Despite what is said, the Kalahari isn't a desert at all. In fact it's a vast sandsheet, a fossil desert, now largely covered in bushes, trees and grasses. Fortunately all this sand has always seemed of little use, so most of the Kalahari remains arid and untouched, as it has been for about 65 million years. Here, perhaps more than anywhere, you'll be struck by the feeling that you're light years away from modern life.
Of course within the Kalahari there are many special sights. Magical places where you can pick up tools last handled in the Stone Age, or examine the world's first paintings, or look around you and see nothing but the earth's curvature. Then at other times you may see vast herds of animals following ancient migration routes, or drive over enormous open plains dotted with endless game.
It's a fascinating place, but above all it's a wilderness. That's what captivates us about it.

Kalahari's Great Salt Pans
In the middle of the northern Kalahari, lies a complex of huge, flat salt pans. It's a harsh, spare landscape, not to everyone's taste, but it offers an isolation as complete as anywhere in Southern Africa, and a wealth of hidden treasures for those prepared to make the effort. Their geology and history are fascinating, they play a vital role in the area's ecosystems… and they're very photogenic.

Makgadikgadi Pans
The great Makgadikgadi Pans, covering about 10,000km² of the Kalahari, are nothing but salt. Some are enormous; others are the size of a small duck-pond. Around these are rolling grasslands and the occasional picturesque palm-tree island. It's an eerie and intriguing environment.
Around January to March, if the rains have been good, the pans flood. When this happens, grasses spring to life, flamingos arrive to nest, and a huge migration of zebra and wildebeest arrives. This is one of Africa's great, unpredictable wildlife spectacles. On opposite sides of the Makgadikgadi National Park are two contrasting areas: the central pans and the Boteti River area.

Central Pans
Set in small palm groves to the east of the park are two traditional safari camps - Jack's Camp and San Camp - each in an amazing location. Most guests fly here from Maun.

Boteti River Area
The Boteti River forms the western boundary of the Makgadikgadi Pans National Park. From July to around November or December, this reduces to a string of permanent pools that attract enormous herds of jostling zebra and wildebeest – often numbering thousands – together with elephants, giraffe, many predators and even (bizarrely) the odd white rhino. During this time it's an exciting area full of animal interaction.
Here, Meno A Kwena Tented Camp is a great old-style safari camp.

Nxai Pan
North of Makgadikgadi, Nxai Pan National Park is a fascinating park, often underrated because of the unpredictability of its game. The fossil pans here are covered with grasses, on which it is easy to spot the game. During the dry season there is a good population of springbok, giraffe and gemsbok, though this often increases between around December and April when the rains can turn the park into a veritable salad bowl for herbivores. You'll also find hartebeest here, along with lion, cheetah, and both brown and spotted hyena. Don't leave without seeing Kudiakam Pan, and the famous Baines' Baobabs.
There are no lodges in Nxai Pan, so it is best visited with a mobile safari. Talk to the Expert Africa team for more details of the options here.


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