Makgadikgadi & Central Kalahari Luxury Safaris

The best time to visit the Makgadikgadi Pans and Central Kalahari depends on the experience you want. From December to April, the green season brings dramatic skies, open grasslands and the arrival of Africa’s second largest zebra migration. This is also an excellent time for predators and desert photography.

From May to October, the dry season reveals the stark beauty of the pans with clear skies, cooler evenings and ideal conditions for quad biking, sleep-outs and walking with meerkats. Wildlife gathers around remaining water sources in the Central Kalahari, making game drives especially productive.

Both regions are rewarding year round, but the contrast between seasons is one of the Kalahari’s most memorable features.

Makgadikgadi and the Central Kalahari offer unique desert-adapted species not commonly seen in other parts of Botswana. Expect sightings of black-maned Kalahari lions, cheetah, brown hyena, oryx, springbok, bat-eared foxes and inquisitive meerkats.

During the green season, thousands of zebra move across the pans in one of Africa’s great seasonal migrations, followed closely by predators. Birdlife is also excellent, with bustards, kori, secretarybirds and many migratory species present after the rains.

The Makgadikgadi Pans are vast ancient salt flats that create dramatic open desert scenery, unique activities such as quad biking and sleep-outs and close-up meerkat viewing. The experience here is defined by the openness of the pans and the seasonal movement of zebra across the landscape.

The Central Kalahari Game Reserve is a much larger and more traditional safari ecosystem with grasslands, dunes and wooded valleys that support black-maned Kalahari lions, cheetah and other desert-adapted wildlife. Wildlife viewing is especially strong after the rains when predators follow the herds into the open plains.

Many travellers choose to combine both for a complete Kalahari experience, pairing the stark beauty of the pans with the wildlife richness of the Central Kalahari.

Most travellers spend two to three nights in the Makgadikgadi, which allows enough time to explore the salt pans, visit the meerkats and enjoy activities such as quad biking, horse riding and stargazing.

If you want to experience the zebra migration, three nights is recommended. The migration typically takes place from December to April, with the largest concentrations seen between January and March when the rains transform the pans into grazing grounds. Longer stays are ideal for travellers who enjoy slow travel, dramatic light, desert silence and meaningful time with San communities.

The Makgadikgadi pairs beautifully with the Central Kalahari or the Okavango Delta, and many guests choose to split their time across both regions for a complete Botswana journey.

Yes, meerkats can be seen year round in the Makgadikgadi, as several groups are habituated to human presence and are monitored by specialist guides. Sightings are especially rewarding in the early morning when the meerkats emerge from their burrows to warm up and scan the horizon.

Seasonal factors do influence behaviour. During the green season, vegetation can grow taller after the rains, making visibility slightly more challenging. In the dry season, the open pans provide clearer views and excellent photographic conditions.

While sightings are not guaranteed, the Makgadikgadi remains one of the best places in Africa for consistent and intimate meerkat viewing throughout the year.