Tuesday, July 7, 2009

Botswana destinations #8: The Khutse Game Reserve



Khutse means the place where you kneel down to drink. The Khutse Game Reserve is situated in the Southern Kalahari. Once a land of rivers , the "KGR" is now laced with dry river valleys and pans. A “pan” is formed where water pools and evaporates. The salt pans of KGR therefore may have been destined to be lakes or ponds but for the fact that they had the misfortune of being born in the Kalaghari desert.

The extensive pan system within Khutse provides an important habitat where herbivores graze on the mineral-rich grasses of the pans and so-called super-predators (lion, cheetah and leopard) graze on the herbivores. Recently, boreholes have been established at certain points within the reserve in order to fill small watering holes year-round. Recently, I camped a kilometer away from one of these watering holes.

There is something exhilerating about waking in the dark to the sound of lions roaring. It is the feeling of voluntarily suspending one’s coveted position at the top of the food chain. Kind of like scuba diving with sharks, though the cage used by underwater adventurers offers more protection than a nylon tent. Fences between me and roaring cats were none (though it I had brought a cage I would have gladly locked myself in it). Besides fortuitous sightings of both lions and a leopard from the relative safety of a 4x4, there were no altercations with deadly felines, though there was rumor of a [non-human] kill several hundred meters (or so) from where we slept.

In addition to lions, we saw giraffe, gemsbok, eland (I think), kudu, wildebeest, springbok, steenbok, and several other non-specific herbivores falling into the category of prey-deer.

The reserve is a good 4-5 hour drive from Gabs, but worth the trip. Keep your campfire steaks well-sealed while you sleep...or dine vegetarian for the weekend, though it seems that this lifestyle choice has not helped our fellow meat-averse mammals in the vicinity.

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