Makgadikgadi is an area of 12 000 sq kms, part of the Kalahari Basin, yet unique to it – one of the largest salt pans in the world. Covers an area almost the size of Portugal and is largely uninhabited by humans.

A dry salty clay crust most of the year, the pans are seasonally covered with water and grass, and are then a refuge for birds and animals in this very arid part of the world.