A Silent, Remote & Surreal Desert Luxury Safari
Quite an unusual, but stunning luxury safari tour destination, the shimmering salt pans of Makgadikgadi along with the Nxai Pans are believed to be the largest in the world. Most of the time they appear as glaring, white, endless plains. However, during the rainy season they are one of the most important wetland areas in Botswana - when they transform and come alive into stunning grass-plains attracting a variety of water birds and large herds of wildlife. The Boteti River in the west, where our luxury safaris are mostly based, provides water to massive herds of zebra and wildebeest during the dry season. The annual summer zebra migration is also the second largest migration in Africa – a definitive must see for any visitor during a luxury safari in Botswana.
The World’s Largest Salt Pan Network with Endless Horizons
The Makgadikgadi Pans, which is situated South of the Okavango Delta is an unusual, but stunning luxury Botswana safari tour destination. The shimmering salt pans of Makgadikgadi combined with the Nxai Pans, the world’s largest salt pan landscape, offers a completely different kind of remote African safari experience. Easy to reach by charter flight, the Makgadikgadi Pans reveals itself as flat, endless plains stretching to the horizon, appearing hauntingly beautiful in their desolation. Covered by a dry, salty, clay crust during the dry parts of the year, the pans transform into nutritious water and grass-filled plains after the summer rains, offering a refuge for birds and animals in this very arid part of Botswana.
Africa’s Longest Zebra Migration, Charming Meerkats & Majestic Baobabs
Although it may not be immediately visible, the Makgadikgadi Pans harbors an assortment of interesting life forms. The Makgadikgadi Pans is especially renowned for its zebra migration spectacle in the rainy season, as thousands of these dazzling mammals head here from the north in search of greener pastures. As the Makgadikgadi Pans forms part of the Kalahari Desert, you can expect to see one of the most charming desert-adapted African animals, the meerkat (or suricate) here. This is also one of the best places to see the extraordinarily beautiful baobab tree, a Botswana national monument functioning as local landmarks.
A Flamingo Bird Photography Hotspot
The Makgadikgadi salt pans are considered one of the most important breeding sites in southern Africa for both the lesser and greater flamingo. These iconic and peculiar birds migrate to the Makgadikgadi to breed on unusual mud nests, as it provides an essential wetland feeding site. From the ground (and air) this annual spectacle turns the pans into a sea of pink, and while here you can also see a range of other migratory water birds such as pelicans, ducks, and geese. Therefore this area is considered a ‘jewel in the desert’ for bird photographers, and we can assist you in planning your ideal luxury Botswana photographic safari to the pans.
Ideal Destinations
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