Overland region

Makgadikgadi and the Central Kalahari by 4x4: local guides and trips

Baobabs on Kubu Island at the edge of the salt pan
Photo: abi.bhattachan, CC BY 2.0

Makgadikgadi is one of the largest salt flats in the world, what remains of an ancient lake: a mosaic of pans, among them Ntwetwe, Sua and Nxai, with the granite island of Kubu and the baobabs of Nxai Pan. To the south-west the Central Kalahari Game Reserve, established in 1961, covers 52,800 km² of flat bush country with fossil river valleys and salt pans, Deception Valley among them. For anyone travelling with their own vehicle it means sandy tracks across the pans and into the reserve, with Nata and Gweta on the main road as the gateways. Here are the local guides who work in the area and the trips that cross it.

7 local guides and 6 trips in Makgadikgadi and the Central Kalahari on GuideMeet.

On the map

  1. Nata — Village. Village on the Nata River at the crossroads of the routes to Maun and Kasane, with services for travellers. In the rainy season the river carries its water to the pans. -20.2106, 26.1806 · Google Maps
  2. Nata Bird Sanctuary Nata Bird Sanctuary — Reserve. Community-managed sanctuary of 230 km² at the edge of Sua Pan. Flamingos arrive after the rains, and a raised wooden platform gives a view over the pan. -20.3174, 26.2522 · Google Maps
  3. Sua Pan Sua Pan — Salt pan. Also written Sowa Pan: one of the three big pans of Makgadikgadi and the lowest point of the basin, at 890 m. Soda ash is mined on the pan, near the village of Sowa. -20.7500, 25.9500 · Google Maps
  4. Kubu Island Kubu Island — Island. Granite island in the south-west of Sua Pan, a national monument and a sacred site, with baobabs and a basic campsite run for the local community. Reached by 4x4. -20.8930, 25.8190 · Google Maps
  5. Ntwetwe Pan Ntwetwe Pan — Salt pan. One of Makgadikgadi's three big pans: a dry salty crust for most of the year, a seasonal lake in the rains. David Livingstone first described it to Europeans. -20.6500, 25.2200 · Google Maps
  6. Gweta Gweta — Village. Small village about 205 km from Maun and 100 km from Nata, generally seen as the gateway to the Makgadikgadi Pans. Its name recalls the croaking of bullfrogs. -20.1833, 25.2333 · Google Maps
  7. Nxai Pan Nxai Pan — Park. National park just north of the Maun–Nata road, around a fossil lake bed of about 40 km². Roads can be difficult after heavy rain; the dry season, May to September, is easier. -20.0417, 24.7689 · Google Maps
  8. Baines' Baobabs Baines' Baobabs — Viewpoint. A cluster of baobabs thousands of years old in Nxai Pan National Park, named after the 19th-century British artist Thomas Baines, who painted them. -20.1129, 24.7701 · Google Maps
  9. Makgadikgadi Pans National Park Makgadikgadi Pans National Park — Park. National park that adjoins Nxai Pan National Park to the south, in the wider Makgadikgadi pans landscape. Pictured: a baobab on its plains. -20.5108, 24.8106 · Google Maps
  10. Boteti River Boteti River — River. River that brings water from the Okavango towards Ntwetwe Pan, passing Khumaga and Rakops. In the dry season it draws wildlife, but its lower reaches can run dry. -21.2711, 24.7949 · Google Maps
  11. Rakops — Village. Village on the Boteti River south-west of the Makgadikgadi Pan, also known as Tsienyane. The Central Kalahari Game Reserve lies to the south-west. -21.0369, 24.4092 · Google Maps
  12. Central Kalahari Game Reserve Central Kalahari Game Reserve — Reserve. Established in 1961, 52,800 km² of flat bush country, one of the largest game reserves in the world. Four fossil rivers cross it, and many valleys hold salt pans. -21.8895, 23.7565 · Google Maps
  13. Deception Valley — Valley. One of the reserve's four fossil river valleys, which began to form around 16,000 years ago. The pin marks Deception Pan. -21.5079, 23.8328 · Google Maps
  14. Piper Pan — Salt pan. A pan in the Central Kalahari Game Reserve, where the valleys of the fossil rivers are dotted with salt pans. -21.7749, 23.2245 · Google Maps

Local guides in Makgadikgadi and the Central Kalahari

Overland trips in Makgadikgadi and the Central Kalahari

Trips already run here

When to go

May to September, the dry season, is the easiest time to travel. In the rainy months, from November to April, the pans can fill with water and heavy rain can make roads difficult, especially on black cotton soil.

Before you go

Photo credits

Photos from Wikimedia Commons, under the licences shown.

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