Khutse Game Reserve

About this place

Khutse Game Reserve is a 2,500 square kilometre wild area in central Botswana, joining the Central Kalahari Game Reserve to the north with no fence between them. It is the Kalahari area closest to the capital, so it is a common favourite for Gaborone residents and visitors wanting to see the desert without a very long journey. The name Khutse means «where one kneels to drink» in Sekwena, a dialect of Setswana. The 240 km drive from the capital passes a number of Kalahari villages, including Molepolole, known as the gateway to the Kalahari. Services are few, and it is better known for its quiet than for crowds or facilities. The reserve combines most types of Kalahari habitat, with rolling grasslands, river beds, fossil dunes and both grassy and bare pans. Springbok and gemsbok are often common, and giraffes, wildebeest, kudu and jackals appear too, along with lions, leopards, cheetahs, wildcats and the endangered brown hyena. Many gather at water points in the dry months. It is 233 km in a straight line from Gaborone, so allow at least one night rather than a day trip. You need a 4x4 and enough fuel, water and food, and should book a campsite ahead, as there are almost no services. Watch for animals around camp at night, and do not leave food outside your vehicle.