Makgadikgadi Pans National Park

Loved this Park

this has been a wonderful travel for me. I really enjoyed it. The scenary was spectacular, the weather awesome. I really loved it.

Camping on the Salt Flats in Makgadikgadi

We stayed at Planet Baobab lodge near Gweta. Funky place, with great people. It's hard to believe that it is owned by the same group that owns Jack's Camp a few miles away. The best thing about camping on the salt pans is the TOTAL isolation. We never saw another person during the 30 hours we spent on the pans. And as the sun set, our shadows just kept getting longer.

The beauty lies in nothingness.

The Makgadikgadi pans is a magical place where the beauty lies in the vast open pans where nothing goes on for a very long time. I enjoy Botswana in the December because of the rain fall and the bits of green coming out as well as the bird life. In the Makgadikgadi the bird never stop chirping because when the sun sets a different set of birds come out and the bird sounds never stop. During December there is a lot of rain thus there is a lot of wet pans which makes the driving very tricky sometimes (I almost rolled my bakkie in one instance) but the worst is driving on a wet pan is the rust, the pans contains salt and that salt goes in everywhere and there where it lies it makes rust. After you have driven the pans and admired the baobabs go to a place called "planet baobab" for some R&R (swimming, nice lunch) before going to the Makgadikgadi nature reserve. When going to the Nature Reserve go to Tree island first and spend the night there for these camps are very well looked after and there is no other camper close to you to spoil the sounds of nature. The nature reserve is loitered with elephants and what one must do drive all along the river and just relax and look around, you will be bound to see some animal life there. When exiting the reserve one can use the ferry or drive 30km up to exit the top. The fairy costs around R250 per car to cross the river. If you feel adventuristic drive thru the river (before you do this walk thru first and keep to the right). All and all this is an amazing place and one must go and enjoy the full journey that this place has to offer.

A tough motorcycle ride that should only be done by experienced off-road riders

In September, the pans are very dry, so the wildlife is scarce. September is still very hot (42 degrees Celsius) and the wind was also very strong. With no trees for shelter, camping on the pans was difficult. The Pans are surrounded by deep soft sand, making it difficult on two wheels.

Camping on the open Pans in an awesome experience. You will never feel such solitude when looking across the Pans at absolutely nothing.

Kubu Island with its mystical history is a must see

A Night on the Moon

It’s like being on the moon. The horizon is perfectly flat and you can’t see where it ends. I was there at the end of dry season so there was a delicate crust where the mud had dehydrated, lifted up all pitted and mottled, curling in spots like a decaying leaf. When you walk on this crust it poofs around your feet in little clouds as it turns into incredibly fine dust that gets into every crevice. At first – the only sounds are those you make – so quiet you can hear yourself breathing. Every step crunches so loudly I found myself wanting to tip toe. Despite the fact that there are no plants or animals to be seen, after about 20 minutes you hear a loud drone – you think maybe an ultralight is heading your way – and then you realize the mosquitos have found you! How? Where did they come from? No idea but since you are the only thing out there to feast on – you had better hope you have good bug spray! Because there is nothing on the horizon, sunset and sunrise seem to last much longer and turn the whole world pink. It feels like you’ve been dropped into a sci-fi movie. I found myself whispering – not wanting to disturb the surreal quality of the experience.

In the salt pans it is mostly desert and attracts a different type of animal though not in great numbers or variety. More valuable as an eco experience, though the zebra migration is worth seeing. Nice to spend a few nights hare and then move on.

Loved the Meerkat encounters and Bushmen walks. Overall the scenic beauty of the huge pans was great - an otherworldly place.

In Makagadikgadi there were fewer tourists and the roads are quite sandy so a 4x4 is a necessity. The Rhino are very elusive and hardly anyone sees them, there were lots of birds and elephant, the scenery was stunning.

Nice detour/side-visit between Chobe and Okavango. Not as great as those but still good for a sunset drive into the pans. May be different (much better) in low (water) season.

Let me state at this point that all the parks and reserves in Botswana are awesome. Yes, they differ in scenery and wildlife composition but their uniqueness is always nature and wildlife pure. If you got a chance to visit several parks, then just do so but choose the time of the year carefully. Because, the Makgadikgadi Pans are very treacherous during the rainy season!