The Makgadikgadi Pans, on the northern edge of Botswana's Kalahari Desert are vast salt pans left over from the gradual evaporation of a massive ancient lake. The dry salt crust makes a surreal landscape of mottled grey and glaring white plains stretching to the horizon, shimmering with heat haze and deceptive mirages. Within the pans, Kubu Island is a strange phenomenon - an island in a salt lake, home to ancient, historic baobab trees.
Set right on the edge of these pans there are two very well known luxury camps, Jack's Camp and San Camp. These are stylish camps, offering an exclusive African experience in the style of the 1920's. This is luxury for the sake of luxury, set in a bizarre landscape - and why not… you're on holiday. Activities here include quad-biking and game tracking on foot. There is a Brown Hyena den nearby to Jack's, which offers unrivalled opportunities to view these very rare and illusive creatures.
The pans are rich in archaeology, with literally thousands of stone-age tools scattered on the surface, adding a whole new dimension to exploring and understanding the complexities of this area. In the rainy season, from December, the pans are flooded and thousands of flamingos and other water birds flock here and are best seen in about March. There are still large herds of wildebeest, antelope and zebra in this area, which migrate here with the vagaries of the rains, to find fresh pastures. To the west of the pans is the Makgadikgadi Pans Game Reserve which not only takes in a corner of the salt pans, but stretches to the Boteti River, encompassing grassland savannah and bush. The park supports a variety of wildlife, and the migrating herds move between the river and the pans.
You might like to consider one of our mobile luxury Botswana safaris which include this reserve in March and April when the herds may be on the move, and in April we have one that includes Kubu Island as well as the pans. Or you might choose to spend a few days at Jack's or San Camp as part of your Botswana safari, which are open for most of the year. (Jack's is only closed in January).