Makgadikgadi Pans

About this place

Among the largest salt flats in the world, the remains of a giant lake that dried thousands of years ago, spreading across central Botswana in endless white flats with mirages shimmering over them; in the dry winter they look like another planet without a horizon. In the rainy season, November to March, the pans and their grassy edges turn into green pastures, and huge herds of zebra and wildebeest arrive in one of Africa's great animal migrations, followed by lions, while flamingos cover the shallow pools. Visitors' favourites are colonies of small meerkats used to people, standing on their hind legs near you to scan the horizon and sometimes climbing onto a shoulder. In the dry season there are quad-bike trips on the salt and nights sleeping under the stars. Fees vary by park and camp, and driving on the salt after rain is dangerous without a guide. Parks are unfenced and wild animals roam near camps, so stay in the vehicle on drives, never walk at night and follow your guide. October and November are very hot, rains fall from November to March, and wildlife viewing is best in the dry season.