Makgadikgadi Pans

'Makgadikgadi implies a vast open lifeless land, devoid of human habitation, one of the world's largest salt pans'

Size & Location: 12 000km² East of Okavango and Maun, midway across northern Kalahari
When to visit the park: March - September (preferred) (Don't go: rainy season Nov - May)
Climate: Hot, extreme daytime conditions (up to 40°C). Pleasantly mild at night
Rainfall: Between 450mm and 500mm per annum
Altitude: 900m - 1000m above sea level

PARK INFORMATION:

One of the world's largest salt pans, the great Makgadikgadi Pans implies a vast open lifeless land, devoid of human habitation. Once an ancient great lake in central Botswana and now a dried up lunar expanse, the Makgadikgadi Pans fill with water just once a year when the rains fall, attracting a plethora of game and birdlife to this region of Botswana. During the day the dusty Makgadikgadi, with whirlwinds skirting across a seemingly endless desert, offer the best way to come face to face with true isolation. However, villages on the periphery and in between the pans is evidence that the area has supported people as far back as the stone age.

The Makgadikgadi represent a haunting and fascinating environment whose thrifty nature is a perfect contrast to the life that erupt out of every corner of the Okavango Delta. The Makgadikgadi flood between January and March, if it rains enough. This causes grasses to burst info life, flamingos to arrive by their thousands to nest, and a great migration of countless zebra and wildebeest to arrive. When this happens it is one of Africa's great wildlife spectacles. Unfortunately 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.

Wildlife here includes: black-maned Kalahari lion, leopard, wild dog, cheetah, springbok, gemsbok, herds of wildebeest and zebra, brown and spotted hyena, and eland and other antelopes.

MAIN ATTRACTIONS:
» Dramatic migrations of wildebeest and zebra during the rainy season
» Seasonally home to thousands of flamingos
» Spectacular saltpans which flood annually, providing amazing sight-seeing

ACCOMMODATION AND SAFARIS THAT INCORPORATES MAKGADIKGADI PANS
GAME AND SAFARI LODGES	SAFARIS AND TOURS
JACKS CAMP	PANS, SANDS AND RIVERS
SAN CAMP	GREEN DESERT EXPEDITION
MAKGADIKGADI ACCOMMODATION	THE GREAT WILDERNESS JOURNEY
	UNTAMED LANDS