Khutse Game Reserve
Wildlife & Animals
Botswana Parks
Anthony is a renowned Africa expert and author of many Lonely Planet guidebooks, including the guide to Botswana.
Khutse Game Reserve is enveloped by the Kalahari Desert, which means the wildlife lives at low density and you may have to work hard for your sightings. But such sightings can be excellent and you’ll share them with few other visitors, making Khutse one of Botswana’s most underrated reserves. Gemsbok and springbok are especially common, but you might also see greater kudu, hartebeest, steenbok, wildebeest and giraffe. Of the big cats, lion is most common.
Wildlife Highlights
The rare and very shy brown hyena can sometimes be seen at dawn or dusk, especially close to campsites. Of the smaller predators, honey badger and yellow mongoose are quite common, and bat-eared fox are easily spotted when they are denning. You need to be lucky for cheetah and leopard sightings.
Best Time for Wildlife Viewing
There are two good times for wildlife viewing in Khutse. One is from May to August, when temperatures are cooler and the park authorities sometimes pump water from boreholes into two of the pans to attract wildlife. The other excellent time is during the wet months, from December to March, when animals gather around the pans. However, some tracks can become difficult to navigate after heavy rains.
