The Pans
Makgadikgadi Pan
These pans are the remnants of the once great Lake Makgadikgadi that
certainly existed 2 million years ago, and is thought to have dried
up around 1500 years ago. The lake was 80,000 square kilometres in
extent, and up to 55 metres deep, this was the largest inland sea
in Africa. Over the years both climatic changes and tectonic activity
have drained the water completely.
The vast areas that were once the lakes bottom are now hard, salt-saturated
clay. Nothing grows on them – no plants, no grass, no trees.
The ancient shoreline is clearly visible – irrefutable proof
that the lake did exist.
The effect is both awesome and thought provoking - 360º of
absolutely nothing except a deep blue cloudless sky and a blindingly
white salt surface. Exploring the Pans on 4x4 Quad motorcycles
enables you to explore them without harming the fragile environment,
and is enormous fun! The largest of the Pans is Makgadikgadi Pan,
which is made up of Ntwetwe and Sowa (Sua) Pans, both are huge – Sowa
is over 100 km in length and 45 km wide.
[Visit Makgadikgadi
Camp]
Next to the salt pans is the Makgadikgadi Pans National Park,
(Situated in the Kalahari desert, Africa) a grasslands area attracting
thousands of animals after the rains. The park contains four main
vegetation types: salt pans, scrubland, pure grassland and riverine
woodland. Palm groves and Baobab trees whose branches look more
like roots - giving rise to the name 'upside down tree . These
are interspersed with short spiky yellow grass found on rises between
the pans, known as 'prickly salt grass'. The interior of the reserve
comprises scrub and grassland with a few 'islands' of Real Fan
Palms and Camel thorn acacia. During the winter dry season, animals
concentrate around the Boteti River, but between February and April,
huge herds of Zebra and Wildebeest migrate north to Nxai Pan and
beyond, only returning to Boteti when the rains diminish around
early May.
The range of antelope includes Impala, Gemsbok, Hartebeest and
Kudu, but they only appear in large numbers during the immigrations
during May and June. Lion, Hyena (the brown hyena is prevalent
in the area) and Cheetah are also present and when there's water,
the Boteti River supports a healthy Hippo population. You'll also
see a stunning array of
birds, but as there are no reliable water sources, Elephant
and Buffalo wander in only during extremely wet seasons.
Nxai Pan
Nxai Pan lies to the north of the Makgadikgadi Pans area, on the
migration route of the great herds: a wide, grass-covered pan
dotted with umbrella thorn trees. With its bountiful wildlife,
the area provides excellent game
viewing opportunities in the kalahari desert.
After the amalgamation of the Makgadikgadi and Nxai Pan national
parks, the Nxai Pan region was expanded from around 2100 sq km
to over 4000 sq km. Nxai Pan lies on the old Mpandamatenga Trail,
which connected a series of boreholes and was used until the 1960s
for overland cattle drives between Ngamiland and Kazungula.
Kudiakam Pan and Nxai Pan are both a part of the ancient lake
bed that formed Sua and Ntwetwe Pans. Kudiakam is comprised of
mini salt pans, but thanks to its higher elevation, Nxai Pan escaped
encrustation by leached salts.
The Nxai Pan region is speckled with Acacia Tortilis trees and
resembles the Serengeti (without all the safari vehicles). In the
dry season, wildlife activity concentrates on one artificial water
hole, just north of the Game Scout Camp, but in the February to
April wet season, Nxai Pan comes alive. The wildlife herds in Nxai's
grassy plains can be staggering; Wildebeest, Zebra and Gemsbok
appear in the thousands, along with large herds of other antelope
and Giraffe. Bat-eared Foxes emerge in force and Lion, Hyena and
Wild Dogs come in to gorge on the varied menu.
Baines's Baobabs
Just to the east of Kudiakam Pan, and south of Nxai Pan, is an impressive
group of baobab trees, standing on the pioneers’ route to the
swamps of the Okavango Delta. First painted by Thomas Baines, and
inscribed with his name on 22nd May 1862, the trees are known as
Baines’s Baobabs. Originally known as the Sleeping Sisters,
this hardy clump of Baobabs was immortalized in paintings by artist
and adventurer Thomas Baines on 22 May 1862. Baines, a resourceful
self-taught naturalist, artist and cartographer, first came to Botswana
in 1861, and travelled with trader and naturalist John Chapman from
Namibia to Victoria
Falls. He had originally been a member of David Livingstone's
expedition to the Zambezi, but was mistakenly accused of theft by
Livingstone's brother and forced to leave the party. Livingstone
later realized the mistake, but never admitted it and Baines remained
the subject of British ridicule.
[Visit Planet Baobab]
Kubu Island
Near the south-western corner of Sua Pan lies Kubu Island, the
original desert island of the kalahari desert. But for one tenuous
finger of grass, the ancient 20-metre high scrap of rock and
its ghostly Baobabs lies surrounded by a sea of salt. In cool
weather, this bizarre sight can make visitors feel like castaways
on an alien planet. In Zulu-based languages, 'Kubu' means Hippopotamus,
and as unlikely as it may seem, given the current environment,
the site may have been inhabited as recently as 500 to 1500 years
ago. On one shore lies an ancient crescent-shaped stone enclosure
of unknown origin that has yielded numerous pot shards, stone
tools and Ostrich eggshell beads.
Sua Spit
Sua Spit, about a 10 minute drive north of the Dukwe buffalo fence,
is a long, slender protrusion extending into the heart of Sua
Pan. It is the nexus of Botswana's lucrative soda ash industry.
Green's & Chapman's Baobabs: At ephemeral Gutsa Pan, 30 km
due south of Gweta, rises Green's Baobab, which was inscribed by
the 19th century hunter and trader Joseph Green and Ghanzi founder
Hendrick van Zyl, among other characters.
Fifteen km to the south-east by rough track is the enormous Chapman's
Baobab, which measures 25 metres around and historically served
as a beacon in a country of few landmarks. It's thought that it
was also used as a post office by passing explorers, traders and
travellers, many of whom left inscriptions on its trunk. It's frequently
claimed that this is the largest tree in Africa.
Gabatsadi Island
The enormous barchan (crescent) dune known as Gabatsadi Island
may see only a handful of visitors each year, but the expansive
view from the crest has managed to attract the likes of Prince
Charles, who went to capture the indescribably lovely scene in
watercolor. It lies west of the Gweta-Orapa track, 54 km south
of Gweta. Makgadikgadi Pans Game Reserve Section: The Makgadikgadi
Game Reserve section of the National Park is a 3900 sq km tract
of pans, grasslands and beautiful savanna country. Wildlife is
plentiful but since the reserve is unfenced, animals may wander
in and out at will, and you won't see the artificially high numbers
found at Chobe
National Park. During the winter dry season, animals concentrate
around the Boteti River, but between February and April, huge
herds of Zebra and Wildebeest migrate north to Nxai Pan and beyond,
only returning to Boteti when the rains diminish around early
May.
The range of antelope includes Impala, Gemsbok, Hartebeest and Kudu,
but they only appear in large numbers during the immigrations during
May and June. Lion, Hyena and Cheetah are also present and when there's
water, the Boteti River supports a healthy Hippo population. You'll
also see a stunning array of birds, but as there are no reliable
water sources, Elephant and Buffalo wander in only during extremely
wet seasons.
Visit our Camps and Lodges Section to
review the sumptuous accommodation on offer in the kalahari desert
More about the Pans in the
kalahari desert...
More about the Central
Kalahari Desert Game Reserve ...
More about the Bushmen people of
the San...
More about the Bird Species found
in the Kalahari Desert ...
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