Deception Valley is the most famous area within the Central Kalahari Game Reserve, an evocative, ancient place that befits its attention grabbing moniker. The name comes from the nearby Deception Pan, where a mirage caused largely by the desert heat and bluish tinged clay can make it appear that the pan is full of water, even when it is bone dry. Deception Valley itself is a long, broad valley running between wooded dunes, covered with grass throughout the year but particularly during the rainy season. It was once a river that was perhaps a tributary of the great super lake that covered huge swathes of what is now Botswana. The lush grasses attract significant densities of animals, with game viewing in this area during the rainy season generally superb. The two camps within the Central Kalahari reserve offer day trips to Deception Valley, with plentiful game viewing opportunities en-route, before lunch is taken in the valley and further wildlife encounters sought out.