where to see meerkats?

[bexonthebeach]

Ever since watching Meerkat Manor on tv, I've wanted to see these mischievous creatures out in the wild.

Meerkat Manor took place in the Kalahari Desert, and the Delta and Falls Experience tour passes through there - has anyone had any luck seeing meerkats there?

I've also heard they can be found in Namibia and South Africa, but not sure where to go for the best chance of an encounter.

Any recommendations?

[DanielBMe]

Meerkats are found throughout central and southwest Botswana, and much of neighbouring Namibia. The best places to see them are the CKGR and further towards the southwest corner of Botswana (eg: the KD1 concession, south of Ghanzi, and the Kgalagadi Transfrontier Park). Lots of them in the sands of the Kalahari but this is not where tourists regularly go.

I believe there's a very good chance of seeing them here in Namibia, http://www.barchandunes.com/. Meerkats in residence in the grounds. They are quite habituated to people and permit close observation.

Good Luck!

[nikimarcotte]

when we passed through botswana and namibia last year, they said there are meerkats but they are rarely seen. lots of people mistake the mongoose for meerkats because they live in hillocks in groups and like to stand tall and look around:) we for sure saw mongoose. i was also hoping to see some meerkats, but never get to, was told the zoo was my best bet:(

[AdamfromCanada]

Ever since watching Meerkat Manor on tv, I've wanted to see these mischievous creatures out in the wild.

Meerkat Manor took place in the Kalahari Desert, and the Delta and Falls Experience tour passes through there - has anyone had any luck seeing meerkats there?

I've also heard they can be found in Namibia and South Africa, but not sure where to go for the best chance of an encounter.

Any recommendations?

I asked our guide specifically about that when I did the Dunes, Delta & Falls trip and he said that there was next to no chance that we'd see them. We saw two different species of mongoose (banded and yellow), but no meerkats. We did see a lot of wildlife, including a Cape Fox, something neither of our guides had ever even seen before, but wildlife is all chance, especially when you have only limited time in a specific area. If you're looking to see a specific animal, I do not think that group travel is the best route, because you'll really need to focus where you're looking and you may need patience - something that groups don't tend to have in spades.

[kalaharikev]

Guaranteed wild (but habituated to human presence - otherwise they wouldn't be guarenteed)

Halfway-ish between Francistown and Maun, there is a huge concrete Aardvark in the 10km before a town called Gweta. The place is called Planet Baobab, and its about 1km off the road opposite the Aardvark (which is advertising for PB, which otherwise is really in the middle of nowhere).

Go inside, and organise to do a day trip to the pans to see Meerkats. Even better, spend the night out there and see other stuff too. Best way to see the Kalahari!

Enjoy

[zebracruiser]

I understand Planet Baobab hires someone to watch the meerkats so they can be located when their trips come through. We stayed with a meerkat group for about an hour on an overnight trip to the pans. Also recently saw meerkats at Addo National Park in SA.