Makgadikgadi Pans
Botswana Safari Guide

© Your view across Makgadikgai from Jack's Camp

The Makgadikgadi Salt Pans in Botswana may not seem a likely place for an African safari but they provide one of the most unique safari experiences on earth.

Is there an African experience that can stand alone without the need for big game and forced cultural experiences - an experience that will be remembered far longer than the lion or elephant sighting? The answer is an emphatic yes! The Makgadikgadi Pans experience is far more than an African safari.

About Space and Time

Once part of a great inland lake that included the Okavango Delta and fed by what is now the Zambezi River, the Makgadikgadi Salt Pans today are a far cry from their watery past. The largest salt pans in the world provide for an African safari experience unrivalled anywhere in Africa.

Here it is not about the big game - although there is a fair quantity of predators and other larger mammals - rather the Makgadikgadi experience is about space and time and also the opportunity to view some of the more unusual species of Botswana such as brown hyena and the enduring suricates.

During the rainy season the Makgadikgadi Pans area greens up and water may collect in some areas of the pans. Huge herds of wildebeest and zebra are attracted to the grass and water and flamingos in their thousands arrive on the pans overnight.

Makgadikgadi Pans Highlights

  • These are the world's largest salt pans
  • Spectacular saltpans which flood annually, providing amazing bird watching and sight-seeing
  • Sowa Pan - breeding site for greater and lesser Flamingo
  • Riding a quad bike across the desolate pans
  • Explore remote archaeological sites
  • Dramatic migrations of wildebeest and zebra during the rainy season
  • Species unique to the area such as aardvark, gemsbok (oryx), springbok, brown hyena and suricates
  • Stay in a luxury lodge at the edge of the salt pans where Zu/'hoasi Bushmen will be your guides
  • Night sky studded with a million of stars
  • Vast wilderness of space and timelessness
  • Unique ecosystem
Best time to visit Makgadikgadi: Dry season and wet season (November to March) visits to this park are recommended if you want to witness the dramatic appearance of the pans at their driest and to experience the transformation to a water wonderland. See the wildebeest and zebra migrations in the wet season.

Makgadikgadi Pans Accommodation

With the immense size of the Pans there are a number of access areas and each of these areas has a choice of accommodations. Visitors can choose from camping and rustic chalets to classic and superb luxury lodges.

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