Botswana The Kubu Island Baobab Tree

The baobabs on Kubu Island (Botswana) are ancient, iconic trees—some estimated at over 3,000 years old—growing on a rocky granite outcrop surrounded by the vast, white salt pans of the Makgadikgadi. They’re revered by locals, striking for travelers and ecologically important as water and nutrient stores in an otherwise harsh, arid environment.

For this kind of lighting, you’ll need a drone positioned about 5–15 meters above the tree, circling it with a diameter of around 6 meters. A wide-angle lens is necessary since the surroundings are quite tight and you can’t get far enough from the tree because of rocks and other trees. Keep the camera low to the ground. Whether you see the Milky Way or not depends on the time of year.

The best approach is from the south, coming via Letlhakane and following the track along the edge of the salt pans until you reach the registration point. Overnight fees are 506 Pula (around 35 USD). Keep in mind that this area is very remote, so take proper safety precautions and always ask locals about current road conditions. The track itself can be challenging: expect narrow passages with plenty of bushes, deep ruts, corrugations, loose gravel, and at times water or mud. There’s also a lot of soft sand, so a 4x4 is strongly recommended.