Makgadikgadi Salt Pan Botswana

The land of the Long Shadows

SLEEPING IN THE MAKGADIKGADI PAN

This must be one of the most unique places I have ever been. I was not prepared for the beauty of this desolate landscape and the feelings it would evoke. The sun setting reflected on the white salt moonscape. It was silent but for the crunch of salt underfoot as we followed our long shadows to the horizon where we would spend the night.

Less is More

The Makgadikgadi Pan is one of the largest salt flats in the world. It’s actually all that remains of the formerly enormous Lake Makgadikgadi, which once covered an area larger than Switzerland, but dried up several thousand years ago.

SALT PAN TEXTURES

Crusted Bubbles

Sunlit Bubbles of Salt

Plate Sand and Salt

Salt Plates to Horizon

THE SALT PAN EXPERIENCE

There were no landmarks, trees, or animals, just this infinite white-crusted surface.

The team had prepared our beds which lay waiting in the open expanse.

A table with paraffin lamps, a huge bonfire, and a delicious three-course meal awaited us as we toasted the last of the sun as it dipped behind the horizon line.

As night fell we saw the first glimpse of the evening star and we looked forward to our night under a canopy of stars. The milky way exposed itself in full splendor with every star shining its’ brightest. It is incredible how bright the sky becomes without the interference of city light.

BUILDING MEMORIES

Amazing to think that we were sleeping in a lake that existed thousands of years ago. Our beds were everything we needed for a chilly night under the stars.

We were woken up by the sun sliding its way up the horizon and it was no less beautiful than our previous evening. I was fascinated by this incredible landscape and the way the light painted the textures of the salt.

The warmth of the sun repainted the landscape and framed our long shadows against the white crusty expanse. After a most welcome coffee, we made our way back to the land rovers and left this incredible Salt Pan to its desolation and silence.

“If you are quiet enough, you will hear the flow of the universe. You will feel its rhythm. Go with this flow. Happiness lies ahead. Meditation is key.”

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