​User Reviews – Makgadikgadi Pans NP

Sort By: Date Most Helpful 1-10 of 16 Reviews
Patrick Carlisle   –  
United States US
Visited: October 2022 Reviewed: Nov 1, 2022

Email Patrick Carlisle  |  20-35 years of age  |  Experience level: 2-5 safaris

Overall rating
5/5

Very cool and unique experience. We loved it

Janette   –  
Australia AU
Visited: September 2017 Reviewed: Oct 31, 2017

Email Janette  |  50-65 years of age  |  Experience level: 2-5 safaris

Overall rating
5/5

There are two parts to this area - the Pans itself and the National Park. We spent a night sleeping under the stars in the Pans and it was an awesome experience (organised by Meno a Kwena Tented Camp). We also saw meerkats and no-one else. We then did a safari drive in the national park section. It has the second largest migration of zebra (after the Serengeti) which we could believe as we saw hundreds of them as well as lots of wildebeest, elephants swimming and lions very close. And we hardly saw anyone else. It was a very special place.

Jessica   –  
United States US
Visited: September 2017 Reviewed: Oct 19, 2017

Email Jessica  |  35-50 years of age  |  Experience level: first safari

Overall rating
5/5

Our guide somehow understood how to navigate this flat, shimmery, beautiful landscape and we saw lots of bird species.

GoingPlaceswithME   –  
Canada CA
Visited: August 2015 Reviewed: Aug 1, 2016

Email GoingPlaceswithME  |  35-50 years of age  |  Experience level: over 5 safaris

Overall rating
5/5

Excellent safari destination with sufficient tourism infrastructure

Horst M. Vogel   –  
Saint Lucia LC
Visited: April 2000 Reviewed: Dec 6, 2015

Email Horst M. Vogel  |  50-65 years of age  |  Experience level: over 5 safaris

Overall rating
5/5

Let me state at this point that all the parks and reserves in Botswana are awesome. Yes, they differ in scenery and wildlife composition but their uniqueness is always nature and wildlife pure. If you got a chance to visit several parks, then just do so but choose the time of the year carefully. Because, the Makgadikgadi Pans are very treacherous during the rainy season!

James R Rye   –  
United Kingdom UK
Visited: April 2015 Reviewed: May 31, 2015

Email James R Rye  |  20-35 years of age  |  Experience level: 2-5 safaris

Overall rating
5/5

In Makagadikgadi there were fewer tourists and the roads are quite sandy so a 4x4 is a necessity. The Rhino are very elusive and hardly anyone sees them, there were lots of birds and elephant, the scenery was stunning.

Beverly Houwing   –  
United States US
Visited: May 2014 Reviewed: May 11, 2015

50-65 years of age  |  Experience level: over 5 safaris

Overall rating
5/5

Loved the Meerkat encounters and Bushmen walks. Overall the scenic beauty of the huge pans was great - an otherworldly place.

Terry Carew Visited: August 2010 Reviewed: Apr 5, 2015

Overall rating
5/5

In the salt pans it is mostly desert and attracts a different type of animal though not in great numbers or variety. More valuable as an eco experience, though the zebra migration is worth seeing. Nice to spend a few nights hare and then move on.

Christiaan van Vollenstee Visited: December 2013 Reviewed: May 5, 2014

The beauty lies in nothingness.
Overall rating
5/5

The Makgadikgadi pans is a magical place where the beauty lies in the vast open pans where nothing goes on for a very long time. I enjoy Botswana in the December because of the rain fall and the bits of green coming out as well as the bird life. In the Makgadikgadi the bird never stop chirping because when the sun sets a different set of birds come out and the bird sounds never stop. During December there is a lot of rain thus there is a lot of wet pans which makes the driving very tricky sometimes (I almost rolled my bakkie in one instance) but the worst is driving on a wet pan is the rust, the pans contains salt and that salt goes in everywhere and there where it lies it makes rust. After you have driven the pans and admired the baobabs go to a place called "planet baobab" for some R&R (swimming, nice lunch) before going to the Makgadikgadi nature reserve. When going to the Nature Reserve go to Tree island first and spend the night there for these camps are very well looked after and there is no other camper close to you to spoil the sounds of nature. The nature reserve is loitered with elephants and what one must do drive all along the river and just relax and look around, you will be bound to see some animal life there. When exiting the reserve one can use the ferry or drive 30km up to exit the top. The fairy costs around R250 per car to cross the river. If you feel adventuristic drive thru the river (before you do this walk thru first and keep to the right). All and all this is an amazing place and one must go and enjoy the full journey that this place has to offer.

Steve Filipiak   –  
United States US
Visited: May 2010 Reviewed: Nov 29, 2013

35-50 years of age  |  Experience level: over 5 safaris

Camping on the Salt Flats in Makgadikgadi
Overall rating
5/5

We stayed at Planet Baobab lodge near Gweta. Funky place, with great people. It's hard to believe that it is owned by the same group that owns Jack's Camp a few miles away. The best thing about camping on the salt pans is the TOTAL isolation. We never saw another person during the 30 hours we spent on the pans. And as the sun set, our shadows just kept getting longer.

Average User Rating

  • 4.5/5
  • Wildlife
  • Scenery
  • Bush Vibe
  • Birding

Rating Breakdown

  • 5 star 16
  • 4 star 12
  • 3 star 1
  • 2 star 0
  • 1 star 0
Write a User Review