Makgadikgadi Pan

The Makgadikgadi Pan (Tswana pronunciation [maqʰadiˈqʰaːdi]), a salt pan situated in the middle of the dry savanna of north-eastern Botswana, is one of the largest salt flats in the world. The pan is all that remains of the formerly enormous Lake Makgadikgadi, which once covered an area larger than Switzerland, but dried up several thousand years ago.

Location and description

Lying southeast of the Okavango Delta and surrounded by the Kalahari Desert, Makgadikgadi is technically not a single pan but many pans with sandy desert in between, the largest being the Sua (Sowa), Nwetwe and Nxai Pans. The largest individual pan is about 1,900 sq mi (4,921.0 km2). In comparison, Salar de Uyuni in Bolivia is a single salt flat of 4,100 sq mi (10,619.0 km2), rarely has much water, and is generally claimed to be the world's largest salt pan. A dry salty clay crust most of the year, the pans are seasonally covered with water and grass, and are then a refuge for birds and animals in this very arid part of the world. The climate is hot and dry but with regular annual rains.

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Journey into the stars: the noctourism trend transforming African adventures

Independent online (SA) 24 Mar 2025
Enter noctourism, a burgeoning movement appealing to those who seek deeper adventures beyond the constraints of daylight ... The Makgadikgadi Salt Pan sleepouts from April to October present a surreal stargazing experience amid endless shimmering plains.
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Hunting generates P42.8m amid UK ban fear

Mmegi Online 14 Mar 2025
These include but are not limited to the construction of a 140km non-lethal electric fence along the southern boundaries of Makgadikgadi/Nxai Pan National Park, annual preventative maintenance of ...
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