Makgadikgadi

Makgadikgadi Pans African Safari BOTSWANA.. You can visit Central Kalahari, linyanti, makgadikgadi, okavango, chobe, kasane, kgalagadi, maun, nxai, tuli, in Botswana.
buffalo, giraffe and zebra are present along with hippo, waterbuck, tsessebe, roan, kudu, wildebeest and and jackal.

Makgadikgadi is an enormous flatland of salt pans and grasslands which forms a part of the greater Kalahari desert.

May to November this area is dry and largely devoid of game. The primary reason to visit at this time is to experience the inspirational nothingness of the pans themselves.

December to April the landscape is brought to life by the rains and enormous herds of game move in, centred around the impressive herds of zebra in particular.

Top end customers tend to fly into the superb Jack's Camp and San Camp.

For a lower cost option take a look at the very cool Planet Baobab and its satellite bivouacs.

The Makgadikgadi Pans African Safari

The Makgadikgadi Pans are the residue of a great lake that once covered much of northern Botswana, fed by rivers carrying salts leached from the lake's catchment area. Ancient lakeshore terraces reveal that the water depth fluctuated by as much as 33 metres and, at its greatest extent, the lake covered an area of 60,000 sq km. Because the basin had no outlet, the salts were concentrated in low lying areas. Less than 10,000 years ago, climactic changes caused the lake to evaporate, leaving only salt deposits.

The Boteti River, the historical source of the pans was once a broad strong-flowing waterway fed by waters drained from the Okavango Delta during the months of June and July annually. The Boteti later dwindled to a chain of pools and last ceased flowing in September 1992. The last few deep permanent pools that remain are competed for by humans, livestock and wildlife, causing considerable conflict.

Even today, Makgadikgadi is not always dry. The pans, which are situated in the south, east and northeastern areas of the park, fill with water during the rains from mid-November and mostly retain their water into April or May. The "thirstlands" are then transformed into great sheets of water, which attract a spectacular array of waterbirds and trigger dramatic migrations of wildebeest and zebra. It is unfortunate that this huge water spectacle becomes practically inaccessible by road at this time, but anyone fortunate enough to fly over the area during the wet season sees a water wonderland of incredible scenic beauty.

Makgadikgadi was initially state land. People have never been resident in its waterless interior, but in times of drought, surrounding villagers were permitted to graze their livestock within the area, withdrawing them to their homes when conditions improved. The area was declared a game reserve in 1970 and in December 1992, the boundaries were extended and National Park status was attained. The present park covers some 4,900 square kilometres.

Makgadikgadi, the name of which implies a vast open lifeless land, has plenty of folklore. There are stories of people setting out from Gweta to explore the land that lay between them and the Boteti River to seek a favourable environment in which to settle. They entered these great thirstlands at the driest time of year, drawn by what they perceived as large lakes of sparkling water on the horizon. Suffering badly from thirst, the lakes kept drawing them hurriedly on in their attempts to reach the life-giving water that always remained just ahead of them. Gradually, one by one, they fell and died.

Both dry season and wet season visits to this park are recommended in order to witness the dramatic appearance of the pans at their driest and to experience the transformation to a water wonderland, and see the wildebeest and zebra migrations, in the wet season. Linking a few days in Makgadikgadi with a similar period of time in its nearby sister park, Nxai Pan, will give visitors a distinctly different experience.