Page 68 - Discover Botswana 24th Edition 2024

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metamorphosis to a water-logged wonderland, descending on the shallow
wetlands in a noisy cacophony of marshmallow pink. They are joined by
an extraordinary variety of migrant bird species, more than 150 of them
in total, who come in search of safe breeding grounds in what has become
an unlikely contender for southern Africa’s most important wetland sites
for birds.
As the waters evaporate into the desert, so too do the travellers,
disappearing back to where they came from, to weather the dry winter
months in more hospitable territory. Only the hardiest of creatures remain.
The surface clays shrink, and crack and the salty polygonal edges thrust
upwards until they collapse in on themselves. Centre stage once more, is
the quiet ghostly beauty of a long-forgotten lake, indelibly imprinting its
otherworldliness into the memory of all who visit her.
DR. SALLIE BURROUGH
Sallie has spent two decades digging holes
in bogs, dunes and lakebeds attempting to
unpick the prehistory of Africa’s landscape.
She is a senior Research Associate at the
University of Oxford and a leading expert
on the Makgadikgadi salt pans. She has
published more than 40 peer-reviewed papers
and book chapters on environmental change,
desert landscapes and human origins in
southern Africa. She holds a PhD on Kalahari
Megalakes from the University of Oxford,
and Master’s degrees in both Quaternary
Science and Science Communication.
Despite her fondness for desert solitude,
she has spearheaded efforts in her field to
increase international researcher engagement
with communities and collaborators in Africa.
When not writing papers or hanging out with
her two children in rural Oxfordshire, you’ll
find her under a Baobab tree in the Kalahari.
STEVE STOCKHALL
Steve has resided in Botswana for over 25
years and guides photographic safaris to
remote parts of the country through his
travel company – Earth Ark Travel. Being
surrounded by the country’s beautiful
landscapes, people and wildlife, garners a
further will to continue to explore and capture
this land as a photographer. As editor of
Discover Botswana, Steve enjoys working with
world class photographers and contributors
on each edition which visually brings to life
the country’s diversity to readers across the
globe.
Above: A lone elephant slowly makes his way along the rolling
grass plains along the edge of the pans. The rainy season becomes
a time of abundance for all. It is arguably the best time of the year
to visit the magnificent Kalahari.
KA L A H A R I