Nxai Pan National Park
The fossil pans offer explorers spectacular, seasonal game-viewing opportunities, even in the rainy season
Discover the iconic Nxai Pan National Park
Nxai Pan National Park is set on the northern fringe of the Makgadikgadi basin and includes Nxai Pan, an ancient lake bed that was once part of the vast Lake Makgadikgadi. At roughly 2,580 km² (996 m²), this incredible destination offers stark contrasts between its dry and wet seasons. Unlike the salt-encrusted pans at Makgadikgadi, Nxai Pan is a waterless, fossil pan covered in grass with acacia islands. The area comes to life after the summer rains in December, when big herds of migrating zebra and wildebeest, accompanied by other grazers, arrive to feast on the new grasses.
After good rains in the area, Nxai Pan is covered in lush green grass. This attracts huge concentrations of Burchell’s zebra, blue wildebeest and springbok, while healthy numbers of other grazers include gemsbok, eland and red hartebeest. Large giraffe herds move across the pans between the acacia islands, which they prune into characteristic hourglass shapes. In the rainy season, it is home to the seasonal zebra migration, where vast herds (accompanied by a slew of predators) can be seen on open grasslands, amidst the mottled shade of acacia trees.
During the dry season, visitors to the Nxai Pan National Park will be treated to sightings of wildebeest, springbok, impala, gemsbok, hartebeest, giraffe, lion, cheetah, wild dog, brown hyena, bat-eared fox, and occasionally elephant and buffalo.
Why we love it
Excellent game viewing
The park’s vast, open plains, in addition to the typical mopane bush of the region, make for unrivalled, unobstructed game viewing. Imagine huge herds of zebra, wildebeest, springbok and gemsbok, along with their many predators including lion, cheetah and both brown and spotted hyena. Large numbers of bat eared fox are also present.
Beautiful Baines baobabs
Take a trip to the seven famous baobab trees of the park. Named after the 19th century explorer, Thomas Baines, a naturalist, artist and adventurer, the trees themselves are said to over 1,000 years (some even closer to 4,000 years old). Growing ever-so-slowly, over a span of 160 years it’s very difficult to notice any change in size or shape of the trees.
The great zebra migration
The summer months in Botswana offer the opportunity to witness the great zebra migration. Zebra relocate from the dry, arid areas of the park, to the over-flowing waterholes and the grass savannahs elsewhere. Their movement entices predators to travel too, and game viewing here quite often offers great excitement.
Best during the rainy season
While many other parks and reserves are not considered to be at their best during the rains, Nxai Pan becomes a veritable Garden of Eden when huge herds hit Nxai’s grassy pans and water holes. The numbers can be staggering; wildebeest, zebra and gemsbok appear in their thousands, along with large herds of other antelope and giraffe.
Where to stay
Accommodation that enthuses authenticity
From charming under-canvas extravagance to elegant safari tents to magnificent nature-inspired lodges, Botswana offers travellers, from all corners of the globe, a wide variety of accommodation options well-suited to the unique safari experience they are after.
Stay here when travelling to Nxai Pan National Park
An intimate tented safari camp situated in the idyllic Nxai Pan National Park, Nxai Pan Camp is located along the banks of an expansive dry lake, framed by the towering Baines Boababs native to the area.
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