Nxai Pan and Makgadikgadi

NXAI PAN AND MAKGADIKGADI NATIONAL PARK

SAFARI

3 DAYS / 2 NIGHTS

(LONGER or SHORTER as required)

The Makgadikgadi Pans and Nxai Pans National Parks are situated next to each other, to the east of Maun, 3½ hrs travel time from Maun.

The Makgadikgadi area constitutes the world’s largest salt pans, with flat, open bare spaces that go on forever.

This is mirage country. Isolated Ilala palms stand as lonely sentinels in the immensity of this dramatically stark yet curiously beautiful landscape. Certain sections of the pans are covered with a shallow layer of water, the extent of the water varying according to the amount of summer rain in the region.

A multitude of water birds -flamingos, pelicans, storks, ducks, waders, etc. – are attracted to this alkaline water rich in planktons.

The grassy edges of the pans are the haunts of game species including springbok, gemsbok, zebra, giraffe, ostrich … and the predators which seek them out – in particular lions and cheetahs.

This is also the habitat of the attractive, shaggy-coated, desert – loving brown hyenas.

Nxai Pan, to the north of Makgadikgadi, is known for its herds of springbok (within Botswana uniquely co-existing with impala), zebras and giraffes.

After the rains, the dusty plains undergo a magical transformation into green pastureland, particularly sought out by a multitude of herbivores. Lions are much in evidence then, taking advantage of the influx of game.

In the dry season (April to October), it is profitable to spend a good part of the day parked near the one remaining waterhole, near the camp, to watch the continuous procession of game coming to drink there.

Lions, knowing this is the only water in the vicinity, lie in ambush near the waterhole, and the thrill of a lion kill may be the reward of the patient observer

During this season bull elephants, almost oblivious to the presence of onlookers, often dominate the waterhole in the most photogenic manner.

The safari start and end at Sedia Riverside Hotel in Maun. Travel time is about two and a half to three and a half hours to the campsites within the parks