Those looking to add a special experience to their safari itinerary will find the perfect contrast programme at the salt flats.

The Makgadikgadi Pans are dried up salt-water lakes, which formed part of an immense ancient inland sea that also encompassed the Okavango Delta and the Central Kalahari. Located on the edge of the salt plains are several camps that offer activities on the pans, and introduce visitors to the life of the local San people.

The pans can only be accessed during the dry season. The camps only use quads with broad tyres as they cause the least amount of damage. You can also choose to sleep under the stars during multi-day tours that take you to Kubu Island and back during the dry season.

There is not much wildlife here during the dry season, but the area is on a migration route taken by zebra and wildebeest, which leads from the Nxai Pans, through the Makgadikgadi and on to the Boteti River. The animals migrate south from the Nxai Pans to the Boteti River at the start of the dry season. They remain here until the beginning of the wet season, when they return to the Nxai Pans and give birth to their young. The Nxai Pans stretch out northwards from the Makgadikgadi Pans on the other side of the Maun-Nata road. This is also the home of the historic Baines Baobab, which has survived in this barren landscape for thousands of years.

If you would like to drive on the salt pans, then you must visit during the dry season. If you would like to experience the migration of zebra and wildebeest, then it is best to visit during the wet season. The pans fill with water during the wet season, making them the perfect breeding ground for thousands of flamingos and pelicans.

The public Khwai Concession NG19 (community concession) is managed by the Khwai community. The area is located to the east of the Okavango Delta and abuts the Moremi Game Reserve, which stretches out from the other side of the river. Khwai Village is a small collection of huts that also acts as area headquarters. The region is renowned for its abundance of elephant and is also a great place to spot leopard and wild dog. The entrance to Moremi Game Reserve is a few short minutes away and game drives are allowed.

There are several camps located in the NG19 concession, but it also hosts public campsites for self-drivers and additional private campsites for mobile safari providers, who usually drive from Moremi via Khwai to Savuti and vice versa. It goes without saying that there are many more vehicles en-route here than in our private concessions. This is usually reflected in the lower price category of the camps.

The unique Okavango Delta takes visitors on a journey into the past and a place evocative of paradise itself...

Guests can look forward to first-class service at exclusive and stunning lodges set amid pristine wilderness. The Okavango Delta is an inland delta in the north of Botswana, which can be accessed via Maun or Kasane. Some areas on the edge of the delta are accessible by vehicle, but the vast majority of lodges here are located deep in the delta, which means they are only accessible by air and therefore highly exclusive.

The Okavango Delta plays host to a fascinating cycle of rain, flood, drought, heat and cold. These processes determine the behaviour of the animals and their migration paths. The onset of rain in November / December leads to the appearance of spectacular green meadows as dormant flora springs back to life, trees sprout new leaves and colours become vivid and saturated. The vast majority of animals give birth to their young at the beginning of the wet season, which means the whole area is teeming with baby elephant, impala and kudu – big cat often gives birth to its young at this time too.

The sporadic rains continue until the end of March. Temperatures slowly drop and a feeling of spring sets in around April. The nights become cooler and dew settles on the grass, causing it to sparkling in the sun’s first rays of light when guests can be found pulling up their hoods in preparation for the early morning game drives. The floodwaters reach the delta in April, sometimes earlier, and, covering immense areas, expand outward like a living, breathing organism. The floodwater is basically rainwater from the mountains of Angola, which slowly accumulates in the Okavango River over a period of several months. It squeezes through the panhandle, which is where the Okavango Delta fans out, and then floods the entire region. The well-equipped game drive vehicles struggle through metre-deep water from one island to the next, leaving passengers awestruck and wondering how the journey is at all possible.

The coolest temperatures are measured in June / July, when night time lows can drop as far as 5°C, and welcome hot water bottles are duly distributed! Well-wrapped guests come prepared for the early morning game drives with hats, gloves and warm jackets. Daytime temperatures are pleasant and the skies are clear with bright sunshine – every day! The sun’s heat dominates once again as September approaches, the alluvial areas begin to dry out and the short, dry grass offers a clear and welcome view of the entire spectrum of wildlife here. Temperatures climb to their maximum in October as the whole parched region once again anticipates the coming rains. When huge clouds begin to gather on the horizon, you know it’s only a matter of time until the whole cycle begins again.