Kubu Island

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Rising 30 feet above the Makgadikgadi Salt Pans, Kubu Island literally means ‘hippopotamus island’, a reference to both its shape, and the island’s watery past. The salt pans were once a prehistoric sea, and Kubu Island a true island. However, tectonic activity redirected the water, causing the lake to dry up, leaving the island high and dry. A few baobab trees and tufts of grass eek out a living here, surrounded by the endless white salt flats that stretch to the horizon. Along with gazing out into the distance, be sure to take a closer look at the whitewashed rocks - experts say it’s actually fossilized guano from the waterfowl that once lived here.