#1. Ghanzi
The ‘capital of the Kalahari’ isn’t much more than a break in the dust, although it's a growing town with good accommodation options and a handful of petrol stations and supermarkets.
The town itself is a place of few attractions, but its appeal lies in its statistics: Ghanzi is 275km from Maun, 540km from Windhoek and 636km from Gaborone. Spend any time in the country’s west and you’re likely to spend some time here, whether to fill your petrol tank, stock up on supplies or get a good night’s sleep.
It may be difficult to understand how a town could prosper in such inhospitable terrain, but it helps that Ghanzi sits atop a 500km-long low limestone ridge containing vast amounts of artesian water. Interestingly enough, the name ‘Ghanzi’ comes from the San word for a one-stringed musical instrument with a gourd soundbox, and not the Setswana word gantsi (flies), though this would arguably be more appropriate.