Before it dried up about 20,000 years ago, this magnificent lake was fed by the waters of the Okavango Basin from the north and the Okwa River, which is now nothing more than a fossil river in the middle of the Kalahari Desert. This lake was home to many animal species like antelopes, elephants, buffalo and Africa's magnificent cats such as lions, leopards, cheetahs, hyenas and wild dogs. And of course there were humans living around this ancient lake. Remains of Stone Age tools dating to about a million years ago litter most parts of the pans, bringing to life a fascinating imagination of how life there used to be.
Changing climatic conditions and tectonic activities in the Okavango Delta region over 20,000 years completely altered the Makgadikgadi Lake. This resulted in the formation of the Boteti River, Lake Xau and a plethora of cultural and natural remains signifying the once glorious life that the ancient lake provided. The subsequent drying of the Makgadikgadi Lake gave rise to palustrine salt pans of Ntwetwe, Sowa, Nxai, Kudiakam, Nxghaishini and others which are now an astoundingly featureless area. These pans are surrounded by unique landmarks, wildlife reserve areas, remains of ancient civilizations, fossillised animals and plants that died some thousands of years ago. There is also the Boteti River which is now flooding after 20 or so years without substantial amounts of water, Lake Xau which is filling up and scenic diamond mining "hills" of Orapa, Letlhakane and Damtshaa mines.
