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Ghanzi the capital of the Kalahari!
Ghanzi is a small town consisting of +-19 000 residents +-9300 Males and 9600 Females, it's the administrative capital of the Ghanzi district.
To the north you will find the Ngami District, to the south is the Kgalagadi District, to the west Namiba and to the east the Central Kalahari Game Reserve.
Ghanzi is frequented by tourists visiting Central Kalahari as well as passers by intending on visiting the Northern most parks.
Ghanzi is primarily a farming community, with tourism being a close second.
CLIMATE
Ghanzi's climate can be considered hot and dry for the most parts of the year, Maximum summer temperatures of 49 °C however the average summer temperatures generall hover in the ranges of 33-35 °C. In the winter months one can expect minimum temperatures of up to -14°C as in 1994, however minimums generally only reach -5 to -7 °C with some years not getting into negative at all.
Rain days are generally few, with an average of about 30-60days per year. Solar energy is fast growing source due to long days and very few overcast days. There are exceptional years where rain fall increases, most noteable was the rains of 2000 and more recently 2010. The average rainfall ranges between 300-400mm per year, with most of the rain falling in the latter part of the rain season being February - April. Rainfall has been falling later and later each year, June being a month one would not expect rain to fall, however we have been seeing an increase in rain falling in the months of May and June.
EVENTS
Annually there are numerous events the most well known listed bellow:
Ghanzi Agricultural show held in July
Tour de D'Kar
Kuru Dance Festival (has returned)
MINING
Mining in Ghanzi district is on the increase, with reserves of copper being found on the districts border with Ngamiland in the north. This zone known as the Banana zone, discovered by Hanna Mining, and has yet to be capatialised. There are further unconfirmed roumours that there may be gas reserves, and that fracking may commence in the area, and which the people of Ghanzi are afraid of, due to the potential of affecting ground water in the area.
ROADS
 The roads in Ghanzi district are genarally in good order especially the A3 highway known as the Trans Kalahari Highway. Due to the good road surface many accident occur due to drivers exceeding the speed limit, this is not encouraged, and we urge all road users to remain within the speed limit. Driving at night is not recommended due to wildlife and livestock roaming on the roads.
The gravel roads may at times be quite badly corrogated and traveling on these roads are extremly dangerous when wet, care should be taken when driving on wet roads.
WILDLIFE
Ghanzi has rich wildlife, and we can boast having one of the wildest areas outside wildlife reservations or parks. The farming block quite a few of the big 5, Rhino's, Elephants, Leopard and Lions are all known to frequent the areas, Buffalo being the only member of the big 5 absent from Ghanzi. When traveling on the A3 Trans-Kalahari Highway you just might see any one of the big 5. Lions are known to be seen in the area around Lone Tree, Elephants have been seen crossing into the Ghanzi district from Ngamiland, Lions and Leopards have terrotories within the District.
Plains game such as Kudu, Duiker and Steenbuck are plentiful, and game such as springbuck are on the decline due to habitat change, and rise in preditor populations. There are many species of plains game to view in the area, most of which are located on private game farms.
PEOPLE
Ghanzi has a mix of people coming from various ethnic groups. The SAN(Bushmen) are the original inhabitants of the area, but during the "Groot Trek of 1890's" Afrikaans, Harero Bakgalagadi and other settlers also migrated in to the area. The people of Ghanzi were primarily farmers, but this trend has been changing over the years, with commercial business growing, and urban center growing at even a faster pace. Many of the out of school youth do not return to the farming areas where they grew up, and then settle in urban centers, thus growing the consumer base resulting in even more people becomming urbanites.
MALARIA
Ghanzi is not within a malaria area, however when rain falls increase, and the floods come, so do the mosquitos, this results in malaria cases being reported and treated. In the urban areas it is advised to take precautions as there is always water standing for mosquitos to breed, and as such can not be totally be eradicated. If you fall ill after visiting the area it is advisible to inform your medical practitioner of the fact you may have been in a malaria area.
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