driving

Gates

Matswere GateOpen: Apr–Sep 06:00–18:30, Oct–Mar 05:30–19:00Park entry and a vehicle fee are charged per day in pula. Show a paid campsite booking: The wildlife department runs the gate campsites and Xaka, Kori, Deception, San and Phokoje Pans; Bigfoot Tours runs Piper Pan, Letiahau, Lekhubu, Kukama, Sunday Pan, Passarge Valley and Motopi. Pay in advance at a wildlife department office in Maun or Gaborone; paying at the gate is not guaranteed.The eastern gate, near Deception Valley, and the one most self-drivers use. 4x4 only; the road from Rakops is rough and can flood badly after rain. Carry all the fuel and water you need. Arrive well before closing or you may have to sleep at the gate.
Tsau GateOpen: Apr–Sep 06:00–18:30, Oct–Mar 05:30–19:00Park entry and a vehicle fee are charged per day in pula. Show a paid campsite booking: The wildlife department runs the gate campsites and Xaka, Kori, Deception, San and Phokoje Pans; Bigfoot Tours runs Piper Pan, Letiahau, Lekhubu, Kukama, Sunday Pan, Passarge Valley and Motopi. Pay in advance at a wildlife department office in Maun or Gaborone; paying at the gate is not guaranteed.Northern gate on the far side of the reserve from Matswere, used for routes to and from Maun. There is a public campsite at the gate. 4x4 only, and carry all fuel and water you need. Arrive well before closing or you may have to sleep at the gate.
Xade GateOpen: Apr–Sep 06:00–18:30, Oct–Mar 05:30–19:00Park entry and a vehicle fee are charged per day in pula. Show a paid campsite booking: The wildlife department runs the gate campsites and Xaka, Kori, Deception, San and Phokoje Pans; Bigfoot Tours runs Piper Pan, Letiahau, Lekhubu, Kukama, Sunday Pan, Passarge Valley and Motopi. Pay in advance at a wildlife department office in Maun or Gaborone; paying at the gate is not guaranteed.Western gate, on the far side of the reserve from Matswere; there is a public campsite at the gate. 4x4 only and very remote, so carry all fuel and water for the crossing. Arrive well before closing or you may have to sleep at the gate.

Gate times change with the seasons: check with Department of Wildlife and National Parks (DWNP), Botswana before you travel.

Campsites

Bape Campsite
Bush camp3.6
CK BOG 01
Campsite4.4
CKMOB 01 Campsite
Campsite4.4
Ckmob.03 Exclusive camping
Campsite4.4
CKWIL-08 - Kukama
Bush camp3.7
Deception Camp
Campsite3.9
Khankhwe Campsite
Bush camp3.9P350 pp/night
Kori Campsite
Campsite4.2
Kori Campsite 3 (CKMOB-03)
Campsite4.4
Lekhubu Camp (CKWIL-07)
Bush camp3.9P350 pp/night
Leopard Pan Campsite
Campsite3.8
Letiahau Campsite (CKWIL-06)
Campsite4.4P350 pp/night
Mahurushele Campsite
Bush camp3.7P350 pp/night
Matswere Gate Campsite
Campsite3.5
Motopi Campsite
Bush camp4.3P350 pp/night
Passarge Valley Campsite
Bush camp4.3
Phokoje Pan (CKTAU03)
Campsite4.1
Piper Pan 1 (CKPIP-01)
Campsite3.6P350 pp/night
Piper Pan 2 (CKPIP 02)
Campsite3.4P350 pp/night
Qwee Campsite
Campsite3.9
San Pans (CKTAU02)
Campsite4.5
Sunday Pan Campsite
Campsite4.2P350 pp/night
Xade Campsite
Campsite3.1
Xaxa (CKWIL04)
Campsite4.2

Park fees

citizen	P20 per person day
resident	P145 per person day
regional	P145 per person day
international	P190 per person day

DWNP Category B park fee per person per day (SADC nationals pay the resident rate); vehicle fee per day and camping are extra, and campsites must be booked and paid before entry.

About the park

Highlights

Deception Valley after the summer rains, when the plains game gathers on the new grass

The drive north from Deception Valley through Sunday Pan, Leopard Pan and the Passarge Valley

Piper Pan, further south, for a quieter camp away from the busier northern circuit

Nature walks with San guides, offered by some lodges

Night skies from an unfenced wilderness campsite

Good to know

52,800 km² of Kalahari grassland, fossil river valleys and salt pans; the world's second-largest wildlife reserve

Gates include Matswere (east, nearest Deception Valley), Xade, Tsau and Kang, opened in 2024 in the far southwest

Deep sand tracks: a high-clearance 4x4 is needed

No fuel for sale inside; carry all drinking water

Unfenced public campsites run by DWNP or a private operator, plus a few lodges

Gates

Matswere GateOpen: Apr–Sep 06:00–18:30, Oct–Mar 05:30–19:00Park entry and a vehicle fee are charged per day in pula. Show a paid campsite booking: The wildlife department runs the gate campsites and Xaka, Kori, Deception, San and Phokoje Pans; Bigfoot Tours runs Piper Pan, Letiahau, Lekhubu, Kukama, Sunday Pan, Passarge Valley and Motopi. Pay in advance at a wildlife department office in Maun or Gaborone; paying at the gate is not guaranteed.The eastern gate, near Deception Valley, and the one most self-drivers use. 4x4 only; the road from Rakops is rough and can flood badly after rain. Carry all the fuel and water you need. Arrive well before closing or you may have to sleep at the gate.

Tsau GateOpen: Apr–Sep 06:00–18:30, Oct–Mar 05:30–19:00Park entry and a vehicle fee are charged per day in pula. Show a paid campsite booking: The wildlife department runs the gate campsites and Xaka, Kori, Deception, San and Phokoje Pans; Bigfoot Tours runs Piper Pan, Letiahau, Lekhubu, Kukama, Sunday Pan, Passarge Valley and Motopi. Pay in advance at a wildlife department office in Maun or Gaborone; paying at the gate is not guaranteed.Northern gate on the far side of the reserve from Matswere, used for routes to and from Maun. There is a public campsite at the gate. 4x4 only, and carry all fuel and water you need. Arrive well before closing or you may have to sleep at the gate.

Xade GateOpen: Apr–Sep 06:00–18:30, Oct–Mar 05:30–19:00Park entry and a vehicle fee are charged per day in pula. Show a paid campsite booking: The wildlife department runs the gate campsites and Xaka, Kori, Deception, San and Phokoje Pans; Bigfoot Tours runs Piper Pan, Letiahau, Lekhubu, Kukama, Sunday Pan, Passarge Valley and Motopi. Pay in advance at a wildlife department office in Maun or Gaborone; paying at the gate is not guaranteed.Western gate, on the far side of the reserve from Matswere; there is a public campsite at the gate. 4x4 only and very remote, so carry all fuel and water for the crossing. Arrive well before closing or you may have to sleep at the gate.

Gate times change with the seasons: check with Department of Wildlife and National Parks (DWNP), Botswana before you travel.