Desert Mirage

Leroo La Tau, meaning "Lion's Paw," offers expertly guided game drives twice daily through Makgadikgadi Pans National Park. This extraordinary region is home to an array of predators, including lions, jackals, cheetahs, leopards, both brown and spotted hyenas, caracals, and more. Antelope, from elegant kudus to towering giraffes, also call this park home. The Boteti River, in particular, is renowned for hosting Botswana’s spectacular zebra migration, a breathtaking display of stripes and hooves that is typically in full swing between May and October.

*Please note: Due to the remote location of Leroo La Tau within the Makgadikgadi Pans National Park, the pans themselves are not included in the daily scheduled activities from the lodge.

Leroo La Tau Game Drives Credit: Desert & Delta Safaris

Leroo La Tau Game Drives Credit: Desert & Delta Safaris

Leroo La Tau Game Drives Credit: Desert & Delta Safaris

Leroo La Tau Game Drives Credit: Desert & Delta Safaris

Leroo La Tau Game Drives Credit: Desert & Delta Safaris

Leroo La Tau Game Drives Credit: Desert & Delta Safaris

Picture an endless stretch of flat salt, all the way to the horizon—a surreal, lunar-like environment that captivates the senses. As the sun sets, the sky transforms into a vibrant canvas of burnt orange, periwinkle, and pink—the kind of African sunset that dreams are made of.

The Makgadikgadi Salt Pans are so remote that both sound and light pollution are non-existent, an experience described by many as life-changing. This is where Desert & Delta Safaris bring guests for their iconic Makgadikgadi Salt Pans Sleep-Out Experience.

Guests are transported from Leroo La Tau to sleep under the stars, dine around a campfire, and revel in the profound solitude of nature. All logistics, including bedrolls, meals, and transport, are handled by the lodge team. The sleep-out is guided expertly, with safety a top priority for all guests.

Available between mid-June and October, the experience is inclusive for guests staying three nights or more, subject to weather and availability. To enhance this adventure, guests can opt for one-way or return helicopter transfers (surcharges apply). For a fully exclusive, bespoke journey, inquire about Desert & Delta’s newly launched Epic Experience itinerary.

Leroo La Tau Salt Pans Sleep-Out Credit: Desert & Delta Safaris

Leroo La Tau Salt Pans Sleep-Out Credit: Desert & Delta Safaris

Leroo La Tau Salt Pans Sleep-Out Credit: Desert & Delta Safaris

Leroo La Tau Salt Pans Sleep-Out Credit: Desert & Delta Safaris

Leroo La Tau Salt Pans Sleep-Out Credit: Desert & Delta Safaris

Leroo La Tau Salt Pans Sleep-Out Credit: Desert & Delta Safaris

A helicopter scenic flight offers an unparalleled opportunity to truly grasp the vastness of the Makgadikgadi Pans wilderness.

Every month unveils a unique spectacle: from the dusty trails of thousands of zebras migrating along the Boteti River to the dramatic transformation of the pans. Soaring above, guests can witness the lush green islands scattered across vast water basins, ancient baobab trees standing sentinel, and Kubu Island’s migratory flamingos that gather in their thousands to breed and nest. The landscape is further enriched by the ancient rocks of Gondwanaland and its fascinating archaeological sites.

Helicopter scenic flights such as these, along with optional transfers to and from the Salt Pans Sleep-Out Experience, are a truly special addition to any Leroo La Tau adventure—offering the chance to see some of Africa’s most striking settings from the skies.

*Please note: Scenery and wildlife vary with the seasons, weather patterns and Mother Nature’s unpredictable will. Please enquire about flights and seasonal events before booking.

Leroo La Tau Scenic Heli Flights Credit: Desert & Delta Safaris

Leroo La Tau Scenic Heli Flights Credit: Desert & Delta Safaris

Leroo La Tau Scenic Heli Flights Credit: Desert & Delta Safaris

Leroo La Tau Scenic Heli Flights Credit: Desert & Delta Safaris

Leroo La Tau Scenic Heli Flights Credit: Desert & Delta Safaris

Leroo La Tau Scenic Heli Flights Credit: Desert & Delta Safaris

Desert & Delta Safaris is renowned for crafting immersive adventures that go beyond the ordinary. Culture and community play a central role, offering guests an authentic, enriching, and educational itinerary that leaves a lasting impact.

Guests are invited to Khumaga Village, located near Leroo La Tau, for a guided day trip to explore this vibrant community and gain insights into local life.

During the visit, visitors can engage with local farmers, try their hand at milking cows, and perhaps bottle-feed baby goats (kids). They'll meet local families, who often invite guests into their homes for a tour, and can visit the community school.

Additionally, guests can support the community by purchasing beautifully woven homeware, including baskets, trays, and vessels crafted by local women.

Leroo La Tau Village Tour Credit: Desert & Delta Safaris

Leroo La Tau Village Tour Credit: Desert & Delta Safaris

Leroo La Tau Village Tour Credit: Desert & Delta Safaris

Leroo La Tau Village Tour Credit: Desert & Delta Safaris

Leroo La Tau Village Tour Credit: Desert & Delta Safaris

Leroo La Tau Village Tour Credit: Desert & Delta Safaris

Guests staying three nights or more at Leroo La Tau can enjoy a day trip to Nxai Pan National Park. The excursion starts in the early morning and includes a visit to Nxai Pan as well as Baines Baobabs for a chance to see the expansive salt pans. Lunch will be enjoyed while out exploring Nxai Pan.

Leroo La Tau Nxai Pans Day Trip Credit: Desert & Delta Safaris

Leroo La Tau Nxai Pans Day Trip Credit: Desert & Delta Safaris

Leroo La Tau Nxai Pans Day Trip Credit: Desert & Delta Safaris

Leroo La Tau Nxai Pans Day Trip Credit: Desert & Delta Safaris

Leroo La Tau Nxai Pans Day Trip Credit: Desert & Delta Safaris

Leroo La Tau Nxai Pans Day Trip Credit: Desert & Delta Safaris

Take game drives and night drives in custom built 4x4s to spot the unique desert wildlife that inhabit the pans, like the elusive brown hyena or Kalahari lion. Your experienced safari guide will help you discover a desert landscape, pulsating with life. Complete with bush picnics, morning coffees and chilled drinks.

Get up close and personal with our families of meerkats. Leaving camp as the sun begins to rise you will accompany these inquisitive members of the mongoose family as they set off in search of their breakfast. Walk amongst them (you're not allowed to touch or feed them) and if you take a seat you might be lucky enough to be mistaken for a termite mound, where you'll be used as a look out point for predators.

Discover the secrets of the pans with the Zu/’hoasi Bushmen on a fascinating bush walk. See this ancient desert landscape through their eyes. These skilled hunter gatherers will show you how to survive, using their extraordinary tracking skills to uncover a smorgasbord of culinary delights... from bulbs, to scorpions, to berries. Spending time with them is a very rare privilege.

Saddle up to explore this wild, unspoilt area in the same way many of the earliest explorers, hunters

and missionaries did – on horseback! You’ll embark on an adventurous outride (for all level riders). This is an exhilarating way to spot wildlife, cantering along the crusty salt flats and following the animal

highways that bring life to the Makgadikgadi Pans.

Credit: Natural Selection

Credit: Natural Selection

Credit: Natural Selection

Credit: Natural Selection

Credit: Natural Selection

Credit: Natural Selection

This is pure desert adventure! Take an exhilarating quad bike across the salt-crusted pans (all pan activity is weather permitting and dependent on the dryness of the pans). You’ll feel total freedom as you trek across this vast and ancient landscape, discovering so much about the remnants of this once super lake.

Seasonal: April - October

A visit to the Fallen Baobab - one of the three largest and oldest trees in Africa and reputedly the campsite of Livingstone and Selous.

Witness the second largest migration in Africa. A stonking spectacle of black and white stripes

as approximately 30,000 zebra and wildebeest migrate across the Makgadikgadi Pans, followed closely by stalking predators, waiting for the rich pickings of tired hooves. This is a wildlife explosion and an experience not to be missed!

This really is an unforgettable experience. Enjoy a helicopter flight over the Makgadikgadi Pans, doors off (or on), to take in the vastness of this desert landscape. You’ll go in search of the zebra and flamingo migrations (if timed correctly), get dropped on an island of baobabs for lunch, do a bit of sunset sky surfing as you follow the palm tree linings and tell all your friends about it all when you get home.

Grab a fat bike and peddle around the Makgadikgadi Pans. This is a really fun activity for the whole family, and an ideal way to get some exercise. These bikes can easily cruise over the desert terrain, taking you along 4x4 tracks and around the crusty salt flats. Keep a look out for sightings of wildlife, while breathing in the beautiful scenery, alongside the desert silence.

If you are in need of some serious time out, then one of our spa treatments is your perfect escape. Our professional therapist will put you in seventh heaven. Book a back massage overlooking the Makgadikgadi Pans or enjoy a relaxing spa treatment from the privacy of your tent. Whichever you decide, you’ll walk away feeling refreshed and rejuvenated.

The Makgadikgadi Salt Pans are one of the most important breeding sites in southern Africa for

the lesser and greater flamingos. These flying flame birds, arrive in their millions during seasons of good rain, when millions of small shrimp and other crustaceans crack through the salty pan crust to spawn. The result, a pink extravaganza in the heat of the desert. You can also heli to Sua Pan to view the flamingos in Mar - Apr (scenic helicopter flight must be booked at an additional cost).

Credit: Natural Selection

Credit: Natural Selection

Credit: Natural Selection

Credit: Natural Selection