Salt Pan Experience
(The ultimate salt-pan & Kalahari combo – zebras, meerkats, baobabs, and endless horizons)
This is the perfect 5-day loop for anyone who wants the full Makgadikgadi experience: the dramatic zebra migration (Nov–Apr), surreal white pans, ancient baobabs, habituated meerkats, and a night sleeping out under the stars on the open salt pan. Very few tourists, huge skies, and a totally different Botswana from the Delta and Chobe.
Package Overview
Here’s a polished and practical 5-day Makgadikgadi Pans National Park itinerary – a compact, immersive trip into the heart of Botswana’s surreal salt-pan wilderness. This assumes a mobile or semi-mobile camping safari starting/ending in Maun (closest gateway, ~300 km away). Makgadikgadi Pans NP (~4,900 km²) is all about vast emptiness, ancient baobabs, meerkat colonies, and the epic zebra/wildebeest migration (Dec–Apr). It’s less about Big 5 density and more about landscape drama, silence, and quirky desert wildlife.
- Camping Fees
- Park fee
- Game drive and local transfer
- Tented Accomodation
- All Meals
- Water
- Soft Drinks
- Alcohol
- Travel Insurance
- All Flights
- Staff Gratuties
- Optional Safari
Duration
7 Days / 6 Nights
Cancelation Policy
Get a 50% refund when you up until 7 days before check‑in
Airport Pickup
Available
Itenary
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Day 1: Arrival in Maun – Prep for the Pans
Morning/AfternoonArrive at Maun International Airport (MUB). Transfer: Meet your guide at your lodge (~15–30 min transfer)
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Maun market visit for local crafts Or relax by the Thamalakane River.
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Safari briefing and Dinner
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Maun (lodge)
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Day 2: Maun → Makgadikgadi Pans NP (Khumaga Gate)
MorningDepart Maun (~07:00) southeast on A3 (~180 km, 2–5 hrs; tar → gravel).
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Midday
Brunch & rest.
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Afternoon
Enter Khumaga Gate (west side); game drive to camp along the Boteti River. Enjoy Elephant herds drinking (dry season), zebra crossing the river (migration season).
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Evening
Sunset over the river. Sundowners.
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Overnight
Khumaga campsite or mobile camp (basic ablutions)
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Day 3: Full Day in Western Pans – Boteti River & Meerkats
Morning/span>Sunrise game drive along the Boteti River (only permanent water in the region). Enjoy Zebra migration (Dec–Apr, thousands crossing). Lion prides, jackals, rare aardwolf.
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Midday
Brunch & rest.
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Afternoon:
Meerkat encounter (habituated colony near Khumaga – best Dec–Apr). Watch them warm up, dig, and "stand sentinel."
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Evening:
Optional night drive (spot porcupines, genets).
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Overnight
Khumaga campsite or mobile camp.
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Day 4: Western → Eastern Pans (Nata Sanctuary & Kubu Island)
Morning /span>Pack up; drive east (~2–3 hrs) via Nata Bird Sanctuary (optional stop). Flamingo flocks (wet season), pelicans, ostrich.
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Afternoon:
Arrive Kubu Island (sacred granite outcrop in the pan). Explore ancient baobabs, fossil beaches, San rock art. Quad bike excursion.
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Evening
Pan sleep-out (swag under the stars – weather permitting)
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Overnight
Kubu Island (basic campsite or mobile tent)
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Day 5: Kubu Island → Maun – DepartureEarly Morning (Optional)
Sunrise walk on the island.
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Late Morning
Return drive to Maun (~300 km, 4–5 hrs).
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Afternoon
Arrive Maun by 13:00–14: 00 for flights.
(The ultimate salt-pan & Kalahari combo – zebras, meerkats, baobabs, and endless horizons)
This is the perfect 5-day loop for anyone who wants the full Makgadikgadi experience: the dramatic zebra migration (Nov–Apr), surreal white pans, ancient baobabs, habituated meerkats, and a night sleeping out under the stars on the open salt pan. Very few tourists, huge skies, and a totally different Botswana from the Delta and Chobe.