Environmental Management and Sustainability at Kalahari Plains Camps
Kalahari Plains Camp, situated in Botswana’s iconic Central Kalahari Game Reserve, was established primarily to
allow access to the unique dry savannah habitats of that region. Although the term ‘desert’ has been applied to the
Kalahari, the term “thirstland” would be more appropriate; in fact the word “Kgalagadi” is translated as such in the
Tswana language. Although rainfall in the immediate vicinity of Camp has an average of close to 400mm per year,
falling between December and February, the amount of evaporation for the rest of the year exceeds this rainfall by
a factor of five.
Therefore it stands to reason that this is an extremely dry biome with virtually no surface water for up to nine
months of the year. Plants, insects, reptiles, birds and mammals have adapted to these conditions and, using
various techniques, are able to thrive here. Unexpectedly, the area is covered with extensive vegetation in the form
of nutritious grasses and over 30 different species of trees and large shrubs, many bearing high-quality browse and
berry fruit. In general then, the biodiversity is higher than many would expect it to be – which makes it a soughtafter destination.
Wilderness Safaris was aware of these conditions when the camp was proposed and so its designers worked
closely with the Environmental Team and Management towards creating a camp that would enable guests to enjoy
a comfortable, safe visit to the Kalahari, but importantly also minimise operational impact and footprint in such a
fragile environment.
In keeping with Wilderness’ objectives of using technologies and techniques towards reducing energy consumption
and fuel use, and other resource-use reductions, the very latest in solar water heating and photovoltaic gathering
technology has been installed, as well as an ancient yet effective water-harvesting technique. These work
alongside the environmental minimum standards which have been developed over many years in our other
operations and which include overall resource use efficiency for energy and water, as well as reducing waste
streams, pollution reduction and the use of materials that are sourced from low energy and renewable sources.
SOLUTIONS: USING THE SUN
The Kalahari environment is situated at about 1 000 metres above sea level on an elevated central plateau about
20 degrees south of the equator, and about 800km from the Atlantic Ocean to the west and 1 500km from the
Indian Ocean to the east. It is influenced by this elevation and by the latitude, meaning that temperatures can range
from 0ºC on a July morning to over 45ºC in the shade at midday in October.
The influence of high pressure over the Kalahari for much of the year means that it receives over 300 days a year
of clear sunshine, and an average of 10 hours a day of light. Wind is negligible for most of the year, although there
can be a steady breeze during the months of July and August.
The obvious and logical choice of energy for the Kalahari Plains Camp is solar power, which fits in with our wish to
reduce the use of air-polluting fossil fuels wherever possible.
1. Solar Water Heating
Modern evacuated tube technology (in use at a number of our other camps), which uses solar energy to heat
water, has improved by over 60% in the last few years, and provides a clean, cost-effective and extremely reliable
source of hot water for any applications. The large amount of sunlight Kalahari Plains enjoys, much of which is
direct, heats water effectively for use in the kitchen, by staff and by our guests.Hence the camp does not use any
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gas, wood or fossil fuel at all for water heating due to the efficiencies achieved by these heating units. A total of 22
solar water heaters have been fitted at Kalahari Plains.
2. Photovoltaic Energy Generation
It is recognised worldwide that the use of renewable energy, combined with energy efficiency and energy
modesty/management, is vital to the reduction of greenhouse gases and to the conservation of everdecreasing
stocks of fossil oil. Wilderness Safaris is committed to major reductions in the use of dieselgenerated electrical
power across all our operations, and Kalahari Plains, being a new facility, provided us with an opportunity to utilise
renewable technology on an increased scale. Kalahari Plains, situated as it is in fragile sensitive environment and
endowed with large amounts of sunlight, was the perfect opportunity for us to create an entirely renewable energy
camp.
Working together with On Track Engineering from Cape Town and its owner Corrie van Wyk, a state-ofthe-art
photovoltaic gathering system was installed that powers the entire camp, from the lighting of individual guest
rooms, to the provision of power for refrigeration, office equipment as well as for water pumping and purification.
The staff camp and facilities are all also powered by the same combination of solar water heating and solar
electricity provision.
OTHER SOLUTIONS
1. Rainwater Harvesting
The Kgalagadi has earned its name from the lack of surface water for much of the year. Groundwater, when found
at all, is usually deep and in small amounts. It may also be highly saline, rendering it impossible for human or
wildlife consumption. It stands to reason that fresh water is extremely precious, to be placed at the very centre of
resource conservation in the Kgalagadi environment.
It was decided early on in the design of the camp that every effort should be made to harvest rainwater from the
structures within the camp. To that end the designers have used flat-roof technology which directs water from the
990 square metres of roofing in the camp via a system of gutters and pipes to 10 000-litre tanks situated at the rear
of all guest rooms, the kitchen and office of the camp. A storage tank has also been placed underground in the
camp area to which all gathered water is reticulated, bringing the potential storage in the camp to a total of 150 000
litres of rainwater. It is estimated that 55mm of rainfall should be able to fill these tanks and preliminary results from
limited rainfall this summer suggest that this is indeed the case.
2. Passive Environmental Architecture
As mentioned, the temperature extremes in the Kgalagadi can range from 0°C to over 45°C at different times of the
year. To meet the challenge of cooling and heating the rooms without using large amounts of energy, the designers
have used an innovative, double-layered canvas material which encloses an insulating material. This double layer
has the effect of both holding the warmth in the colder months, as well as keeping out the intense temperatures
during summer.
The rooms have also taken into account the prevailing wind in the Kgalagadi, and have been built with the
bathrooms attached to the side of the units. In many previous designs the facilities were situated to the rear of the
room, but in this case this would have interfered with potential air flow through the room, again assisting with
temperature regulation in the extremes of the Kgalagadi.
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In conclusion, Kalahari Plains Camp is an excellent example of what is possible when a company is committed to
the idea of environmental sustainability and attempts to the best of its ability to work in harmony with its
surroundings.
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