In contrast to other regions in Botswana with their clay coloured landscapes the Makgadigadi Pans is a vast expanse of pristine, sugary white landscapes. The pans cover an area larger than Switzerland, making it one of the biggest salt flats in the world, and change drastically between the wet and dry seasons, playing host to one of nature’s greatest spectacles.

Once a large river-fed lake, the Makgadikgadi Pans now lie saline and empty during the dry season. An abundance of stone tools and artefacts can be found scattered amongst the salty fissures painting a tale of a time when water was more plentiful in the area. These artefacts are between 2,000 to 5000 years old with some predating the era of homo sapiens.

During the wet season, from April to November, some 35-75,000 Antelope, Zebra and Wildebeest migrate into the area. This is the last surviving Zebra and Wildebeest migration in southern Africa and following in their tracks are plenty of large predators such as lion and cheetah which makes for excellent game watching. The first rains replace a seemingly endless lifeless crust with algae covered pools that attract migratory birds such as the Great White Pelicans and one of only two breeding populations of Greater Flamingos in Southern Africa. Witness how a famous grove of baobabs called Baine’s Baobabs stand guard over the unbelievably flat land.

A great way to see the Makgadigadi Pans is by heading out an unforgettable quad bike trail through the endless vistas. This untouched area offers some of the best star gazing in the world. Meet with the San who have mastered survival in this inhospitable land.

The landscape provides a permanent haven for the captivating and engaging meerkats which are famous for semi tameness and human like mannerisms as well as the elusive brown hyaena, the third rarest carnivore in the world! We recommend the famous and stylish Jack’s Camp and excellently located San Camp.

CHAT TO OUR SAFARI EXPERT!

Lise Kargaard

+1 646-968-0661

About "The Makgadigadi Pans"

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From$1490

There are few safari and under canvas experiences in Africa that can compare to Jack's Camp where the pioneering spirit of one man and his family has been translated into a once-in-a-lifetime experience that combines luxury and authenticity with the sheer magnificence of the Makgadikgadi Pans and the endless vistas of the stark and beautiful Kalahari Desert. Read More

From$1228

The Makgadikgadi Pans is one of the most remote and starkly beautiful beautiful places on earth. At Uncharted Africa's San Camp, guests are brought into a landscape of nothingness, a desert backdrop that has an untold romance. A tented camp experience, San Camp combines five star luxury with The simplicity of nothingness and nature in its rawest state. Read More

From$369.60

A tribute to pioneering safari expert, lover of Africa and brave explorer Jack Bousfield, Camp Kalahari reflects his life and love of the remote Makgadikgadi Pans in Botswana, a place so remote and so vast that one can see the curvature of the earth. Here, Uncharted Africa has set up camp in honour and in the style of the man who started it all. Read More

Meno a Kwena offers non-stop safari action among the vast plains of a conservancy which borders Botswana’s Makgadikgadi Pans. This charmingly authentic tented safari camp overlooks the Boteti River from its rocky perch. It’s a Natural Selection camp and so the emphasis ison classic-style safari without the superfluous extras offered by many in its league. What Meno a Kwena lacks in bells and whistles it more than makes up for with unforgettable experiences. Read More

From$861.12

The lyrically named LeRoo Le Tau lodge (the name means lions paw) is an exclusive offering situated above the Boteti River that stretches across the western border of the Makgadikgadi Pans National Park. This magnificent park plays host to the last large scale migration in southern Africa - a spectacle featuring tens of thousands of zebra and wildebeest and the predators that follow them. Read More

From$495.3

Semi-desert wilderness in the dry heart of Botswana is the setting for remote Kwando Nxai Pan lodge. This fossil salt pan is now a National park adjoining the larger Makgadikgadi Pans National Park and part of the Kalahari, conserving a fascinating variety of desert adapted wildlife and birds. The eco-friendly lodge overlooks one of the two permanent waterholes in the park, attracting elephants, big cats and plains game to drink. Read More