Makgadikgadi Salt Pans

Vast and magical, these remnants of an incredible, ancient lake, are among the largest salt pans in the world.

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What to expect…

Ever seen those images of salt pans stretching as far as the eye can see? Stars overhead at night, in their billions, the Milky Way clearly visible in the sky. A meerkat, playfully climbing on the closest object of any height, even a human? This vast, seemingly empty, stretch of earth covering 16,000 square kilometres in the Kalahari, formed when the ancient Lake Makgadikgadi evaporated long before our memory began.

This is not a destination for those who crave easy, prolific wildlife viewing. It’s for those who crave the remoteness a desert can provide. Who long for the wide open spaces, the desolation of a landscape seemingly devoid of life but actually full of wonder in smaller ways. It’s a place of transformation, big skies, stars, desert dwelling critters and salty fresh air. Dust storms, endless space, small islands of life, and did I mention the stars?

Desert-adapted brown hyena call the pans ‘home’. Very different in colour, build and behaviour to the commonly seen spotted hyena, they cover vast distances to scavenge and will feed on much smaller prey sources such as ostrich eggs.

Male lion strides over the salt pans of Makgadikgadi as the full moon rises in the background.
A brown hyena at sunrise over the Makgadikgadi Salt Pans
An aardvark listens for termites at dusk on the Makgadikgadi Salt Pans

When to Visit

December and January are peak rainy season transforming the pans into lush grasslands and shallow lakes leading to incredible flamingoes and migratory birds together with the famous zebra migration and consequent food abundance for predators. From March to April the season begins to change. The rains lessen and the zebra migration continues its movement northwards. From May and June animals congregate around the remaining water sources and the salt pans begin to return to their white expansiveness. While it is still hot during the day, it is cool early and late on making the meerkats more active at easier times. July through August is peak time here as the meerkats are active later with the cooler temperatures and as the grass dies away, a lot more visible. The pans too are in their full glory. Nighttime temperatures can be below freezing so keeping warm is a must, but there is a good chance of seeing the more interesting nocturnal animals at dusk instead and the clear skies make for fantastic astro-photography opportunities. From September the heat begins to build again and October is peak heat and dry before the rains arrive again in November signalling the start of the return of the zebras.

Read my Makgadikgadi substack post

JAN

Mixed

FEB

Mixed

MAR

Mixed

APRIL

Mixed

MAY

Good

JUN

Good

JUL

Excellent

AUG

Excellent

SEPT

Excellent

OCT

Very Good

NOV

Very Good

DEC

Good

Two meerkats in a desert landscape, one in the background in focus, the other blurred in the foreground.
A meerkat standing upright on a rocky surface during sunset with the sun in the background.
An aardvark walking across the salt pans of the Makgadikgadi in the dusky evening with a pink and purple sky.
A lion walking across the salt pans of Makgadigadi with a large pink moon in the sky.
A silhouette of a brown hyena walking across the salt pans of Makgadigadi at sunrise with a large sun and colourful sky in the background.
A meerkat on the ground in a grassy area of Makgadikgadi, with a warm, golden backlit background.
Two meerkats standing at sunset, with a pink sky and the sun near the horizon.
A brown hyena standing on a flat plain during sunset with a pink sky and the sun near the horizon.
A lion walking on the salt pans of Makgadikgadi with a large, pink moon in the blue sky in the background.
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