Makgadikgadi Pans National Park

The Makgadikgadi Salt Pans are only a portion of what's left of what was one of the largest inland lakes in Africa. The Pan is not a single saltpan but incorporates the Ntwetwe Pan, Makgadikgadi Pans, Nxai Pan, Baines' Baobabs and Kudiakam Pan with sandy deserts rising between them.

In 1970, the area was declared a game reserve and in 1992, the Nxai Pan National Park was extended to border the Makgadikgadi Pans Game Reserve, which was then renamed to the Makgadikgadi Pans National Park, an area larger than Switzerland.

Once a large lake fed by the Boteti River, the Makgadikgadi started drying up almost 10,000 years ago as tectonic activity under the delta changed the flow of some rivers, limiting the flow into the lake; as well as changes in the climate as a drier spell came over the area. With the evaporation of the water on the lake, all that remained were these large, shimmering salt-encrusted saltpans.

The area now boasts a large population of Zebra although antelope and wildebeest can be found roaming the sandy plains in anticipation of the first rainfall in September. The short September and December rains transform the edges of this arid area into grassland, which draws herds of wildlife and birds to the area.

While the area can have extremely high temperatures, the pans are a great place to visit for the solitude. You may even be able to spot deserted villages on the edges of the pans as well as well as in between them, giving evidence that the area once supported people and livestock as far back as 10,000 years ago.