2,500 sq. km. Once a great lake, probably as large as Lake Victoria, the Makgadikgadi is now dry save for ephemeral pools after rain. The main attractions are the solitude one experiences out on the pans, and the congregations of birds, including flamingos which come to breed, during the rains (summer months). About one fifth of the reserve comprises salt pans, the other two fifths are rolling grasslands which attract thousands of animals in the rainy season between December and March. The Boteti River flows through the park and even when it is dry, residual pools attract the animals to drink. The banks of the river also provides lush vegetation. When the waters of the Okavango spill down the Boteti River after good summer rains, the whole area of the pan is flooded to a depth of a few centimetres, providing rich feeding for aquatic birds. Flamingoes and countless pelicans descend on Makgadikgadi. Great herds of big game - wildebeest, zebra and springbok - water here and herds 10 000 strong can sometimes be seen on the plains besides the pan. In the pan itself, animals stand out in startling fashion on the white salt, their legs shimmering and elongated through mirage caused by heatwaves and glare.