The lush water-filled mazes of the Okavango Delta are surrounded by the arid plains of the Kalahari Desert, a semi-arid savanna covering a large proportion of Botswana and spanning into parts of Namibia and South Africa. The Makgadikgadi salt-pans lie enclosed by the Kalahari and offer the remnants of the huge Lake Makgadikgadi an ancient lake which dried up thousands of years ago.
The Kalahari Desert is not a desert by true definition, but a very arid landscape with some shrub and plant life and able to support a surprising array of wildlife, thanks in part to the adaptations of these animals and plants.
The Kalahari and Makgadikgadi undergo dramatic transformations through the seasons with the Makgadikgadi pans offering dry expanses in the dry winter months, barren and vast in their appearance with only the most resilient of animals found during this time, typically meerkats and hyenas prevail. During the wet summer months the pans and desert spring into life, transforming into a lush paradise for wildebeest, zebra, giraffe and many other species including their potential predators.
Exploration of the Kalahari and its salt pans offer true adventure and dramatic scenery whatever the time of the year. Make sure to combine with a trip through the Okavango Delta to really experience the best that Botswana has on offer.
