Makgadikgadi & Nxai Pans
Makgadikgadi - a vast wilderness of salt pans and rolling grasslands and an ideal stop over en route to the Okavango delta, Botswana
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Makgadikgadi PanBotswana | General |
Bushmen - San People |
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The rainy season signals the beginning of the - worlds second longest zebra migration 25 000 zebra and Wildebeest move from Okavango to the Makgadikgadi a journey of more than 242 km As the grazing herds move north they are followed by their predators in the shape of lion, cheetah and hyena |
Dry winter saltpans are transformed into a huge wetland where huge flocks of flamingoes, pelicans and other waterbirds gather on the newly formed lakes. Formation of the pans began more than 5-million years ago - archaeological finds include stone tools dating back 300 000 years. |
It is believed that the Okavango, the Chobe and the upper Zambezi rivers once flowed together across what is known today as the northern part of Botswana Shifts in the earth caused upliftments of a ridge of high land from around the area of Harare in Zimbabwe to the southern reaches of Botswana's Kalahari. The right angle of the ridge was to cut across the course of the ancient rivers acting like a dam wall forcing the river back to form a vast natural lake. AccommodationGweta LodgeGweta Lodge is an excellent stop over for self drive visitors en route to the Okavango. For longer stays Gweta is well placed for trips to the Nxai and Central Kalahari pans. Nata LodgeAn important refuelling and stop over for travellers to Kasane (Chobe National Park) or Maun (gateway to the Okavango), Botswana. Camping (book direct with Botswana National Park There are pit latrines at the campsite but no water. Kumaga is the other option - 48 kms from the main
Makgadikgadi gate on the banks of the Boteti river. Makgadikgadi and Nxai Pan National Park - located 100 km east of Maun, these two parks effectively opperate as one park The northern part is Nxai Pan which has an interesting complex of mini salt pan in its southern part as well as grassy pans during the rainy season that attract a huge number of game. Massive herds of giraffe, gemsbok, zebra and wildebeest can be found here along with predators such as lion and wild dog Best game viewing is to be found at the waterhole
approx. 2 2 kms from the main entrance gate. Another interesting part of the park are the Baines Baobabs, the trees that were made famous by the painter Thomas Baines as well as being one of the few places you will se bat eared fox. |
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On the western side of the Ntwetwe Pan, adjacent to the grassland park, hundreds of small islands dot the surface of the pan Campsites Firewood is scarce and visitors are advised to bring small gas cookers. Entrance to both Makgadkgadi Pans and Nxai Pan is along the Maun and
Nata highways. |
African Animals
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