Khutse Game Reserve

Limited variety of game and bird species. Habitat is not very diverse. Very rustic camping sites.

Great life experience, but very cold at night!

I went with a group of college students and camped for one night at Khutse Game Reserve. The trip was organized by Africa Insight; they drove us there, provided tents, blankets, and food, and in the daylight took us around the reserve. Everything went very smoothly, and we spent several hours driving around the reserve. The highlight was being able to see a bunch of lions who were hanging around a giraffe they had killed the day before. Our trip leader was great- he was funny, knowledgeable and had a good sense of the place, and he was also very good/careful about approaching the animals (e.g. lions). Camping was a unique experience in itself. There was an outdoor bathroom/shower area. It was EXTREMELY cold at night, though. Make sure if you go around June/July, you pack lots and lots of layers! My feet were numb the whole next day, it was kind of alarming. Otherwise it was definitely a unique experience! Glad to have had it.

Very Rustic

Khutse Game Reserve is located on the southern border of the Central Kalahari Game Reserve both very remote and undeveloped destinations. These reserves are notorious as very authentic bush destination with wild animals including lions often entering campsites at night.

Ours was a self drive trip and we carried everything including fresh water, extra fuel, etc. Campsites were unfenced with basic amenities including open-air pit toilet and shower cubicles. Note you have to supply and heat your own water.

Game species were not prolific, sparse would be a more appropriate description. This is definitely not a mainstream tourist destination and more suitable for those who have an appreciation for just being out in the African bush…

Great Bush Vibe

Khutse started off a disappointment for us as they had made a double booking and the specific camp requested was not available. We then had to camp at a different camp that was quite far from where most of the wildlife roamed. If it wasn't for a great Cheetah viewing the wildlife would not have mediocre. It was however an enjoyable bush experience and we were refunded for our accommodation. We shortened out trip with one night because it was just to cold at night.

a nightlife in Khutse _ very thrilling and one of the scariest night in my life

Excellent - bush camp with toilet and camp fire facilities. Need to take your tent, woods. Water and food. I recommend this place.

Lions in camp and a blanket of stars!

Upon arrival in the early mornings at the Khutse gate, we were greeted by friendly staff that assisted us with a prompt check in, advised us on which roads to travel to camp and shared some more vital information with us. The staff also helped us to fill our offroad trailer's water tanks with water to be used for showering. Note - this water is not suitable for drink water, you need to bring your own drinking water, approximately 2.5l per person per day.

As we set off into the park from the gate, we were amazed at how green and lush the bush is, not quite typical Kalahari. The roads were sandy and require a 4x4, but even a novice would be able to traverse the terrain. We deflated our tires to about 1.6 bar to deal with the loose thick sand even better. The centre of the roads is quite high, so a high clearance vehicle is highly recommended. A normal SUV would struggle and will be scraping the under belly of the car.

Accommodation was exactly what we expected, a huge camp site all to ourselves with plenty of space to pitch at least 4 big tents. Shade for all the tents will not always be available, so my advise would be to camp here in the winter times. The closest neighboring camp site was at least 200m away - you really don't see much other people and you really feel as if you are completely alone in the bush, this made our trip very special.

The only facilities at the camp sites is a long drop toilet (pit toilet) and a bucket shower. As mentioned before, you need to bring your own water for the bucket shower; we used about 5l of water to shower every day. You also have a braai area, but you have to bring your own braai grid. In a nut shell, you need to be fully self sufficient. If you are a novice offroader / camper, I would advise not to travel alone as a few days may pass before someone passes you.

The nights were amazing; the amount of stars you see here at night is absolutely amazing! We took a few star trail photos and Milky Way photos - never have I taken photos with so many stars in them!

As we were at the park after an exceptional rainy season, there weren't many animals around. We saw a few small herds of springbok, gemsbok and hartebeest. We also only saw lion the first afternoon and never again. The lions did visit our camp the first night, so always be vigilant of what may be lurking around your camp site.

It is advisable to wash away all your dishes, pack away our rubbish, close all food containers and pack everything away completely every night as this may attract lions into your camp. As romantic as that may sound, these lions are wild and you do not want a dangerous situation on your hands. Also, DO NOT put any food with you in your tent - again you don't want to attract a lions to where you sleep... Even if you leave camp during the day, pack your rubbish and food away - jackals may just raid your camp.

Overall Khutse was a great experience and I would definitely visit this park again. For the photographer in me this wasn't the best place for doing Wildlife Photography, but to get away from it all and experience solitude - this is the place to be!!