Press Articles
The Lion King's hallowed ground
Publication: The Saturday TelegraphDate: September 26, 2009
Author: Brian Jackman
Brian Jackman, one of the most experienced Africa-philes in travel journalism, travels to the Deception Valley the heart of the Central Kalahari Game Reserve in early April where he saw enough to convince him that during the green season this area becomes "one of the hallowed places of wild Africa".
Deception Valley. Remember the name. Until last November it was one of Africa's best-kept secrets. Within a game reserve the size of New Mexico; visitors can now reach the wildlife hot spot of Botswana's Central Kalahari in 15 minutes, allowing plenty of time to track down the desert lions and other predators. With a maximum of 14 guests accommodated in seven blissfully comfortable tents, this remote hideaway is an intimate and cosy base from which to get acquainted with the host of creatures that have made Deception Valley their home.
For most of the year the Kalahari suffers. All through the long, hot African winter the grass withers and cruel mirages tremble in the heat haze. Then the rains come. They fall from December to March, transforming the Kalahari into a carpet of greenery pulsating with life. And at the heart of it is Deception Valley.
