Kalahari, Desert In Botswana is the important desert. The Kalahari Desert is a large arid to semi-arid sandy area in southern Kgalagadi Africa extending 900,000 km². The Kalahari supports some animals and plants because most of it is not real desert. There are small amounts of rainfall and the summer temperature is very high. The riverbeds are mostly grazing spots, though leopard or cheetah can still be found.