A PLACE OF SPECTACULAR ISOLATION
Visible from the moon, the lunar-like expanse of the Makgadikgadi Pans stands in complete contrast to the lush vibrancy of the Okavango Delta. It’s a place of spectacular isolation, where the views are so vast you can see the earth’s curvature!
Scattered with prehistoric fossils and ancient baobabs, this extraordinary landscape of white-crusted salt is the relic of an epic ‘super lake’ that covered Africa many millennia ago. Surrounded by the Kalahari and stretching endlessly across the horizon, the Makgadikgadi salt pans make for one of Africa’s more unusual travel experiences.
Wildlife viewing is seasonal, though springbok, aardwolf, and oryx are present throughout the year. During the wet summer months, the briefly flooded pans turn pink with flamingos, while the sumptuous green grass invites a vast migration of blue wildebeest and Burchell’s zebra, closely followed by the predators who hunt them.
The pans dry out again in the dry season, and the Boteti River becomes a lifeline for the park’s wildlife. Activities turn from traditional game viewing to quad biking across the salt-crusted earth, Bushmen walks and sleep-outs under the stars – stay at Leroo La Tau or Meno a Kwena.
The dry season is also an excellent time to encounter Makgadikadi’s famous meerkats. In fact, some colonies have become so used to humans that you can join them on their daily hunt for food. Without much high ground in the area, they might climb up onto your head to get a better view of predators!
In addition to the abundance of game, it is the raw beauty and remoteness of the Makgadikgadi Pans that entice travellers to this isolated corner of Botswana. The shimmering white salt stretches to the horizon, whilst the lack of light pollution results in some genuinely spectacular star-filled skies. For a wholly different experience, combine the Makgadikgadi with the Okavango Delta on your luxury, tailor-made Botswana safari.
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