While Botswana’s Okavango Delta and Chobe National Park attract global attention, the country’s lesser-known parks-Nxai Pan and Makgadikgadi-offer a different kind of magic.
These vast salt pans and grasslands are among Africa’s most otherworldly landscapes, home to ancient baobabs, dramatic migrations, and star-filled skies.
Nxai Pan National Park: A Sea of Grass and Giants
Nxai Pan is a relic of a prehistoric lake, now a shimmering expanse of grassland and salt. During the rainy season (December to April), the pan transforms: zebras and wildebeest arrive in their thousands, following the scent of fresh grazing. The arrival of the herds is a spectacle, drawing predators like lions and cheetahs in their wake. Nxai Pan’s iconic Baines’ Baobabs, immortalized by Victorian explorer Thomas Baines, stand as silent sentinels over the landscape.
Makgadikgadi Salt Pans: The Great White Expanse
Makgadikgadi is one of the world’s largest salt flats-a place where the horizon seems to stretch forever. In the dry season, the pans are a blinding white desert, home to meerkat colonies and brown hyenas. After the rains, shallow lakes form, attracting flamingos and pelicans in their thousands. The transformation is sudden and dramatic, a reminder of nature’s power to renew.
Meerkats, Hyenas, and Desert Survivors
The Makgadikgadi is famous for its habituated meerkats, which allow close observation as they forage and play. Brown hyenas, shy and rarely seen elsewhere, are a special treat for patient visitors. The pans are also home to bat-eared foxes, aardwolves, and the mysterious Kalahari lion.
Stargazing and Silence
With almost no light pollution, the Makgadikgadi and Nxai Pan offer some of Africa’s best stargazing. On a clear night, the Milky Way blazes overhead, and the silence is profound-a rare luxury in today’s world.
Practical Tips
- Best time to visit: For wildlife, the wet season (Dec–Apr); for stark beauty and stargazing, the dry season (May–Oct).
- Where to stay: A mix of luxury camps (like Jack’s Camp) and mobile safaris.
- Activities: Game drives, walking safaris, quad biking on the pans, and cultural visits with local San Bushmen.
Botswana’s forgotten parks are a journey into the heart of Africa’s wildest places. For those seeking adventure, solitude, and the thrill of discovery, Nxai Pan and Makgadikgadi are safari landmarks not to be missed.