Botswana : Makgadikgadi Salt Pans

Situated in the Kalahari desert, home to the San people, lies the worlds biggest salt pan, the Makgadikgadi Pan, which is all that remains of an ancient inland sea. During the rains water lies on the pan attracting huge numbers of flamingos and other migratory birds and it is the only place in Southern Africa that you find the migration of thousands of wildebeest and zebra and as always their predators close behind. The dry season is another story and only the animals and birds, which have adapted to these harsh conditions, can survive here. The pans can be explored by quad bikes where relics of ancient man may be found at the archaeological sites and you can camp out under the stars with a 360-degree vista of emptiness.

Quick links:
Jack's Camp
Leroo-La-Tau

Jack's Camp
The recently refurbished Jack's Camp and its more recent sister camp San Camp are the first permanent camps in the Makgadikgadi Pans.

Jack's Camp consists of eight green canvas guest tents situated on a palm tree island in the Pans. The guest tents are fashioned in a classical 1940's style. Inside you will find four poster Zanzibari beds, Persian carpets and paraffin lamps that all add to the eccentric charm of this camp. The rather unusual ensuite bathroom includes a teak 'throne' style flushing toilet, indoor and outdoor shower (with running hot and cold water) and a polished copper wash basin. There is a large dinning tent with a collection of fossils and other artefacts from the Pans so unique it has been classified as a museum! The Bedouin style tea tent is furnished with Persian rugs and cushions and afternoon tea is served with freshly baked cakes.
Depending on the season activities include game drives to experience the zebra and wildebeest migration and walks to observe the vast numbers of flamingos that arrive in the rainy season. During the dry season expeditions on to the Pans on 4WD quad bikes give you the opportunity to experience the vast emptiness of this incredible, mysterious area. Other activities include night drives to view the unique desert wildlife such as the rare Brown Hyena, Aardwolf, Aardvark and a walk with one of the habituated Meerkat gangs.

San Camp
The smaller San camp is sited right on the edge of the pan and has a remote and romantic feel to it. The Camp has 6 large walk-in white canvas tents in a similar style to that of Jacks camp. The private bathrooms are adjacent to the tents with bucket showers and long drop toilets, canvas and wood basins, copper water jugs and paraffin lamps that provide a rustic but comfortable touch in keeping with the stark environment of the surrounding area. Activities are the same as that at Jacks including walks with a Bushman tracker and visits to historical baobab trees used by Livingstone and Selous.

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afternoon tea	bathroom	guest tent

Jack's Camp	meerkat	mess tent

quad bikes	tent interior	view from tent

In addition to the camps Uncharted Africa organise mobile expeditions to Kubu Island, an extraordinary granite island in an area which is the worlds biggest breeding site for greater and lesser flamingo.

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quad bikes	Kubu Island	sun downer

Leroo-La-Tau
Leroo-La-Tau ('tracks of the Lion') Safari Lodge is situated on the high banks of the Boteti Riverbed, which borders with the Makgadikgadi National Park.
The main lodge is a large central wooden and thatch building where you will join the other guests for meals and relax in the sitting room. This building overlooks the swimming pool and Boteti Riverbed. Your accommodation is in one of the seven large East-Africa style walk-in tents, all of which have two double beds, and an en-suite bathroom
Summer time on the Boteti is a birders paradise and the bush is green and verdant, while the winter months feature large-scale migration of wildebeest and zebra in to the area with the attendant predators such as lion and cheetah. During your stay here, you can enjoy game drives during the day and night and walking safaris. Visits to Nxai Pan, Baine's baobabs and the Central Kalahari Game Reserve can also be arranged.

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flamingos	Leroo lodge	zebra migration