The grasslands of Botswana’s Kalahari together with the lunar expanse of the Makgadikgadi salt pans complete the areas we recommend in Botswana. They are in total contrast to the verdant, game-rich Okavango and Linyanti regions and are a must-see for all visitors who are interested in Botswana's diversity.
A relic of one of the world's largest super-lakes, Botswana’s Makgadikgadi dried up thousands of years ago as a result of the continued shifting of the earth's crust. When the lake was formed, some five to seven million years ago, its shores were the setting for the mysterious transition from ape to man. On four-wheel-drive quad bikes guests can venture far into the centre of Botswana’s Makgadikgadi. Remote archaeological sites can be found, periodically discovering never-before-documented fossil beds of extinct giant zebra and hippo. The fact that you can travel across the pans at great speed and still arrive nowhere only underlines the pan's immensity. There is nothing out there, absolutely nothing. No outcrops, no features, no grass, no trees, no sound but the crunch of your boots in the crust. Botswana’s Kalahari Desert is its own universe.
This desert safari also focuses on species unique to the area such as brown hyena, meerkats (suricate), gemsbok (oryx), springbok and the great black-maned Kalahari lion.
For a few months each year, the Makgadikgadi transforms into one of the most important wetland sites in Africa. When Botswana’s rains come, the pans fill with water and they become the breeding ground for huge flocks of flamingo and other migratory birds. The rains also regenerate the grasses, which attract the last surviving migration of zebra and wildebeest in southern Africa.
A safari to the area is essential for anyone interested in evolution, the origins and the explanation of the Okavango Delta and Botswana's big picture. For those who are prepared to travel off the beaten track and take a step back in time, a wealth of sensory experiences awaits.