Kalahari mammal watching holiday, South Africa

Description of Kalahari mammal watching holiday, South Africa

This is a great opportunity to join up with resident naturalists and scientists in South Africa and track down some of the Northern Cape's most elusive species including: aardvarks, aardwolves, bat-eared foxes, pangolins and black-footed cats.

We are specialists in tailoring wildlife watching and especially mammal watching safari holidays all over the world. To develop our range of fantastic mammal watching holidays we have spent years searching the world’s best wildlife watching locations as well as visiting some seldom visited areas. As a result we have created some great itineraries with the combined help of our zoologist guides, local experts and scientists studying various rare mammals.

When it comes to wildlife watching there are very few better destinations than South Africa with the lesser-visited Kalahari region, in the northwest, being absolutely no exception.

The Kalahari Desert is one of the largest semi-arid regions in the world and home to a variety of birds and mammals including many of the continent’s rarest species. The region is sectioned into national parks, private reserves and working game ranches. The low density of humans allows for a greater abundance of wildlife and because the land is so arid there is little vegetation to support the huge numbers of large herbivores that dominate South Africa's better known national parks. Without the large herds of antelope, zebra and gazelles there are less large predators which has led to bigger numbers of bizarre and unique species such as: aardvarks, aardwolves, brown hyenas and elephant shrews.

The suggested tour below will be guided by our professional zoologist. We also have a great network of local guides in South Africa who have developed a great range of wildlife watching locations where the rarest species are commonly seen. To make the most of our time away we will spend many hours during the early morning and late afternoon on jeep safaris and guided walks. We will also explore after dark with high powered spotlights in order to catch a glimpse of animals that only come out at night.

Best time to visit:

Early August to late October, which is the dry season in the Kalahari, is the best time to go for wildlife watching. Temperatures can get hot however, you will have the best chance of watching wildlife congregating around watering holes as well as less vegetation blocking the view.

Accommodation:

Most of the accommodation that we use are privately owned bed and breakfasts and working ranches that are seldom visited by tourists. Many of these ranches have resident animals which are very hard to see elsewhere. For example we know of a location where a family of aardvarks have been living for some years now and offer an exceptional opportunity to watch this elusive animal in the least intrusive way possible.

Fitness level required:

The vast majority of wildlife watching is all done from 4x4 safari vehicle. We can also include guided walks which can be for as long or as short as you wish; it's entirely up to you.

Minimum age: 18