How were the Makgadikgadi Salt Pans formed?

The pans are remnants of ancient Lake Makgadikgadi, once one of the largest inland seas on Earth, estimated at 80,000 to 275,000 square kilometres. Tectonic activity altered river courses over roughly 90,000 years starting around 100,000 years ago, ultimately draining the lake and leaving the current salty residue, with the final remnants drying up around 10,000 years ago.

Is Makgadikgadi good for astrophotography?

Yes, with almost no light pollution and some of the clearest night skies available, though there are few natural ground-based objects to frame.

What wildlife can you actually see in the Makgadikgadi Pans, given how sparse it looks?

Despite lower density than areas like the Okavango Delta, Makgadikgadi has year-round meerkats, lions crossing the open salt flats, and rarer species like aardvark and brown hyena, alongside a large zebra migration during the January-March rains.

How big are the Makgadikgadi Salt Pans compared to other salt pans in the world?

The pans span roughly 16,000 square kilometres in total, with the largest single pan around 4,900 square kilometres. By comparison, Bolivia's Salar de Uyuni covers 10,580 square kilometres as the largest single continuous pan in the world, while India and Pakistan's Rann of Kutch covers around 30,000 square kilometres.

Is Makgadikgadi good to combine with the Okavango Delta or Chobe on one Botswana trip?

Yes, Makgadikgadi is only a 45-minute flight from Maun, the gateway to the Okavango Delta, making it a strong contrast pairing between harsh desert life and the Delta's lush wildlife density.

Can you see meerkats up close at Makgadikgadi?

Yes, habituated meerkat colonies are studied there and used to human presence, with the right camps offering morning or afternoon time with a colony while they forage across the pans.

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.

Your Questions, Answered

These are some of the most common questions I get asked about going on safari in the Makgadikgadi.

On safari in Makgadikgadi

The Makgadikgadi Salt Pans are the remnants of one of the largest inland seas ever on Earth - Lake Makgadikgadi. Where the pans today cover an estimated 16,000 square kilometres, according to NASA the original sea stretched anywhere from 80,000 to 275,000 square kilometres. At that time, it is likely that the Kavango, Candy and Zambezi Rivers emptied into this inland sea before tectonic plates shifting changing the course of rivers and tilting the landscape together with a changing environment allowed the water to drain away and evaporate leaving behind a salty residue.
This lake did not vanish immediately and rather the change occurred over roughly 90,000 years starting 100,000 years ago when tectonic activity altered the course of rivers draining into the Lake. Around 20,000 years ago, more activity allowed the lake to overflow and the volume of water ultimately calved out a path that included the Victoria Falls before the final remnants of the water eventually dried up around 10,000 years ago leaving the white, crusty salty residue behind.
There is almost no light pollution in the Makgadikgadi with some of the clearest skies I have ever seen so it is definitely great for astrophotography though there are few natural ground-based objects to place in the frame.
The landscape belies how much wildlife there actually is. While it make not have the density of the Okavango Delta or other areas in Africa, it does have some incredible creatures that you won’t see often elsewhere such as meerkats all year round. There are lions in the salt pans and there is something truly special seeing one crossing the white salty flats with nothing around for miles and miles. Rarer species still like aardvark and brown hyenas also make the flats their home and during the summer months of January to March the massive zebra migration enjoys the lush grass and watery pools that come from the summer rain.
The current pans span roughly 16,000 square kilometres and are actually a collection of pans, the largest of which is around 4,900 square kilometres. For comparison, the Salar de Uyuni in Bolivia covers only 10,580 square kilometres but is the largest single continuous pan in the world and the Rann of Kutch in India and Pakistan is covers 30,000 square kilometres.
It is definitely worth combining the Makgadikgadi and Okavango in one trip. The Makgadikgadi is only a 45min flight from Maun which is the gateway to the Delta and the two areas make a fantastic combination and contrast between the harsh desert life on the salt pans versus the lush oasis that is the Okavango. It also allows you to spend quality time with meerkats in Makgadikgadi and then experience the density and diversity of wildlife in the Delta.
Yes you can. The meerkats are studied there and many of the groups are used to seeing humans. If you stay at the right places you can book mornings or afternoons to try and spend time with the colony while they roam out on the pans searching for food. Sometimes, if you’re still and sitting, the meerkats may even climb on you to get a better vantage point to look out across the flat landscape.

Photographing in the Makgadikgadi

I like using my 300 here because you often want to put the wildlife in the landscape which is so vast and empty and often has the most incredible sunsets. For the meerkats it is similar though keep your iPhone with you for those fun close up shots and just enjoy spending time with them.
Outside of the National Park you can, but inside you are governed by strict gate times. I would definitely recommend staying outside the national park in the private concessions because the sunrises and sunsets truly are spectacular and sometimes you can get really lucky with brown hyenas or other creatures rarer still.
Generally, no, as the guides do try to preserve the salt pans so tend to stick on the existing tracks.

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