Kalahari :: overview

Unforgettable impressions of the largest stretch of sand on earth – green acacias and yellow grass on the red sand.

They are only 15 to 30m, hundreds of kilometres long – the longitudinal dunes of the Kalahari. The sand, remnants of mountain ranges which have long since disappeared, was deposited in southern Africa’s interior over millions of years and forms the largest continuous stretch of sand on earth. Constant winds ‘swept’ the sand into long dunes running parallel to one another; during more humid times a cover of plants secured them. The landscape of dunes and yellow savannah is home to many animals, such as Oryx antelope, springbok, bat-eared fox, ostrich, jackal, hare & porcupine that inhabit the dunes and dune valleys, also referred to as ‘streets’.

General information and & tips on the area:

- One of the four desert biomes of Namibia (southern Kalahari, Nama Karoo (Fish River

Canyon, succulent Karoo (Aus) and the Namib).

- The Bushman, the oldest inhabitants of Namibia have roamed the length & breadth of

this area for thousands of years.

- Either a one or two night stay depending on your interests in the area.

- A variety of lodges in the area who offer activities such as: nature walks, nature

drives and horse riding. One Lodge has a custodianship program with the Cheetah

Conservation Fund whereby they have been granted ‘ownership’ of these predators

under specific guidelines. Another in the area has a lion rehabilitation program.

- Mata Mata gate on Namibia’s eastern border leading into South Africa side and the

Kgalagadi Transfrontier Park (Kalahari Gemsbok National Park) has re-opened.

- A good area to see meerkats.

Kalahari Packages

Desert Spectacular

6 Night/7 Day Fly-In Safari

Namibia Classic

9 Night/10 Day Fly-In Safari

The Beautiful South

12 Night/13 Day Self-Drive Safari

Namibian Odyssey

21 Nights/ 22 Days

Fascinating Namibia

13 Night/14 Day Self-Drive Safari

The Beautiful South

12 Night/13 Day Self-Drive Safari

The Kalahari

The Kalahari is a huge inland drainage basin with a deep cover of old sand (15-50 meters thick) that covers about 500 000 square kilometers in Southern Africa. It spreads across much of Botswana, and parts of Namibia and South Africa.

Hardap Game Reserve

With a capacity of 320 million cubic metres and a surface area of 25km2, Hardap is Namibia’s largest dam.

The San

The earliest known inhabitants of Namibia are the San (Bushmen), who belong to the Khoesan peoples. Generally short in stature, they have light yellowish-brown skins, while their language, which differs among the different groups, is characterised by numerous clicking sounds.

The Rehoboth Basters

The history of the Rehoboth Basters goes back to the settlement of the first Dutch colonists under Jan van Riebeeck, who landed at the Cape of Good Hope in 1652. European settlers cam into contact with the indigenous Khoesan people. The children born from this association whose mixed blood origins were obvious, were called ‘coloureds’ or ‘bastards’, giving rise to two culturally separate groups of people.

Rehoboth

Some 88km south of Windhoek is the historical town of Rehoboth.

Mariental

Mariental is the administrative capital of the Hardap Region in southern Namibia, which stretches from the coast to Botswana Standing on the edge of the Kalahari Desert, in an area which has long been a centre for the Nama people.