The Makgadikgadi Pan National Park lies in northern Botswana on what used to be a lake that covered an area larger than Switzerland but has since dried up.It is now one of the largest salt pans in the world, and one of its most breath-taking sights.
Southeast of the Okavango Delta and surrounded by the Kalahari Desert, the Makgadikgadi Pan is not one pan, but rather a collection of numerous smaller pans, each offering their own treasure trove of natural beauty.
Nxai Pan National Park comprises several larger pans – the Nxai Pan, Kgama Kgama Pan and Kudiakam Pan, all once ancient salt lakes. A landscape of grass and scattered islands of acacia trees, its many smaller pans fill with water during the rainy season (December to April), attracting a rich population of wildlife. Lion, cheetah, zebra, wildebeest, bat-eared fox and sometimes even elephant all come to drink during this time. The Nxai Pan National Park is one of the more accessible areas of the Makgadikgadi.