Makgadikgadi Pans National Park is in the Okavango-Chobe of Botswana, adjacent to Nxai Pan National Park.

Understand

Flamingo migration at the Makgadikgadi Pan

The Makgadikgadi Pans are one of the largest salt pans in the world. The area around the pans was declared a game reserve in 1970, and then expanded and given national park status in 1992.

Flora and fauna

The pans aren't known for their fauna, but rather their emptiness. Nonetheless, there is wildlife to be found, particularly from June to November. (Outside of this time the animals tend to hang out in nearby Nxai Pan National Park instead.) These include lions, cheetahs, hyenas, elephants, zebras, oryx, wildebeests, impalas and springboks. Together with Nxai Pan National Park, Makgadikgadi Pans hosts the largest zebra migration in the world outside of Tanzania. The pans are flamingo breedings grounds.

Sleep

Makgadikgadi Pans National Park is administered by the Department of Wildlife and National Parks (DWNP), so camping is only allowed at designated camp sites, which must be booked in advance at the DWNP office in Gaborone or Maun. You will not be permitted into either park without a camp-site reservation, unless you're on an organised tour.

• Kumaga Camp
• Njuca Hills Campsite