Quad Biking in the Makgadikgadi Pan

Insider’s Take

Vastly bigger than Bonneville, and rather more fascinating if we may say so, Botswana’s Makgadikgadi Pan is, like Utah’s famous salt flats, a great place for motorized zipping on the hard salt crust of an ancient lakebed.

In Makgadilgadi we do our zipping on quad bikes. We’re surrounded by a mesmerizing infinity of white, like the Antarctic under warm African skies.

Our cheerful and careful guides are very aware of the Pans’ ecology; during the wet season the Pan is dotted with seasonal ponds, often thronged by flamingos, and our bikes don’t buzz the birds. Micato arranges a number of quad bike excursions on the Pan, with quiet picnics, even overnights in well-arranged and provisioned tents.