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Nxai Pan Camp

Secluded Game Viewing in Nxai Pan National Park

Nxai Pan Camp is a new camp opened by Kwando Safaris on February 1, 2009. It is the only permanent camp in the Park, previously only self drive campers and mobile safaris have accessed this area. Nxai Pan is an ancient fossilized lakebed comprising 40 square kilometers and it is the centerpiece of Nxai Pan National Park. Much of the habitat is open grassland with clusters of umbrella acacia trees and permanent herds of springbok, forming ideal cheetah habitat and indeed, this is one of the best locations in Botswana for spotting cheetah.

Cheetah in Nxai Pan National Park

Nxai Pan Camp - When to Visit

There are two very different seasons but both are highly dramatic times to visit Nxai Pan. The summer rains support a vast plain of sweet grasses that draw in what is likely the largest migration in Southern Africa as huge herds with thousands of Bruchell’s zebra and blue wildebeest move in to converge with smaller but significant numbers of eland, oryx (gemsbok), and red hartebeest from early December into April. During this time of plenty the majority of calving occurs creating a stock piled grocery for frequently sighted lion and cheetah taking advantage of the bounty. Giraffe congregate in large numbers with journeys of more than 30 individuals common and small breeding herds of elephant move in as well. Very occasionally white rhino are seen, a real rarity in Botswana. This is the rich season and a highly recommended time to visit to see such impressive desert adapted species as oryx, springbok, and red hartebeest that the majority of tourists confining to traditionally popular safari areas never see.

Red Hartebeest Sighting in Nxai Pan National Park

Nxai Pan Dry Season

Wildlife viewing is completely different for the dry season of May to November. The congregation of animals migrates out of Nxai Pan leaving behind a sparse landscape left with hardy desert adapted animals that somehow make a go of it. Springbok can survive the arid conditions and remain plentiful providing sustenance for cheetah and lion throughout the year. As the dry season progresses water in a vast area is reduced to a couple of small waterholes in Nxai Pan and the stage is set for some of the most dramatic action on the continent. Lions lie in wait at the waterhole that is virtually absent of any cover vegetation. Despite seeing the lions the springbok must come to drink and eventually muster the courage to take the risk. Typically springbok are much too fast for lions to hunt but here with the target prey semi-tethered to the water lions are able to ambush with lightening quick strikes to pull down the springbok in an unforgettable predatory display. At the height of the dry season (September/October) with conditions desperate, it can be common for three to four of these quick strike kills along with many misses to occur in a single day at a waterhole making this a rare opportunity to predict and witness kills. For the serious wildlife watcher or photographer with the patience to sit at one location and observe for hours it is hard to think of a more dramatic place to visit. The overpowering IMAX Film Roar: Lions of the Kalahari by Tim Liversedge for National Geographic was filmed at a waterhole in Nxai Pan bringing this incredible action to the big screen.

A Lion Stops for a Drink at a water hole at Nxai Pan