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Central Kalahari National Park |
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Size & Location: 52 800km² in Central Botswana
When to visit the park: May - Oct (Dry desert season), Nov - Oct (rainy, more wildlife)
Climate: Fluctuation is extreme. Day: may exceed 40°C. Night: may drop below -14°C
Rainfall: 150mm per annum (southwest) and 500mm (northeast)
Altitude: ranges from 600m to 1600m. Most of the region lies above 1000m.
PARK INFORMATION:
Characterised by vast open plains, saltpans, ancient riverbeds and sand dunes to flat bushveld in the central area, the Central Kalahari Game Reserve is the second largest game reserve in the world. Although the reserve is accessible throughout the year, only limited access is allowed to visitors under permit. The people known as the Bushmen have been resident in and around the area for thousands of years. Nomadic hunters and gatherers, their lifestyles have gradually changed with the times and they now live in settlements, some of which are situated within the southern half of the Central Kalahari Game Reserve.
No accommodation or other facilities are offered within the park. Visitors to the park get a chance to view predators like the lion, cheetah, leopard, spotted hyena, brown hyena, wild dog, aardwolf, caracal, black-backed jackal, honey badger, African wild cat, black-footed and striped polecat, common genet, bat-eared and Cape fox, meerkat and banded, yellow and slender mongoose. Other animals include springbok, hartebeest, gemsbok, wildebeest, duiker, springhare, porcupines and Brants's whistling rat.
The area is a Birder's paradise and the communal nests of the sociable weaver can be up to 6 m long and 2 m high. As many as 300 birds may be accommodated in such a 1000 kg nest. Other bird species includes raptors, secretary bird, martial eagle, giant eagle owl, falcons, goshawks, kestrels and kites. Thriving on eggs and smaller birds and rodents are reptiles such as the Cape cobra, boomslang, puff adder and rock monitors. Smaller reptiles include geckos, lizards and skinks. Scorpions and insects abound.
MAIN ATTRACTIONS:
* Large concentrations of wildlife adapting to the semi-arid conditions
* Dense concentration of birdlife, fascinating mammals and reptiles
* Magnificent cloud formations during the summer rains
LINKS:
BOTSWANA SAFARIS
CENTRAL KALAHARI LODGES
NATIONAL GEOGRAPHIC
BUSHMEN OR SAN
INTRODUCTION TO THE BUSHMEN
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