Visit the Kalahari, South Africa

A vast desert of red sand, the dominating dunes of the Kalahari have come to symbolise the unexplored heart of the continent.

Shifting hue with the changing light, this is an area of surprising beauty, with spectacular desert-adapted plantlife and trees weighed down with weaver-bird nests.

Black-maned Kalahari lion

It is also home to the famous black-maned Kalahari lion, whose behaviour patterns are specifically adapted for the fierce diurnal swings in temperature. The long straight horns of the gemsbok are typically seen atop a sand dune through a shimmering heat-haze, while raptors soar on thermals, searching for their next prey.

The Kgalagadi Transfrontier Park

Ensuring the survival of this unique and beautiful ecosystem is the Kgalagadi Transfrontier Park, a pioneering joint venture linking South Africa with Botswana to protect and shelter an area twice that of the Kruger National Park.