Makgadikgadi Pans National Park – Overview

Part of the Kalahari Basin, Makgadikgadi Pans National Park has some of the largest salt pans in the world. It is a mesmerizing landscape unlike anywhere else in Africa. The shimmering cracked crust doesn’t look like it could support any life. But it is magnificent at sunrise and sunset, and after good rains this desolate landscape transforms: from December to March, Makgadikgadi hosts one of Africa’s biggest zebra migrations. As the pans fill up, flocks of pelican and flamingo arrive too.

Best Time To Go

All year (Areas are best at different times)

High Season

July to October (Higher rates may apply but it’s not busy)

Size More info

3,900km² / 1,506mi²

Altitude More info

904-945m / 2,966-3,100ft

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Pros & Cons

• Superb scenery unlike anywhere else in the country
• The park’s east is never crowded (except with zebra)
• Open plains in the east make wildlife viewing better
• Concentrations of animals at the Boteti River in the dry months
• Good range of accommodations along the Boteti River as well as northeast of the park
• Zebra migration to the pans in the wet months
• Less wildlife than in Chobe National Park or Moremi Game Reserve
• Not many accommodations in and around the park’s east
• Daytime temperatures can be very hot and dry, with no shade on the pans

The Zebra Migration

Zebras in their thousands migrate through the park with the seasons, accompanied by lots of wildebeest. The herds are usually out east around the pans (and north in neighboring Nxai Pan National Park) from December to March. Then they are around (or on their way to and from) the Boteti River from April to October. It’s an amazing spectacle, wherever you find them, as their barks fill the air and dust is raised by countless hooves while they keep on the move.

Wildlife

Most wildlife activity in the park is at the Boteti River, and this is where many of the lodges are situated. This area gets jam-packed with grazers in the drier months from June to December. Burchell’s zebra, blue wildebeest, greater kudu and giraffe all gather here. Lion and spotted hyena are regulars as well, but leopard is difficult to see. When the grass starts to grow in the Wet season, these animals migrate east to the pans.

Scenery

Makgadikgadi is a beautiful park, with its mix of Kalahari sand, salt pans and riverine forest along the (often dry) Boteti River. Don’t miss the stunning views out over the riverbed from the steep banks of the Boteti at sunset. Out east, the pans are hallucinatory in scale and whiteness: it’s a beguiling, perspective-altering landscape encircled by trees and grassy islands.

Activities

The only activities permitted inside the park are guided and self-guided game drives. Just outside the park, some of the lodges offer other activities. In the west, close to the Boteti River, this might include night drives. These are also possible in the pans just outside the eastern boundary of the park, where you can visit habituated meerkat populations in the company of a guide.

Weather & Climate

Makgadikgadi Pans has a desert climate with two distinct seasons. The Wet season (November to March) is consistently hot, with the average daytime temperature hovering around 36°C/97°F. Temperatures in the Dry season (April to October) are anything but consistent. They start off warm, drop to cool in the middle of the year, then crank up to very hot in October.

Best Time To Visit

Depending on the time of year you visit Makgadikgadi, you’ll spot different animals in different areas around the park. The wet summer months from November to April are the best time to see birds. If you’re lucky, you’ll see enormous flocks of flamingos gathering at the pans. The drier months from June to December are when herbivores and various predators head down to the Boteti River.

Want To Visit Makgadikgadi Pans NP?

• Makgadikgadi Pans Safaris & Tours
• Tour Operators for Makgadikgadi Pans