Ghanzi

Ghanzi sits on a limestone ridge in the western Kalahari and grew as a cattle ranching centre, which it still is, on the highway between Maun and Namibia. It is also the main town for San communities across a wide area, and several lodges and camps outside town run cultural walks led by San guides, covering tracking, plant use and hunting technique. The quality and the ethics of these vary considerably between operators.

History

The first Afrikaner to settle here was Hendrik van Zyl, who crossed the Kalahari around 1870, set up a small hunting and trading business and grew rich on ivory, and the first large Boer migration to Ghanzi came around 1897-1898. The place was first called Kamp, and the Kalahari Arms Hotel and the Barclays bank were among its first businesses (Wikipedia, Ghanzi).

Highlights

• The San guided walks - tracking and plant-use walks led by San guides from nearby communities.
• The ranching country - cattle farms across the limestone ridge around the town.
• The Trans-Kalahari highway - the main route west to Namibia.
• The craft outlets - ostrich eggshell and other San craft sold through community projects.

When to go

April to September is the dry season and the most comfortable. Summer heat exceeds forty degrees regularly. The town is a natural overnight stop on the Maun to Namibia run.

Good to know

Cultural walks vary enormously in how much of the money reaches the communities involved and how the people are treated; asking directly about the arrangement is worth doing. The town itself has little to see. Accommodation is limited and books up on the highway route.

Nearby

D'kar is a short drive north, and the Central Kalahari is east.

Key facts