Khutse Game Reserve

Khutse: The Other Kalahari

Part of the chain of parks that protect vast swathes of the Kalahari, Khutse Game Reserve abuts the southern boundary of the Central Kalahari Game Reserve. I love this reserve because it’s the smallest, most accessible slice of the Kalahari but has everything that makes the Kalahari so evocative – up to 60 shimmering salt pans that draw surprising numbers of herbivores in search of salt and water, male lions with their extravagantly flowing black manes, and remote trails that cut deep into the heart of the desert. And you never know what you might see – I once saw a young leopard drinking from a waterhole around midday. And for wildlife possibilities away from the (albeit moderate) crowds, I prefer the less-frequented Moreswe Pan in the reserve’s far southwest or the Khwankwe Pan in the north (actually part of the Central Kalahari Game Reserve) to the more popular Molose waterhole.

Khutse’s campsites can get a little crowded on weekends, but if you head out to some of the western campsites out of season, as I did, you might just end up sleeping 30 or 40 miles from the nearest human being. You can combine it with a trip north into a part of the CKGR that sees very few travelers, which makes it my sort of place.