A Botswana itinerary isn’t complete without a visit to the world-famous Kalahari Desert and its Makgadikgadi Salt Pans.
An add-on experience achieved by helicopter, guests gain special access to one of the world’s most beautiful desert habitats and some of the largest salt pans. It is an awe-inspiring sight; a vast sea of white that was once the centre of a huge lake that evaporated more than 2,000 years ago. Forming a large part of the Kalahari Basin, this shimmering salt-baked landscape is an iconic sighting and experience. Amid this nothingness lies the famous Kubu Island, an isolated granite outcrop, home to some of the pans’ most beautiful lunar-like prehistoric beaches and covered with a rare collection of Baobab trees.
Depending on the temperature, take a guided walk through the area and enjoy a picnic lunch on the island. For those after a real adventure, sleep out under the stars with a mobile camp setup. Rich not only from a geological point of view, but also in terms of our history, the life it somehow continues to support, and its rarefied atmosphere, life on this island is perfectly paced to being in the desert: slowly, and moving in such a way as to uncover many of its very subtle secrets.
Not only does this scenic flight experience take you over the vast untouched landscapes, but during the months of roughly January through to April, a wildebeest and zebra migration can be spotted as they embark on their yearly migrational journey. If you are lucky enough to visit from March to June, a sea of greater flamingos can be spotted on the southern edge of the pans. It’s truly a photographer’s dream and represents one of the finest close-to-nature experiences on our portfolio.