Makgadikgadi Pans National Park

Place

Makgadikgadi Pans

Makgadikgadi Pans is famous for hosting one of the largest zebra migrations in Africa. Every year, tens of thousands of zebra migrate east-west through the park, between the pans in the east and the Boteti River out west. From high on the riverbank at the latter, I’ve watched zebras swarm down to the water’s edge in a haze of raised dust, dizzying stripes and distinctive zebra barks. I’ve also seen flamingos away on the eastern pans in flocks so vast that they seem to move as a single entity. And I’ve drawn near to habituated meerkats just outside the park, and seen brown hyenas and aardvarks close to sunset.

Accommodation

Jack’s Camp

Best for: Quirky camp and excellent activities I’d recommend Jack’s Camp to anyone looking for something completely different. It's not cheap but it's one of the most eccentric camps in Botswana – part vintage safari, part theatrical spectacle, and it’s a real experience just to stay here. The tents are lavish, with a 1940s safari style that somehow blends old-world elegance with a splash of Freddie Mercury flair. Even the bathroom feels like a set piece – the toilet’s practically a throne. There are ten en-suite tents in total (seven twin, three double), each with indoor and outdoor showers and a huge amount of space. The camp also includes a private museum, drinks tent, pool pavilion, and shop, all laid out in an oasis of comfort in the middle of the Kalahari. But it's the activities that make this place special. You can ride horses across the pans, walk with Bushmen guides, spend time with habituated meerkats, and sleep out under the stars, something I’d call genuinely life-changing. There are also game drives, birding, and visits to Chapman’s Baobab, one of the largest and oldest trees in Africa.

Place

Nata Bird Sanctuary

Out in the east of the Makgadikgadi Pans, the pans of this rarely visited community sanctuary draw up to 250,000 flamingos and other waterbirds from November or December until March or April.

Experience

See the baobabs of Kubu Island

For the best of the pans, Kubu Island is a glorious ‘island’ of baobabs south of Makgadikgadi. This was the first place I ever camped in Botswana, and the magic has never left me.