Makgadikgadi Pans

The Makgadikgadi Pans in the Kalahari stretch for 16,000 km², making them the largest salt pan in the world, making them Botswana's top tourist attraction. Formed by an ancient lake that has now dried up, the huge stretches of shimmering, ruined Makgadikgadi Pans land stretch for miles, offering an almost otherworldly experience of the northeastern landscape of the country.

Remnants of an ancient lake, the pans are interspersed with the sandy desert and vegetation of the Njuca Hills. Here there are acacia bushes, and along the banks of the Boteti, there is a riverside forest.

One of Africa's largest populations of zebras makes this land of white sand and salt their home. When rain falls during the wet season, the pans fill with water, attracting large flocks of flamingos, herds of zebras, springboks, and wildebeests. They closely follow predators, making for a great match.

During the dry season, Makgadikgadi Pans are deserted and barren, providing a perfectly flat surface for hiking, mountain biking, camping, also the chance to find fossils of creatures that would have been living in the water millions of years ago.

Location: North-eastern Botswana