Situated right in the centre of Botswana, this reserve is characterised by vast open plains, saltpans and ancient riverbeds. Varying from sand dunes with many species of trees and shrubs in the north, to flat bushveld in the central area, the reserve is more heavily wooded in the south, with mophane forests to the south and east. Rainfall is sparse and sporadic and can vary from 170 to 700 millimetres per year.

The Central Kalahari Game Reserve is a birders paradise as well as there being plenty of game that gather at the infrequent waterholes increasing your chances of witnessing a dramatic chase and kill.

Kalahari safaris are best between December and April, when the animals tend to congregate in the pans and valleys. Temperatures are extreme and can exceed 40°C in the day but may drop below -14°C at night!!

Deception Valley is all that remains of a sprawling riverbed that has long since dried up. Stretching across 80km of the Central Kalahari Game Reserve's north, the valley is now covered with short grass, dotted with the occasional island of bushy trees. Some of the roots of the larger trees extend as far as 50m below the surface to the water table, enabling them to survive the dry winters.

The low canopies of these tree grove islands, usually made up of umbrella thorn (Acacia tortilis) and buffalo thorn (Ziziphus mucronata) provide shelter for game during the heat of the day and one can often see lion dozing in the shade of these thickets.

The fossil valley was first brought to the world's attention in 1985, by the book Cry of the Kalahari written by Mark and Delia Owens, who lived on the pan for seven years studying the brown hyaena that live here.

They set up their camp in the northern section of Deception Valley in a prime "tree island", however tree islands are no longer used for camping in these days of more environmental awareness. The Owens' book, "Cry of the Kalahari" brought the attention of readers to this previously little-visited area and even today many people refer to the Central Kalahari simply as Deception. The name "Deception" comes from a pan the dry surface of which sometimes appears convincingly full of water until one gets right to the edge.

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