MAKGADIKGADI PANS July 13th, 2013

The Makgadikgadi Pan is a large salt pan in the middle of the dry savanna of north-eastern Botswana. It is one of the biggest salt flats in the whole world. Makgadikgadi Pan is all that remains of the formerly enormous Lake Makgadikgadi, which once covered an area larger than Switzerland, but dried up some thousand years ago.

The Makgadikgadi Pan is in fact a series of pans, the largest of which are Sowa and Ntwetwe, both of which are surrounded by a myriad of smaller pans. North of these two pans are Kudiakam pan, Nxai Pan and Kaucaca Pan. Scattered between the pans are sand dunes, rocky islands, peninsulasand desert terrain.

The main water source is the Nata River, where it rises at Sandown about 59 kilometres from Bulawayo. A smaller amount of water is supplied by the Boteti River from the Okavango delta.

For most of the year, this deserted area is dry and arid so there are not many mammals to be seen, but during times of good rain, the two largest pans – Sowa and Ntwetwe flood with water, appealing to wildlife, such as zebra and wildebeest on the grassy plains and most amazingly flamingos at Sowa and Nata Sanctuary. The only plant life is a thin layer of blue-green algae, but the outer edge of the pan are salt marshes and further out these are circled by grassland and then shrubby savanna. 

The salt pans are very hostile and there has not been too much human interference so they remain fairly in peace, although land surrounding the pans is used for grazing and some areas have been fenced off, preventing the migration of wildlife. 

The Makgadikgadi Pans Game Reserve incorporates the western end of Ntwetwe, extensive grasslands and acacia woodland. At its northern boundary, it meets the Nxai Pan National Park, separated only by the Nata- Maun Road. During the wet season, the Makgadikgadi Pans Game Reserve usually offers good wildlife viewing.