Imagine, if you will, an area the size of Portugal, largely uninhabited by humans. Its stark, flat, and featureless terrain stretches—seemingly—to eternity, merging with a milky-blue horizon. This is the Makgadikgadi: an area of 1,200 square kilometers, part of the Kalahari Basin, yet unique within it—one of the largest salt pans in the world.
Africa’s most famous explorer, Dr. David Livingstone, crossed these pans in the 19th century, guided by a massive baobab—Chapman’s Tree—believed to be 3,000 to 4,000 years old and the only landmark for hundreds of miles. Standing before this remarkable tree today offers a glimpse into an era when much of the continent was uncharted and explorers risked their lives navigating the wilderness on oxcarts through harsh, grueling terrain.
Humans have inhabited areas of the pans since the Stone Age and have continually adapted to the region’s geographical and climatic changes. Archaeological sites across the pans are rich with early human tools and the bones of the fish and animals they once consumed.
