Most of the Kalahari (or Kgalagadi, which is its Setswana name) is covered with vegetation including stunted thorn and scrub bush, trees and grasslands.
Central Kalahari Game Reserve is found in the centre of Botswana. It is the second largest game reserve in
the world covering some 52,800 square kilometres and is characterised by vast open plains, saltpans and ancient riverbeds. Varying from sand dunes with many species of trees and shrubs in the north, to flat bushveld in the central area, the reserve is more heavily wooded in the south, with mopane forests to the south and east. Rainfall is sparse and sporadic and can vary from 170 to 700 millimetres per year.
Just North East of the Central Kalahari Game Reserve, one finds the Makgadikgadi pans.
The Makgadikgadi area forms a dry arid land during the dry season where temperatures are mild to hot during the day and very cold at night.The Makgadikgadi Pans are found in the east central area of Botswana. Both the Makgadikgadi Pans and Nxai Pans are two of the largest salt pans in the world and once formed part of a huge inland lake. During the dry months they form a vast dry featureless and lifeless landscape.
The surface of the pans consist of a flat layer of sterile silt that turns into glue-like mud during the intermittent summer rains. One of the great attractions of this reserve is the huge areas of open grassland and vegetable ivory palms, occurring either as isolated groves or as extensive belts, dominate the landscape. Acacia woodland is found to the west, particularly towards the Boteti River. Game populations in the area are subject to considerable movement and migration, which is largely dictated by water and food supplies.
During the rainy season, the Makgadikgadi is transformed into a wilderness paradise. The pans fill with water from the rains and can retain their water from mid-November into April even May.
The transformed plains attract pelicans, flamingoes, waders and a host of other water fowl in their multitudes. Bird life is prolific during this time with around 250 species recorded. Zebra and Wildebeest also migrate to the area in large numbers.
The wildlife is also attracted to this area with the regenerated open grasslands. Here there are springbok and gemsbok, blue wildebeest and plains zebra, red hartebeest and their attendant carnivores - lion, leopard, cheetah, brown and spotted hyaena, jackals and wild dog. The best months to appreciate this wildlife activity are April to July.
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