The Makgadikgadi Pans are the dried bed of a vast lake that once covered much of northern Botswana. Today they form one of the largest salt-pan systems in the world: Sowa and Ntwetwe pans, the smaller Nxai Pan to the north, and grassland and palm islands between them.
The pans have two faces. In the dry season they are a lunar white desert where you can sleep out under the stars and watch habituated meerkats; along the Boteti River in the west, zebra and wildebeest gather in large numbers for water. When the rains come, the pans flood, the grass returns and the herds move out onto them — often with flamingos in their thousands.
Top things to do: Makgadikgadi Pans
The zebra migration
Southern Africa’s longest zebra migration moves between the Boteti River and the pans. In the dry months the Boteti sees impressive gatherings; in the rains the herds spread across the grasslands of Makgadikgadi and Nxai Pan.
Meerkats and quad-bike trips
Around the pans, several camps have habituated meerkat colonies you can sit among. Guided quad-bike trips onto the salt in the dry season are another classic.
Baines’ Baobabs
In Nxai Pan National Park, a group of ancient baobabs on the edge of Kudiakam Pan was painted by the artist Thomas Baines in 1862 and looks almost exactly the same today.
How to get to Makgadikgadi Pans
- From Maun: the Makgadikgadi Pans National Park gate at Khumaga is roughly two hours’ drive; Nxai Pan is around 2–3 hours.
- From Nata or Gweta: access to Sowa and Ntwetwe pans and the camps on their edges.
- On a tour: day trips from Maun and multi-day routes include the pans.
Insider tips
- Never drive onto the pans in the wet season — the crust hides deep mud. Stay on established tracks.
- Nights are cold in winter (June–August); bring warm layers.
- Carry plenty of water and fuel; facilities are very limited.
- The rains (roughly December to March) bring the migration and flamingos but make some tracks impassable.
Best tours & safaris: Makgadikgadi Pans
These top-rated experiences are the easiest way to see Makgadikgadi Pans:
Day trip from €406 Makgadikgadi National Park Day Trip
The only GetYourGuide day trip into Makgadikgadi Pans National Park from Maun, built around the zebra and wildebeest that gather on the Boteti River in the dry months. Reviews so far are mixed, so read them before booking.
- Game drive in Makgadikgadi Pans National Park
- Zebra migration along the Boteti in the dry season
- Packed lunch in the park
Camping safari from €1979 Victoria Falls: Chobe & Okavango Delta Camping Safari Tour
The full northern circuit, run the other way round: start at Victoria Falls, cross into Botswana for the Chobe riverfront, then continue south to the delta. Nine days lets you slow down and still see everything on this site’s shortlist.
- Victoria Falls, Chobe and the Okavango Delta
- Nine days with a guide and camp crew
- Mokoro time in the delta
