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The Kalahari covers eighty percent of Botswana and as rainfall is low and there is no permanent surface water, the balance of survival can be a precarious one. The southern part of the Central Kalahari Game Reserve (CKGR) is the driest and most susceptible to drought, while the northern sector expects annual rains anytime from November to March. During this green season an incredible Zebra and Wildebeest migration occurs, which few people seem to know about. Thousands of grazing animals flock to the northern grass plains. San Bushmen are the ultimate survival experts and know exactly where to find water-filled tubers in the sand or how to catch an Ostrich - which is no easy task! The Bushmen are great storytellers and like nothing better than to embellish a tale with elaborate and hilarious re-enactments, accompanied by fast and furious dialogue in their incredible clicking language. Very few communities are able to still live the simple nomadic existence that once came naturally to them. The modern world does not allow or encourage such a lifestyle any more. Survival of the Bushmen became an issue in 1961 when Botswana was still a British Protectorate, and the Central Kalahari Game Reserve was formed as their homeland. Many have intermixed with other tribes and live in villages at the southern end of the reserve. Only the hardiest independent travellers travel to this reserve, but those that do are rewarded with untamed Africa at its best and spectacular starry nights. Climate:Dry season:
The Central Kalahari Game Reserve is hot and dry over the winter months from May to October with temperatures peaking in October. There is hardly any water around, which means that only the hardiest creatures stay in the area.
Rainy season:
Rainfall is erratic but the fast and frequent summer showers are expected in northern Central Kalahari Game Reserve from November to March. At this time the land bursts into life and grazing animals arrive in huge herds. Roads often turn into mud channels and few visitors venture into the park during this time. | 
