Makgadikgadi & Nxai Pan National Parks

DESCRIPTION

In the northeastern region of the Kalahari Basin are the Makgadikgadi Pans – a huge expanse of pristine, white landscape bigger than Switzerland. Once a large river-fed lake, the Makgadikgadi Pans now lie saline and empty. The pans are littered with stone tools and artefacts dated from between 2,000 to 500,000 years old.

During the wet season, 35-75,000 zebra and wildebeest migrate into the area with regular sightings of lion, cheetah and other predators who follow in their wake - this is southern Africa's last surviving zebra and wildebeest migration. Hundreds of thousands of flamingo appear from nowhere to feed as long as the water lasts. The area is also a permanent haven for desert species such as the meerkat and the brown hyaena, the third rarest carnivore in the world.

Nxai Pan forms part of the great fossil pan system which includes the vast Makgadikgadi salt pans. These pans were once the bed of a super lake fed by the Okavango, Zambezi and Kwando rivers.

ACCOMMODATION

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Camp Kalahari

Camp Kalahari is set amongst the acacias and Mokolwane palms of Brown Hyaena Island, on the edge of the Makgadikgadi Salt Pans, adjacent to the Makgadikgadi-Nxai Pans National Park. Accommodati...

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Nxai Pan

Nxai Pan is located on the western edge of the fossil pan from which the camp takes its name. The camp faces east over the open grasslands of the pans and accommodates a maximum of eighteen guests...

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San Camp

San Camp is situated on the edge of the vast and mysterious Makgadikgadi Salt Pans. Accommodation is in six classic white tents, each with en suite bathroom. All tents have a private verandah o...

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Leroo La Tau

Leroo La Tau is situated on the western bank of the Boteti River, northwest of Khumaga Village and about 140 kilometres southeast of Maun.

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Jack's Camp

After several decades of setting the standard in the Kalahari, we are delighted to announce that Jack’s Camp has undergone a full rebuild and has now reopened in 2021.

ITINERARY IDEA

Day 1 - 3: Makgadikgadi & Nxai Pan National Parks

Meal Basis: Full Board plus Activities

Adventurous travellers seeking a truly remote African safari will be thrilled to discover that such a thing still exists. As the second largest game reserve in the world and one of the least visited, nothing can prepare you for the sheer wonder of exploring this vast reserve with its wild, untouched beauty. The landscape is dominated by sand veldt, acacias, and Kalahari appleleaf, interspersed with grasslands, and dotted with occasional sand dunes, pans and fossil river valleys. While the reserve is home to an impressive variety of wildlife, there is one animal that is rather obviously absent, the human being. It is this lack of human traffic, combined with the park’s lack of infrastructure, that makes for a challenging and marvellously authentic African experience. Visitors need to be entirely self-sufficient but those willing to make the effort will be richly rewarded.

Day 4 - 6: Makgadikgadi & Nxai Pan National Parks

Meal Basis: Full Board plus Activities

The Makgadikgadi Pan is the world’s largest salt pan, formed on the bed of an ancient lake that began evaporating aeons ago. Visiting Makgadikgadi is a unique desert experience: in the dry season, this vast expanse of sun-baked salt glistens in the light and when the rains come, the pan is home to a cornucopia of flamingos and other water birds, as well as one of Africa's biggest zebra populations, whose annual migration is a wonder to behold.

This itinerary is a guideline, Africa & Beyond tailor every trip to your individual specifications including all accommodation, flights, transfers & activities, please contact us to discuss your ideas.

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