The Ntwetwe Pan is the twin of the Sua Pan and, along with the Nxai Pan, is part of the Makgadikgadi Pans, covering a total area of ​​16,058 sq. Km; the largest salty depression complex in the world.

The Ntwetwe Pan is more or less the same size as the Sua Pan, from which it is separated by a long narrow strip of soil and grass, but it has a wider base to the South shrinking as it moves Northwards; in the South this pan is subdivided into some small pans such as the Xau Lake, near Mopipi, and the Gutsha Pan.

The Ntwetwe Pan is crossed by an ancient trade route connecting Gweta to the North and Orapa to the South; on this path were two huge baobabs that stood isolated on the pan: the Chapman Baobab and the Green Baobab.

For several centuries these baobabs, as well as the Baines Baobabs, have been a reference point for European explorers, travelers and merchants traveling to these lands.

The Chapman Baobab was also used as a post office, in the sense that messages were left in it for those who would later pass.

This baobab was first seen by James Chapman during his expedition along with Thomas Baines in 1861; even David Livingstone went along this track and carved his initials on the trunk of the baobab.

Unfortunately on January 7, 2016 the Chapman Baobab collapsed into two; the diameter of its trunk was 25 meters and it is estimated it was between 3,000 to 5,300 years old.

The Green Baobab is less famous than the Chapman Baobab, but although it does not have its size, it is majestic; the "Green's Expedition 1858-1859" engraving is still visible on its bark, witnessing that the explorer brothers, Charles and Frederick Joseph Green, whose name it took, passed by here.

This baobab has been declared a national monument and was femced; it is located 30 km South of Gweta, at the border of the Makgadikgadi National Park.

In the Ntwetwe Pan there are no granite outcrops such as Kubu Island and Kukome Island of the Sua Pan, the highest points of this pan are barchans that once were sand dunes moving, thanks to the wind, in the dry lake bed, while they were blocked when the lake filled with water again.

The profile of these fossil sandy islands shows some signs of the lake's water level, each time it is filled, there are signs of erosion and points where vegetation has grown.

Gasabadi Island is the largest of these islands, from its summit you have a spectacular view of the pan, it is located near the track that starts from Gweta and arrives in Orapa, 48 km South of Gweta; the beauty of this place fascinated many visitors, including Prince Charles of England, who has come here three times to contemplate the solitude and the silence of this place.
In the smaller pans, that formed along the Western edge of the Ntwetwe Pan, some remains of the Stone Age were found, as evidence of the fact that the Makgadikgadi Pan area was inhabited in several places by local populations.

At the Gutsha Pan, near the big baobabs, there is a perennial source of water, that, even during the dry season, is a landmark for the animals living in this semi-arid land.

In the vicinity of this spring, the San once used to dig holes, where they placed poisoned poles, serving as traps for animals approaching the puddle for drinking; still today there are the remains of these traps and hiding places where hunters were positioned.

In the North-Western part of the Ntwetwe Pan lies the Makgadikgadi National Park, that was established in 1992 and covers an area of about 3,900 sq. Km.

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