Next stop, Makgadikgadi Pans National Park, located northeast of the Central Kalahari Game Reserve and southeast of the Okavango Delta (my next destination). Makgadikgadi Pans NP (1,892 sq. mi.), established in 1992, is one of the largest salt flats in the world. The pan, actually many separate pans with sandy desert thornveld in between, is all that remains of the formerly enormous Lake Makgadikgadi, which once covered an area larger than Switzerland, but dried up tens of thousands of years ago. The Park covers only a small portion of ancestral Lake Makgadikgadi and its vast pans which are all part of the Kalahari Desert basin. As the ancestral Lake shrank, it left relic shorelines, which are still evident in the southwestern part of the basin, and numerous smaller lakes formed with progressively smaller shorelines. The pans themselves are salty desert whose only plant life is a thin layer of blue-green algae. However, the fringes of the pan are salt marshes and further out these are circled by grassland and then shrubby savanna. The prominent baobab trees found in the area function as local landmarks – and one tree is said to be 5,300 years old! Here is a photo from the internet to show you the salt pans viewed from a small island with baobab trees:
The sheets of water that cover the pans during the first few months of wetter years during the “wet” season (November to March) attract a phenomenal marvel of water birds and large herds of mammals. The arrival of this water stimulates the birth of millions of tiny shrimps and other crustaceans otherwise lying dormant below the white salt crust. Greater and Lesser flamingos arrive in the tens of thousands, even journeying from as far off as the Great Rift Valley in East Africa to partake in one of Africa’s largest avian feasts. Unfortunately, I am visiting in early June in the middle of the “dry” season, so the water-covered pans and flocks of water birds are not to be seen this time of year. Moreover, my location on the western edge of the Park on the Boteti River, whose source is the Okavango Delta (more on this later), is not about the pans themselves but rather about the attraction of the thirsty desert wildlife to this source of water during the dry season, as many of the larger animals migrate to the western part of the Park and the Boteti river’s riparian fringe during this time of year. Consequently, I won’t be able to show you the great salt pans since I am not visiting them on this trip. I have seen the fringes of these pans and I can say with confidence that they put the salt flats of the Great Salt Lake basin in Utah completely to shame.
My public campsite is Khumaga, situated on the eastern bank of the Boteti River on the western edge of the Park. Note, as you will see in the video, the Boteti is not an actual river with flowing water most of the year or even in most years. Instead, it is a dry river bed with scattered water holes. So, it sounds nice that my campsite is on the banks of the river, but actually I can’t really even see the river bed, nor is there any water. Nothing terribly remarkable about this campsite as it is much like the others. I have a nice acacia shade tree that is dropping seed pod bombs on me and the Green Dragon every so often, fire pit and brai, and there are some relatively new ablution facilities. The sites are fairly close together though, so I can see and hear neigbors. However, as has been typical, there are only a few other campers and we are well spaced out, so it feels relatively private. Here are a couple of photos of the site and ablutions:
And here is a picture of my half-eaten dinner one day, which was a grilled cheese, avacado and asparagus sandwhich – yummy!
Update on my campsite situation. The circus has arrived! My second night, I returned to camp to find it vacant – the other two parties having left in the morning. Sweet solitude! After dark, I started a fire and sat down in my lounge chair and started playing my flute and was having a wonderful time composing a song, when a convoy of 8 vehicles pulling camper trailers pulled into the campground. Now, I am in site #1 and there are 9 other sites. So where do you think they ended up – that’s right, site #2 directly across from me, leaving the rest of the campground empty. This circus of German-speaking humans spent 30 minutes circling up their vehicles and campers in one site – I didn’t think that was even possible but they managed it – as if they expected to be defending themselves against raiding indians. And get this, uring the entire 30 minutes of camp setup they left the last vehicle with their headlights on glaring right at me in my lounge chair. Can you believe it? Some people just have no consideration for others. My peaceful night turned into a background cacophony of german voices getting louder and louder as they each tried to talk over the rising din of voices. This went on well into the night. I’m tempted to start playing my flute really, really loud, but I doubt they would even notice over the din of their own voices. Those of you that have camped in public campgrounds know that it can be a crap shoot. Sometimes it is great and other times, well, it is …?!
As usual, I will omit a description of my drives through the landscape and wildlife observations and let my composite video “do the talking”. Hope you enjoy (even though the video quality sucks):
Makgadikgadi composite video (17 minutes)
And one for Skylar too:
Skylar composite video (5 minutes)
From the Wildside – anectdotal wildlife observations to keep things on the lighter side:
Photo Gallery: I will finish with some of my better photos for those of you that like seeing pictures:
Nice photos. I love your shot of the Baobob tree. I would frame that in my home. So sorry about your campsite visit – what a drag. I am trying to visualize a bunch of trailers settling in on No. 2. What the heck! I know you are happy to move on. PS- the video is great!
Hey Becky, glad you are watching the posts and enjoying the photos. Yes, sometimes you just get unlucky at public campsites, but most of the time it works out great, and so far on this trip I have had great success at campgrounds so I can’t complain. Cheers to all your family.
Loved both posts and videos. Read and watched them both this am. I thought the pride of lions might be circling you for a moment there hoping you would come out of your vehicle for a tasty snack of tenderloin. Glad they didn’t come into your campsite that night. Do you carry protection for when you are out of the vehicle and may have a surprise visitor or two? I know you like to hike/run. Have you been able too or is it too dangerous by yourself?
I was glad the green dragon made it through that soft sand road without breaking down. Also, glad to see a few other vehicles across the pan and water holes so I know there is human life out there in case you need help. You know us sister’s and cousin can worry. We can’t help it. Looks like you are still in your heaven.
Sorry your camp sight got invaded with all those camper trailers. It always baffled me when camping that they have to put people right next to you when the rest of the campsite is empty. Use to anger me too. Cost!!!!
Loved the monkeys at your campsite just having fun and sitting in your wash bucket. I know you changed the water after that (ha-ha!) Loved both posts and videos. Stay safe. Love you my brother.
Looking forward to today’s blog and pictures.
Hey sis. Don’t worry about the lions, they really don’t care about me or people in general. Yes, there have been man-eating lions before but you are more likely to get in a car accident and die than get eaten by a lion so I feel very safe – even if it is bit unnerving at times hearing them outside my unfenced campsite. No, I actually don’t carry anything because it would be inconvenient. I’d rather just take my chances. Unfortunatley, I can’t hike or run in these wild parks so I workout on a matt I have and skip rope. When I am in town, like nowk, I try to run a bit but I am not in great running shape at the moment. Yes, Makgadikgadi Park had other vehicles/people so I was never really alone, even though most of the time driving and viewing I was alone, so that was nice. Monkeys and baboons are a real issue in many of the campgrounds, so you can’t leave anything out or unattended, even for a few seconds as they will distract you while another comes in for the grab. They are amazingly clever and resourceful in getting stuff. Unfortunately, I did have to wash down everything after that incident as it all smelled of what I assume was monkey pee. I have to tell you that on Monday, Nancy, Mark, Kirsten and I head into the bush for like 10 days and I strongly suspect we will not have any internet service so you may not see a post for a long time. Love ya sister. And thanks for being such a dedicated follower of my posts; makes me feel likes its worthwhile. Cheers.
K/ What was the original mechanism behind the development of the large Lake Makgadikgadi pan? Is the story similar to our own Lake Bonneville? Sorry that your quiet campsite experience was interrupted. Enjoying the videos and posts. Enjoy! /P
Hey Paul, nice to hear from you and of course the scientist in you asks a very good question. As far as I understand it, the terrain here in the Kalahari is so relatively flat that even the slightest depression can become a lake bed with no outlet. I believe the rains in the Angola highlands to the west sent (and are still sending) lots of water this direction and it simply filled this “basin” with water under a very much wetter climate period. And the fluxes in the climate would expand and shrink the lake leaving behind these abandoned shorline that are still evident today. Today’s climate is much drier an so the basin remain mostly dry except for in the pans during the wet season. But even today, very subtle tectonic shifts can affect the surface hydrology of the Okavango delta and the ancient lake Makgadikgadi basin. Very cool. Cheers.
Love following your trek… one small request, when your panning back and forth with your camera, go slower.
Love ya,
Hey sis, you are 100% right and I was thinking that same thing, but sometimes its just hard to go slow out of excitement, but i will try harder. Love to you all.
Humans can make it or break it. Regarding the camp invasion . So inconsiderate. I mean people are there for the solitude. Oh well. At least you had a week to yourself last post. You are so thoughtful in your blog that you post pictures for people who like pictures:)
Where did you buy avocado and asparagus for your grill cheese? Need a little onion. Can’t wait to see Nanc in the coming blogs!
Hey sis, glad you are enjoying the pictures. I will keep on posting them so long as I know you are liking them. I bought a whole box of avacados at a roadside stand. Didn’t I show you a picture of that with my dilemma as to which stand to support, but perhaps you missed that post. Anyways, still eating those avacados. Have 2 left and they are really good! Yes, Nanc comes tomorrow!!!! Should be great but you won’t hear from us for like 12 days as we head into the wild country. Love ya.
This park sounds like someone trying to Pronounce “McGarigal” for the first time. Haha