Camping at the CKGR

In the Central Kalahari Game Reserve, or CKGR, there are very few lodges, most of them are just outside the reserve boundary; most visitors that come here usually camp.

Camping in the Central Kalahari is an integral part of the visit and experience to the park; there are different campsites, most are for the exclusive use of those who book them, or at least that should be, in practice, many travelers stop where they prefer or where they are when sun sets; this we understood by talking to the South Africans we met during our stay in the CKGR and we also adjusted ourselves right away.

Travelers participating in a group tour with the mobile safari, exclusively use a campsite; in this case there are staff members who mount the field, the tents are on the ground 2 meters per 2 meters and 2 meters high, and they prepare the meals.

Alternatively you can enter the park with your car, or rent, equipped to do camping; most visitors who do camping are South African who have super equipped cars, some also have the trailer, and are provided with everything.

For the first night, for example, we share our camping site with three South Africans from Pretoria who have a SUV with roof tents, the interior is very organized with compartments to store all kinds of items and also have a trailer with the kitchen and other rooms; they put off the SUV and trailer in a L shape and mounted green grid walls to create a "safe" space where they placed the table with the chairs, in practice they built a sort of fort.

Many others, however, have a SUV similar to ours with the roof tent, that is much safer than having a grounded tent, especially if you are alone.

Our car has access to the bed from the inside, others have an outside ladder; they are both functional, maybe in our car it is less cold in the frosty winter nights of Africa.

We spent the first night in the Motopi campsite, that is close to the Motopi Pan, in the North-Western part of the park; it is a remote area, where few travelers venture.

We were happy to share the pitch with the South Africans because, in addition to listening to their stories, that are always very interesting and fun, we also shared that emotion, mixed with a bit of fear and adrenaline, to see suddenly a feline from the bush.

There did not come any feline, but during the night we heard the lions and, the next morning, we found them 500 meters from our campsite.

The following night we camped in the Easternmost part of the park, we chose a pitch near the Sunday Pan; it is located on a small promontory overlooking the Deception Valley, the view from here is a spectacle.

We go back around 5.00 pm when the sun is beginning to descend to the horizon, right behind a dune running parallel to the Deception Valley; the light is wonderful and we enjoy the spectacle of sunset by drinking a spritz in front of the fire we turned on.

Tonight we are alone and it is wonderful, we only hear the noises of nature, for the rest the silence is total; at some point we see something moving in the shadows and it was a small hare looking at us, curious about our presence

When it is dark we prefer to get into our car, it is true that we have torches to see if some animal is approaching, but it is always better to be cautious, it also starts to cool, so we prefer to dine inside and then go to sleep soon to wake up early the next morning to admire the dawn of a new day.