MAKGADIKGADI PANS
MOONLIKE WILDERNESS
The semi-desert environment of the Makgadikgadi Salt Pans feels so other-worldly, you might as well be on the surface of the moon! The flat, white pans extend far into the horizon where not a single tree or bush can be seen.
For a truly unique and unforgettable experience, spend a night on the vast Sowa Pan, under starlight with no tent roof above you – from horizon to horizon, all you will see are millions of stars sparkling above you. Quad-biking on the Pans is a popular way to see the area, or you can visit a colony of semi-habituated meerkats near Jack’s Camp. The stark, flat Nxai Pan National Park is home to elephants, herds of hundreds of zebras, and a resident pride of lions known for their incredible ambush-hunting strategy at one of the park’s waterholes!
OTHER WORLDLY
This ancient lake dried up thousands of years ago, and today just its caustic skeleton remains – creating what is now known as the Makgadikgadi Salt Pans. Flamingos come here to breed in the summer, and on the edge of the pan you will find groves of ancient baobab trees. The three salt pans – Sowa, Ntwetwe, and Nxai Pan (pronounced like eye with an “n”) – are separated by shrubby grasslands, and each have a slightly different look and feel. A truly unique and unmissable destination on your Botswana itinerary.
