Makgadikgadi & Naxi Pans, Botswana

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Having spent my early childhood listening to the stories of my great, great–grandfather, the famous explorer Charles John Andersson and his exploration of Botswana and Namibia, it has been a life-long ambition of mine to travel this wild, untamed corner of Africa. It didnt disappoint.

• Gregory Fox
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To the north of the Kalahari Dessert are the vast salt pans of Makgadikagi and Nxai which formed as a result of the gradual evaporation of massive ancient lakes. The glaring white salt crusts make a surreal landscape, creating shimmering mirages on the horizon. The vast salt pans of Makgadikgadi and Nxai are believed to be the largest in the world, looking as they usually do like glaring white endless plains. When the rain comes a dramatic change is seen as the pans come to life with frantically feeding water birds and great herds of game. Nxai Pan is dominated by a sea of grass cropped short by wildebeest, zebra, buffalo and other grazers. The best time to visit this area is from late January to April.

The pans are rich in archaeology, with literally thousands of stone-age tools scattered on the surface, adding a whole new dimension to exploring and understanding the complexities of this area. The December rains flood the pans forming a shallow lake which attracts thousands of flamingos and other water birds. There are still large herds of wildebeest, antelope and zebra in this area, which migrate here with the vagaries of the rains, to find fresh pastures.

To the west of the pans is the Makgadikgadi Pans Game Reserve which not only takes in a corner of the salt pans, but stretches to the Boteti River, encompassing grassland savannah and bush. The park supports a variety of wildlife, and the migrating herds move between the river and the pans.

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