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MAKGADIKGADI PANS

- Makgadigadi Pans - 

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The Makgadikgadi Pans is the world’s largest salt pan. It covers an area of over 30,000 km² and is technically not a single pan, but consists of many pans connected to each other – the largest of which are Sua, Nwetwe and Nxai pans. 
The Makgdikgadi Pans are so spectacular it is worth visiting twice in your life, once in winter and once in summer. The vastness and bareness of these salt pans are an incredible sight, and there are many ways for you to experience the Makgadikgadi Pans, from game drives to guided walking safaris. A unique once in a lifetime experience is sleeping out on the Pans, under the stars. At night this vast landscape feels like a planetarium, with stars more bright and plentiful than you would likely have ever seen in your life. Fall asleep to the sounds of the desert and wake up energised by this beautiful authentic and pure natural experience. 
Dry season , typically winter from April to October, is the only season you can actually access the pans. If you visit the Makgdikgadi Pans in the dry season, when the landscape is arid and the land is as dry as a bone, you might not believe that what this land can look like in green season! From January to March during the wet summer months, the Makgdikgadi Pans transform into lush, nutritious wetlands, which attract wildlife from all across the country. This is when the famous Botswana zebra migration takes place (the 2nd largest migration in Africa after that of the wildebeest in Tanzania and Kenya). Along with thousands of zebras, you can look forward to seeing wildebeests, elephants and other herbivores, as well as lions, cheetah and other predators. 

Thanks to the wetland conditions, you can also expect hundreds of flamingos to arrive and turn this wetland into a sea of pink, as the pans are one of their most important breeding sites in Southern Africa. A magical destination, no matter when you go! Don’t forget to visit the famous Baines’ Baobabs –named after the famous painter and explorer Thomas Baines, who painted this unusual group of seven baobab trees in 1862.

Each region is unique!

Click on the different regions below to find out more about the unique beauty each offers, and when the best time is to visit.

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- Best time to go to Makgadigadi Pans -

Best time to go to Makgadigadi Pans

This is a difficult call to make, as the Makgdikgadi Pans are truly spectacular all year round. Choosing the best season to visit will depend on what you wish to see, and at The Travel Cafe we definitely have our favourites. 


Summer (December to March): This is the rainy season in the Makgdikgadi Pans. You will typically get short but intense rain showers, which won’t throw your plans around too much. The safari fanatics will tell you this is the best time to go because the Makgdikgadi Pans explode with life after the rains. In a rhythm as old as time, zebras arrive in their thousands, flamingos flock to the water-logged pans and many animals who remain hidden all year long are suddenly in plain sight, frolicking in the water. Summer is a pretty magical time! However, the heat is at its peak, with temperatures up to 40°C / 105°F being very common, which might be unpleasantly hot for some.


Spring (September – November) and Autumn (April – May):  Our favourite time to visit the Makgdikgadi Pans is either autumn or spring, depending on what you’d like to experience. Autumn will be better from a wildlife point of view, as you will still catch the migration of maybe even the flamingos, while spring is a great time to experience the pans in their arid lunar landscape-like state but without icy nights.  


During spring and autumn, both  evening and daytime temperatures ar milder compared to winter or summer, with daytime temperature hovering around 30°C / 85°F. Another good reason to go in spring or autumn is because those are the best months to combine The Makgdikgadi Pans with the rest of Botswana’s safari circuit, where summer is not the best season. 


Winter (June to September): Winter is very pleasant and a beautiful time to visit The Makgdikgadi Pans. However, it is important to know what to expect as winter and summer are worlds apart in the Makgdikgadi Pans. Winter will allow you to admire the raw and imposing beauty of the dried salt crust, you can quadbike, sleep under the stars and walk across this flat otherworldly landscape. But there will be hardly any wildlife to see except for a few meerkat. Winter is as exciting in the Makgdikgadi Pans as summer, it is just a very different kind of experience.
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