And thats not all - our vehicles for this epic journey are quad bikes. Following an overnight stop at Gweta we are to make our way to Ntwetwe Pan under a darkening sky. This is November, and 4 to 6 weeks before the annual rains are expected, but..here comes the rain.

Our departure is delayed, not through mechanical failure or hangover, but by disbelief that it is actually raining in the pans in November. Eventually we are brave enough to set forth. Crossing Ntwetwe Pan in a south-easterly direction, the numerous grass islands disappear as we are engulfed in the nothingness of the Pans. Minutes, then hours, pass with no rock nor blade of grass to be seen in any direction. With the sun breaking through the clouds the curvature of the earth is plainly visible, and we stop to contemplate our vast surroundings. Then, feeling smaller than you can imagine, we continue our safari of note.

The sun is now high in the sky and as the clouds disperse the horizon before us begins to shimmer as only in Makgadikgadi. As if from a science fiction movie, a row of wobbling knockers crosses the entire earth before us. As we drive on, the southern vet materialises out of the rippling haze. It is our marker to turn east and cross the grass islands between Ntwetwe Pan and Sowa Pan.

On entering Sowa Pan we travel east until we reach the track that passes Kubu Island on its way to Gweta. The way north is without doubt the toughest part of the journey so far, as the road has seen more than its share of traffic in recent times. As we approach Kubu, the island rises like the mirage of an ancient oasis, but there is no water here.