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Engulfed in a sea of white salt Kubu juts out of the featureless, vast expanse of the Sua Pan. Gigantic baobab trees between pink-grey granite boulders were once home to Stone Age people. Sunsets, the reflection of the moon and the mesmerizing effect of the sun on the saltpan provide a ghostly atmosphere to this desert island literally in the middle of nowhere.
The rocky outcrop of Kubu Island, one kilometer in length and protruding about 20 meters above the flats, lies surrounded by this sea of salt. Amongst the island's granite boulders are its giant baobabs (Adansania digitata, mowana), the African star-chestnut (Sterculia africana, mokakata) with its large, round tennis-ball-sized fruit, and silver-red stems, the common commiphora (Commiphora pyracanthodes) and a wide variety of wild asparagus species with their hair-like cladodes and red-berried fruits.
Most wildlife is found further West in Makgadkgadi National Park. Once in a while springbok, gemsbok, steenbok and zebra can be seen around Kubu Island. Bird life is splendid although their numbers depend on the amount of water available in the pan. Sua pan is one of the largest breeding areas for greater flamingoes in Africa due to the tiny crustaceans, which hatch in the saline water. "Kubu" is the Setswana name for hippopotamus, while "Lekhubu" means ridge. The name "Kubu Island" is derived from the Setswana name "Lekubung" or "Kubung" which means "at the rock ridge".
The remains of human occupation at Kubu Island is evidence of past climatic conditions being much more hospitable than they are now. Stone age artifacts such as stone tools, pottery fragments, bone and ostrich eggshell beads have been discovered along the shoreline and may date from a few thousand years ago. A later occupation is obvious by a crescent-shaped wall about 12 meters in height, dating some time between 1000 to 1700 years ago.
It has been suggested that this ruin was part of the Great Zimbabwe empire, which had scores of smaller sites, established throughout the country. However, the workmanship and design of the wall on the island is different from the distinctive Zimbabwe tradition. One theory is that Kubu Island served as an initiation centre. There are about 450 stone cairns here which are also found in an inferred initiation centre in Zimbabwe. These cairns may be markers for initiation schools where boys were circumcised and brought to manhood. Interesting features of the walls include a couple of "windows". But the questions, by whom and for what reason these walls were built, remain to be answered. For the present day residents of the area, Kubu Island is a sacred place and has a great significance for traditional ceremonies and customs. The Basarwa say that in the beginning God lived below the walls. They still visit the site to ask God for rain, and make offerings.
The history of Kubu Island is still a mystery. There are remains of stone walls on the island, of which is said that they belong to the culture of Great Zimbabwe that seemed to have reached very far. Even the potsherds that were found here have not revealed their origin or anything about the people that could have lived here.
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