Khutse Nature Reserve. Botswana, National parks

Khutse Nature Reserve

Botswana, National parks

Nature parks Reserves

Khutse Nature Reserve, officially declared a protected area in 1971, has become Botswana's second wildlife reserve based on lands belonging to indigenous tribes. It occupies an area of 2500 square kilometers in the south of central Kalahari, on which almost all varieties of habitats are concentrated - slightly hilly grassy savannah, dried up river beds, prehistoric dunes, between which are covered with grass, or completely bare saucer hollows. Khutse is located 240 km west of Gaborone and is part of the ancient river system that once filled Lake McGadikgadi with water. Khutse saucers and dry riverbeds and ducts - that’s all that survived from this river landscape today. “Khutse” in translation is a place where you can kneel down and drink water. A number of picturesquely located saucer basins are readily visited by animals, especially during and after the rainy season. Among these saucers, the most popular: Motailane, Moresva and Molose. From time to time, the artificial reservoirs of Moresva and Moloze are filled with water, which allows observing the wildlife and dramatic events with the participation of herbivores and predators at the watering hole at any time of the year. Among the species most commonly found here are: springboks, chamois, giraffes, wildebeests, cow antelopes, kudu, brown jackals, stenboks and dukers, and brown hyenas that are on the verge of extinction. There are also many predators, including lions, cheetahs and leopards. The reserve cuts through several loop-shaped roads. The shortest of them is the northern loop around the saucers of Sekhushve and Mohuruzile, which is about 24 km long from the central part of the reserve. A longer path leads to the depression of Moresva - 64 km. The third loop is 120 km long. The reserve is also very popular due to its relative accessibility and proximity to the capital of the country.