The Makgadikgadi Zebra Migration

WildlifeActivities

Nov 25

zebras migration from Botswana’s Okavango Delta to the Makgadikgadi National Park.jpg

One Migration You May Have Missed

Each year it’s estimated that some 30,000 zebras migrate from Botswana’s Okavango Delta to the Makgadikgadi National Park and it’s a sight to behold!

Makgadikgadi Pans National Park (pronounced \mä-ˌkä-dē-ˈkä-dē\) in Botswana covers about one-third of the 4,600 square mile saltpans which together form a vast expanse of pan and fringing grassland in the middle of the arid Kalahari basin. In ancient times they were part of a great lake, and this is the location of Africa’s second-largest yet little-known zebra migration.

There is no longer any standing water within the Kalahari but the pans and surrounding grasslands hold countless pools through the summer’s rainy season, allowing wildlife to move freely through the area. However, as the African winter approaches, the pools dry up and wildlife is increasingly dependent on the Boteti River, an overflow of the Okavango Delta that drains southeast from that aquatic wonderland.

The 1,500 mile trek starts in the Okavango Delta and ends in the Makgadikgadi commencing in November/December and is triggered by rains in Makgadikgadi area. The journey takes about three weeks and the herds remain in the Makgadikgadi area feeding for about three months – December to February. Around March, the zebras begin to gather on the western edge of Makgadikgadi Pans National Park before setting off on their return route to the Okavango Delta.