Open Landscapes
The scale is part of the experience. Horizons feel enormous, photography becomes about light and space, and the landscape can be as important as the wildlife.
Salt Pans and Open Sky
Makgadikgadi & Nxai Pan
Salt pans, grasslands, baobabs and huge open skies give this part of Botswana a feeling that is completely different from the northern wetlands.
THE AREA
WHAT MAKES THIS PLACE DIFFERENT.
The Makgadikgadi is a huge system of salt pans within the Kalahari Basin. For much of the year the landscape can feel stark and open, while summer rain can transform the surrounding grasslands and draw large numbers of zebra and wildebeest into the wider region.
Nxai Pan adds open grassland, fossil pan country and baobab landscapes. Together, these areas bring a strong change of pace from the Delta and can make a Botswana journey feel much more varied.
EXPERIENCES
WHAT YOUR TIME HERE CAN LOOK LIKE.
Every camp is different, and not every activity is available everywhere or all year. These are some of the experiences that help give this part of Botswana its character.
Seasonal Wildlife
Rain can bring dramatic changes to grazing and wildlife movement, while drier periods reveal the stark character of the pans and desert edge.
Baobabs and Desert Detail
The region is known for ancient baobabs, grassland, salt pan textures and a strong sense of space that feels very different from northern wetlands.
WHEN TO TRAVEL
The green season can completely transform the region.
Summer rains from roughly November to March can turn parts of the wider Makgadikgadi and Nxai landscape green and support seasonal wildlife movement. Drier months bring cooler mornings, open views and a more desert like atmosphere. The right month depends on which version of the pans you want to experience.
WHO THIS AREA SUITS
Repeat safari travellers, photographers, families, people who love landscapes and anyone wanting a strong contrast with the Okavango.
The Makgadikgadi system includes some of the world’s largest salt pans and changes dramatically after good summer rainfall.
RELATED AREAS
LET EACH PLACE BRING SOMETHING DIFFERENT.
Botswana has many different landscapes. These nearby and contrasting areas offer more to read about, from wetlands and woodland to open pans and desert.
DISCOVER BOTSWANA
THERE IS MORE TO DISCOVER.
Learn about other parts of Botswana and how their landscapes, wildlife and seasons compare.
ABOUT BOTSWANA