Drenched in water and completely covered in greenery, it’s nearly impossible to imagine Botswana’s Makgadikgadi Pans as an arid landscape. A region marked by seasonally visible, horizon-bending salt flats connected by the Kalahari Desert’s sandy terrain, the Makgadikgadi Pans merge to form the largest contiguous salt flats in the world, outsizing the singular Salar de Uyuni in Bolivia. Although travelers seldom visit during the January to April rainy season, it’s when the Makgadikgadi Pans are lush and wet, transforming the land into a haven for herbivores.

Shortly following Botswana’s independence in 1966, however, the landlocked nation entered into a lucrative contract with the European Union to supply European nations with cattle for consumption. With little industry already intact, Botswana’s flat terrain