Makgadikgadi Pans National Park

The great Makgadikgadi Pans, covering about 10,000km² of the Kalahari, are nothing but salt. Some of the pans are enormous; others are the size of a small pond. Around these pans are rolling grasslands and the occasional picturesque palm-tree island. The main objective in visiting the Makgadikgadi National Park is not to view game, but to experience true remoteness and absolute isolation. It is vast, wild and beautiful. 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.

History of the Makgadikgadi Pans

The Makgadikgadi area was once a superlake almost 30 metres deep and extended over an area of 80,000 square km. The climate changed and Lake Makgadikgadi dried up. As the water evaporated, huge glistening salt-encrusted pans were left. These pans look as flat as a billiard table and stretch as far as the eye can see. Occasionally, this extraordinary landscape is dotted with rocky outcrops and large stranded sand dunes.

The Makgadikgadi Pans National Park, covering approximately 4,900 km², includes some of these large salt pans. However, the pans outside the National Park include some the largest salt pans in the world exceeding 12,000 km².

The Makgadikgadi was initially state land and was declared a game reserve in 1970 and in December 1992, the boundaries were extended and the game reserve status became a National Park.

General

The name ‘Makgadikgadi’ implies a vast open lifeless land. The pans are almost devoid of human habitation; however there are villages on the periphery and in between the pans there is evidence that the area had supported human life during the Stone Age. There are stories of people setting out from Gweta to explore the land that lay between them and the Boteti River. They did their exploring during the driest times of the year and were drawn by what they perceived as large lakes of sparkling water on the horizon. As they got more and more thirsty, the lakes kept drawing them on in their attempt to reach the water. However dehydration took its toll, and they slowly died.

However, the Makgadikgadi Pans are not always dry. The pans fill with water during the rains from mid-November and mostly retain their water into May. The pans are transformed into great sheets of water, which attract a spectacular array of waterbirds and trigger dramatic migrations of wildebeest and zebra.Tiny crustaceans hatch and algae blooms in order to provide food for the large flocks of flamingos that reside in this area during this time of year. Approximately 30,000 breeding pairs of greater and lesser flamingos make the surface of the pans turn a deep pink. This occurs mainly in the pans to the east of the National Park, particularly Sowa Pan. Numerous other water birds are abundant during this time of the year and the best place to see them is at Nata Bird Sanctuary, just off the main road at the Northern end of Sowa Pan.

The Makgadikgadi Pans National Park has four main vegetation types, namely, riverine woodland, scrubland, pure grassland and salt pans. Palm groves and Baobab trees are found in the pans. Short spiky yellow grass is found on rises 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 of scrub and grassland with a few ‘islands’ of Real Fan Palms and Camel Thorn acacia.

Travel Access

Makgadikgadi Pans National Park is situated halfway between Maun and Nata on the Francistown road in northern Botswana. The turnoff to the park's main entrance can be found 160 kilometres east of Maun and 45 kilometres west of the small village of Gweta, which has the nearest lodge accommodation, fuel and supplies.
From turning off the main tar road, eight kilometres of rough gravel road leads to the park entrance gate, where entry fees are to be paid.

Four wheel drive is recommended throughout this area, as even in the dry season the pan surface can be treacherous with the unseen water table lurking often just inches under the hard-baked surface. While there are no fixed lodges or hotels in the park, there are several designated campsites. This limits access to all but the fully equipped self-drive visitor, or those on tailor-made safaris.

Seasons and Best Times to Travel

Rainy Season: November to March the pans fill up and retain water until April or May. Much of the Makgadikgadi Pans area becomes inaccessible during the rainy season and the only way to see the spectacular flamingo flocks is by aircraft. It is extremely dangerous to venture into the pans during the rainy season unless you are with a guided experienced in the area. During a low-rainfall year, May, October and November are also acceptable.
High day time temperatures – up to 40°C, but the nights are mild and pleasant.

Dry season: April to September is the dry season with strong winds from August to November.
From April to July game viewing is best within the park and after that the animals move to inaccessible areas. March to September is the best months to experience the pans. Winter is very pleasant during the day but ice-cold at night.

Both dry season and wet season visits to this park are recommended in order to witness the dramatic appearance of the pans at their driest and to experience the transformation to a water wonderland, and see the wildebeest and zebra migrations, in the wet season.

Wildlife

The variety of birdlife found in the Makgadikgadi area is outstanding. Birds that can be seen are white-backed and lappet-faced vultures, bateleurs, tawny and martial eagles, black-breasted snake eagle, lanner and red-footed falcons, gabar and pale chanting goshawks. Also seen are red-billed and orange river francolin, ostrich, secretary bird, guineafowl, black and red-crested korhaan, kori bustard, crowned plover, double-banded courser, spotted dikkop, all species of sandgrouse, giant eagle and pearl-spotted owls, lilac-breasted and purple rollers and large numbers of the hornbill species.

The Makgadikgadi area contains large numbers of animals, especially zebra and wildebeest, who migrate to grasslands in the west of the park after the rains. During this migration animals accumulate in their thousands. The heavily wooded areas beside the river also contain shy antelopes like duiker and bushbuck.

During the dry winter months, the migrations move westwards to the water available in the Boteti River but many desert-adapted creatures remain resident. These include meerkats, yellow mongoose, ground squirrel, aardwolf, African wildcat, caracal, spring hare, porcupine, steenbok, kudu, jackal, honey badger, genet and occasional lion. This is also the domain of the brown hyena, a shy and elusive creature, as well as suricates, aardvarks and small bustard species.