Safari experts & storytellers. Since 1991
Trust us to find you the rarest animals, the most spectacular wildlife events, the remotest landscapes and deeply meaningful cultural encounters!
Experience the vast, hypnotic beauty of Botswana’s Makgadikgadi salt pans, where endless horizons meet grasslands, palms, and wildlife-rich plains. Along the Boteti River, watch elephants, zebra, and wildebeest gather while predators roam nearby, then take to the skies in a helicopter for a private sleep-out under a canopy of stars on the open pans. Visit the iconic Kubu Island, where ancient baobabs rise from the salt flats, blending natural wonder with cultural history. This is a desert-edge safari that marries riverside wildlife with the stark, unforgettable stillness of one of Africa’s most ancient landscapes.
Find your soul on this journey to a fabled island
Highlights
Desert-adapted wildlife thrives against the odds, with zebra, springbok and oryx gathering in their thousands, alongside lion, cheetah, hyena and elephant.
Explore the Makgadikgadi from the air on scenic helicopter flights over vast salt flats, relic islands and ancient shorelines.
Sleep out under impossibly wide skies, on the remote Makgadigadik salt pans
Visit iconic Kubu Island for a picnic, adding to a truly immersive desert experience.
Follow the Boteti River’s lifeline as herds congregate along its banks, especially during the zebra migration, with excellent predator sightings nearby.
Stay in luxury thatched suites and enjoy delicious, creatively served meals in unforgettable locations, combining comfort with raw wilderness.
Location and lodges
Makgadikgadi Salt Pans - one of the largest salt flats in the world - offers exciting safaris that include wildlife game drives, meeting habituated meerkats, quad biking, spending time with Bushmen and glamping under the stars (for the more adventurous).
The Boteti River is a lifeline for migrating wildlife moving between the desert interior and the water's edge. Elephants, zebras, and wildebeest converge here in large numbers, while the surrounding mopane woodland and open plains support lion, leopard and other predators. The region offers a rare combination of desert scenery, riverfront wildlife, and access to the ancient salt pan systems.
Kubu Island - a granite rock island dominated by ancient baobabs in the Makgadikgadi Pans of Botswana, is a national monument and sacred site for the area's indigenous people.
4 nights at Leroo La Tau: a contemporary wooden and thatch lodge set above the Boteti River, offering sweeping views over the riverbed and surrounding plains. Elevated rooms, a quiet riverbank hide, and warm hospitality create an immersive base for wildlife viewing and access to the nearby Makgadikgadi.
1 night at Kubu Island sleep-out: a complimentary add-on, not guaranteed, and subject to suitable weather conditions.
Timing
15th June to 31st October 2026
The best time to travel is June to October, when water levels draw wildlife to the Boteti River and conditions on the pans are perfect for scenic flights and sleepouts.
Per person sharing
5 nights (6 days) | |
15 Jun to 31 Oct 2026 | from US$ 10,185 |
Includes: All accommodation, meals, local beverages and laundry, twice-daily safari activities with professional guides, park entrance and conservation fees, flights connecting Johannesburg, Maun and the Boteti region, helicopter scenic flights and a private Makgadikgadi pans sleepout, scenic flight to Kubu island and picnic (weather dependent), airstrip transfers, and 24-hour logistical support.
Excludes: International flights and airport taxes, gratuities, personal expenses, optional activities not specified, and mandatory travel, cancellation and medical insurance.
Thank you!
We donate a portion of the revenue from every safari sold to carefully selected conservation projects that make a significant difference at ground level.
"Salt pan magic"
Stefan Winterboer, our Botswana safari expert: "I’ve had three incredible experiences on the salt pans, one so quiet I could hear my own heartbeat, one a full moon sleep out deep into the pans, and treasured time with the San Bushmen."
"Otherworldly"
Our destination expert, Nadia Lautenbach, says, “The Makgadikgadi feels otherworldly - a vast, lunar landscape that was once part of an ancient super-lake. Pair it with the Okavango Delta’s gentle waterways, ideally ending there for a softer, more reflective finish.”
"Always a show!"
Ross Exler, our Botswana safari expert: “ The Boteti is the only water source around, attracting huge herds of zebra, wildebeest, and elephant, with lions always close behind. The large mammal density is as good as I’ve seen in Botswana.”
Start planning your dream safari
Our travel experts will craft a no-obligation itinerary just for you. We have crafted over 5,000 safaris since 1991. Your personal details are protected; we only use this information to contact you.
Why choose us to craft your safari?
Handcrafted experiential safaris since 1991.
Travel in Africa is about knowing when and where to go, and with whom. A few weeks too early/late or a few kilometres off course, and you could miss the greatest show on Earth. And wouldn’t that be a pity?
Trust & Safety
Make a difference
We donate a portion of the revenue from every safari sold to carefully selected conservation projects that make a significant difference at ground level.
YOUR safari choice does make a difference - thank you!