Considered to be the largest salt pan in the world The Makgadikgadi is a very special place. In summer (December to March) wonderful concentrations of game and abundant waterbirds are to be seen.

Key Highlights.....

• Huge flocks of Flamingos and other waders
• Seasonally inundated by plains game
• San Experience
• Baines' Baobabs
• Nxai Pans National Park
  

The Makgadikgadi Pans National Park includes a portion of these pans, which are almost devoid of human habitation. The area supports large numbers of animals which migrate to the grasslands in the west of the park after the rains.

Journeying into this magical land and across the desolate pans, you somehow feel its ancient mystique. The subtle hues at sunset transform Makgadikgadi into a surreal wonderland, which is unlike anywhere else. During the day the dusty pans, with whirlwinds skirting across a seemingly endless desert, offer the best way to come face to face with true isolation. A night spent on one of the pans, under the full moon, is an experience never to be forgotten, as the reflection from the surface of the pan makes it almost light enough to read!

The pans support palm groves and Baobab trees whose branches look more like roots, giving rise to the name 'upside down tree. These are interspersed with spiky yellow grass - found on the higher ground between the pans – and known as 'prickly salt grass'. This grass is extremely saline resistant to the extent that salt crystals can sometimes be seen on the leaves. The interior of the reserve comprises scrub and grassland with a few 'islands' of real Fan Palms and Camelthorn acacia.