Kubu Island - Makgadikgadi Pans

The excursion to Kubu starts on the quad bikes across the main pan en-route to Kubu Island. The journey to and from Kubu is extremely interesting as it includes a very ancient defence fortification which was only discovered three years ago. The next two days/two nights are spent exploring Kubu Island and the surrounding area. 

• Accommodation is in canvas bedrolls which are laid out under the stars. There are no dangerous animals as such and as the Makgadikgadi is one of the most perfect places to stargaze, a starry sky makes the perfect ceiling! 
• Hot showers and a long-drop loo are provided, and delicious meals are served on damask tablecloths set with bone-handled silver as in Jack or San Camp. 

Kubu itself, a granite extrusion island studded with baobabs, is of course one of the most graphically beautiful spots in Botswana and is full of intriguing detail, such as ancient walling and European trade and Bushman beads. 

Kubu is also close to what is probably the biggest greater and lesser flamingo breeding site in the world. 

• 30,000 flamingos fledge there when water is good and although the mud mound nests are deserted at the times of the year when we are able to visit Kubu, they are still fascinating. 
• Many chicks are left to die if they hatch too late to be able to join the incredible march across the Pans that the young flamingos undertake in search of water. Their remains lie on the pan surface almost petrified by the salt. Unhatched eggs also remain in some of the thousands of abandoned nests. 

While in this fascinating area, you will have the opportunity to visit the extinct mouth of the Zambezi which together with various other rivers, once flowed into the Pans. The remaining beach is covered with beautiful water-worn pebbles amongst which you can find semi- precious stones such as garnets and cornelians. 

The most important aspect of these trips is that it gives us a chance to truly understand the Pans, how they were formed as well as the history, both 'recent' (Livingstone's era) as well as stone age. 

• You will experience a sense of true adventure, active involvement as well as the sense of space that can only be felt upon reaching your destination after driving across white pans with absolutely nothing else in sight for several hours! 
• The Pans are the size of Switzerland, a fact that is difficult for many to comprehend. 

This trip goes some way towards explaining the many mysteries of this fascinating and still very much unknown area.

Botswana Menu
Botswana Map | Highlights | Safari spots | Safari ideas
Getting around Botswana | Accommodation | Seasons