Dinaka

On the northern boundary of the Central Kalahari Game Reserve, Dinaka occupies 40,000 hectares of private desert conservancy. This is not a traditional Okavango Delta safari. Characterised by fossil riverbeds, open horizons and the stark beauty of the Kalahari Desert, Dinaka has earned a reputation for its desert wildlife sightings. Animals drawn to the network of pans and year-round waterholes include black-maned Kalahari lions, cheetahs and brown hyenas.

Morning and afternoon game drives cross wide pans and golden grasslands, often extending into night drives when the honey badger, cape fox and porcupine emerge. With over 200 recorded bird species, the reserve rewards keen birders. An underground photographic hide allows eye-level perspectives at the waterhole, while guided bush walks and an educational walk with San Bushmen add cultural as well as ecological depth to your stay. During the green season, annual rains transform the desert into a flush of grass and wildflowers, dramatically shifting both the scenery and wildlife behaviour.

Spacious safari tents raised on wooden decks overlook a permanent waterhole and are all connected by boardwalks and accessible by wheelchair. Each en-suite tent includes indoor and outdoor showers, with a dedicated family tent for those with children aged six and older. The Sleep Out Deck provides the option to spend a night beneath the open Kalahari sky between April and November – an elevated platform overlooking the plains, where guests depart camp after dinner and return at sunrise. Dinaka delivers a desert-focused safari that contrasts dramatically with the waterways of the Okavango Delta.