A Rain-Soaked Desert? It’s All Possible on the Kalahari Expedition

Sometimes, a movie sparks the itch to go.

Maybe Jurassic Park made you imagine landing on a remote island, brushing past prehistoric ferns. Perhaps The Motorcycle Diaries sparked in your dreams of taking off with nothing but a backpack. Then there was Into the Wild—a call to abandon the civilised world and walk straight into the wilderness.

For Rajiv, that movie was The Gods Must Be Crazy.

It wasn’t a perfect film—far from it—but it did linger. The dryness. The absurdity. The strange stillness of the Kalahari. “My dad was into photography and wildlife,” he says. “He was the one who showed me that movie.”

So when the chance came to join the Great Kalahari Desert Expedition, life for Rajiv came full circle. He joined the expedition with his partner, Jas. They’d been on a Nomadic Road expedition before, one that tore across the bone-rattling Dakar Rally route in Peru. Africa, though, was a different beast altogether.

Rajiv and Jas weren’t the only returning outlaws. Antje flew in from Germany, having been on that same Peru route before. “That was the adventure of my lifetime. So I thought, let's do it again,” she says. Raj from South Korea, on the other hand, had lived the winter Mongolia expedition with us before. “I like the concept of travelling to places where no one has ever been,” he shares. Then there was Nirav, a first-timer. “[Thought] I should do something different on a holiday rather than the more touristy stuff,” he adds with a smirk.

Nomadic Road’s Kalahari expedition is no tourist jaunt. We blaze through Namibia, Botswana, and South Africa—some of Earth's most desolate, unforgiving lands. Knowing exactly what they were signing up for, a crew of 15 took on southern Africa in overland vehicles in May’25.

So, how did it all unfold? What’s it like to camp among lions, with only canvas between you and the night? Did they have close calls? Did the Kalahari live up to Rajiv’s wild childhood impressions? You’ll hear it straight from the crew in Unscripted Stories: Great Kalahari.

A Pair of Eyes Everywhere You Look

The Kalahari packs in more wildlife surprises than any desert should be allowed. Black-maned lions. Gemsboks that can go weeks without water. Hyenas that giggle. Towering elephants. Over 200 species of birds. It’s an intricate ecosystem, and the Great Kalahari Desert expedition takes you straight into the heart of it. For many participants, encounters with these beings became the expedition’s most unforgettable moments.

Like the time Raj unexpectedly locked eyes with a lion.

“We were driving fast. Mine was the last car; every other car had passed. I felt this weird sense of something watching me. I turned… and there were two lions,” he recalls. Watching them move, stretch, stand, and play-fight in the honeyed late-afternoon light was surreal—like a National Geographic documentary come to life. Only this time, it wasn’t on a screen. It was happening right there.

The expedition route carves its way through game reserves, dry pans, watering holes—places that are always humming with life, if you know where to look. Be mindful and present, and the desert will reward you.

“Listening to birds, insects, and the sounds of nature while tenting on top of a car, in the middle of the night, in the middle of nowhere, was one of the nicest experiences for me”, says Jas.

The Kalahari expedition is the only Nomadic Road route where we spend five nights in a row, remote camping. While most travellers have likely camped in tents before, this experience hits differently.

And it’s not always easy. Both Rajiv and Nirav attest to this reality.

“Waking up and having to go… you know… dig a hole and do your business in the wild, with who knows what crawling around. That was something”, Rajiv admits.

“Setting up the tent, sleeping under the stars, cooking dinner, and then falling asleep while lions roar around you? That’s not your average night,” laughs Nirav.

At its core, this is about confronting the fear of the unknown. The unease of not knowing what’s lurking just outside the firelight, and choosing to stay anyway. Because this land belongs to the wild long before it belongs to us. And what an honour it is to be in their home, even if it’s only briefly.

What Happens When a Desert Gets Drenched?

Kalahari roughly translates to “the great thirst” or “dry place.” Fitting, sure, but once you’ve been out there, it starts to feel like a paradox. Despite its desert badge, the Kalahari is full of life. Wildlife thrives here. Vegetation flourishes in bursts. And the driest parts still receive 5–10 inches of rain a year, more than you'd expect for a desert.

In fact, 2025 brought an especially wet season. Expedition leader Rob puts it plainly:

“There was more water across South Africa, Namibia, [and] Botswana, than I've ever experienced before.”

As you might imagine, the rains rewrote the terrain. Dust tracks turned into muddy ruts, water rising up to the doors. Verdant greens exploded across the landscape, turning the typically muted palette of the Kalahari into something surreal. “The bushes were thick, like, properly thick. We had to stay close just to see the car ahead,” says Raj.

It wasn’t what anyone had pictured, but that’s the point. This isn’t a curated safari. It’s wild, and it doesn’t wait for you to be ready. Out here, weather forecasts mean next to nothing. You read them, sure. But in the end, you simply roll with what the land throws at you.

A 20,000-Year Conversation With the “Great Thirst”

As we venture deeper into the Kalahari, the wilderness gives way to something even more profound.

The San people, often called the Bushmen, have called the Kalahari home for over 20,000 years. We pass through multiple San villages during the expedition. By the end, what stays with you isn’t some cinematic idea of "survival." It’s the quiet confidence of people who know the land like an extension of their own body.

They read signs in the sand you wouldn't even know to look for. Their language, rich with clicks, tones, and rhythm, is one of the oldest still spoken today. The San are masters of tracking, and can follow an animal's trail for miles based on the faintest of marks. They identify plants not just by sight, but by purpose—which ones heal wounds, which ones cure snakebite, which ones hold hidden water.

To travel through the Kalahari and not meet the people who’ve shaped it, would be missing half the story.

What Was Unexpected Will Never Be Forgotten

There’s no glamour in driving through water-logged tracks, cooking in the wind, or crawling out of your tent while lions rumble in the distance. And yet, there’s nothing quite like it.

This expedition wasn’t the most gruelling we’ve done, but it was certainly unpredictable. Wetter than expected. Slower in places. Dense, green, and wild in a way few imagined. 

Out there, the lines between discomfort and joy, strangers and crew, blur. As Rajiv put it:

“When you’re driving down that stretch, all the backgrounds and differences fade out. It’s just one convoy, moving together. Five cars… one leading, one supporting, but we all travel as one.”

No video can capture it all, but this one comes close. It offers a peek into the journey, with a few Great Kalahari expedition stories threaded through.

Watch now below....