MAKGADIKGADI PANS
Botswana

The Makgadikgadi pans consist of two major basins, relics of a massive lake and swampland that existed over much of northern Botswana between about 2 million and 40,000 years ago. On the edge of the western basin, also known as the Ntetwe Pan are Jack's and San camps.

Jack's is situated on an isolated island filled with tall fan palms and commiphora trees. Named for the legendary Jack Bousefield, who was a pioneer of these remote wastes, Jack's Camp remains one of the most intriguing and mysterious places in the Kalahari or Kgalagadi. Owned and designed by Ralph Bousefield and Catherine Raphaely, Jack's and nearby San Camp offer guests access to a completely unique area.

During the summer months (November to April) the focus is on the thousands of zebra which have migrated from the Boteti River and Makgadikgadi Pans National Park immediately to the west. During these same months, the pans fill with water and attract numerous species of birds from flamingos to wattled cranes and pelicans. During the dry, or winter months, the migrations move westwards to the water available in the Boteti River but many desert-adapted creatures remain resident.

This is the domain of the brown hyaena, a shy and elusive creature, as well as suricates, aardvarks and small bustard species. Ralph Bousefield and his guides have made many important finds in the field of palaeontology, with stone implements and other evidence of Stone Age dwellers.

This is an extremely fragile environment filled with fascination and interest. The management and guides have an approach of maximum care for the environment, and this is a destination for the true lover of remote experiences.

Seasons

Rainy season: Zebra, Wildebeest, very occasional Cheetah and all of the above, however, seen a lot less often due to the high grass.

Wet Season Birding: All of the above plus a massive number of migrant waders, Sandpipers, Ruffs, Greenshank, Stilts, Pratincoles, Wattled Crane, Storks, Egrets, Flamingos (Lesser and Greater), Spoonbill, Terns, Teals, Ibis, Montagu's and Palid Harriers, Brown Snake, Steppe and Wahlberg's Eagles, Lesser and Rock Kestrel, Swallows, Swifts and Martins.

Dry season: Meerkats, Yellow Mongoose, Ground Squirrel, Brown Hyaena, Aardwolf, African Wildcat, Caracal, Spring Hare, Porcupine, Steenbok, Kudu, Jackal, Honey Badger, Genet, very occasional Lion.

Birding: Large number of vultures (White-backed and Lappet-faced), Bateleurs, Eagles (Tawny, Martial, Black-breasted Snake), Lanner and Red-footed Falcons, Gabar and Pale Chanting Goshawks, Francolin (Red-billed and Orange River), Ostrich, Secartarybird, Guineafowl, Black and Red-crested Korhaan, Kori Bustard, Crowned Plover, Double-banded Courser, Spotted Dikkop, all species of Sandgrouse, Giant Eagle and Pearl-spotted Owls, Lilac-breasted and Purple Rollers, large numbers of Hornbill species and a huge number of LBJs, Larks, Cisticolas and Pipits.