The Botswana government decided to tender rights for a very limited number of private camps in some of the most wild parks that have previously only been available to mobile safaris and self drive public campers. Famed Kwando Safaris won the right to put the only permanent camp to date into the fabulous Nxai Pan National Park and will have one of only two permanent camps being established inside the enormous Central Kalahari Game Reserve. Everything is on schedule and Nxai Pan Camp will open February 1st and Tau Pan Camp on March 1st of 2009. While I still believe that a mobile safari, or for some even self-drive camping can be a fantastic way to visit these areas it is exciting to now have the ability to fly into a camp, making it easy to include these splendid areas with the typical limited amount of time that overseas visitors have for safari. During the appropriate times of year both of these areas make an exceptional compliment to the more traditional safari areas of the Okavango Delta, Kwando/Linyanti, and Chobe. There are special deals available on both of these properties that have them priced 50 to 70% less than Kwando’s other camps making it possible to stretch your budget into more nights on safari and greatly increase the habitat and wildlife diversity of your safari.

Nxai Pan is outstanding cheetah habitat

Nxai Pan Camp

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.

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. Early in the season (December and January) is best for calving and predators hunting, if you beat the first rains you will not see the herds but you will maximize your chance for the best of the dry season.

During the long dry season of May to November the viewing is completely different. The masses of grazing animals exit Nxai Pan leaving behind a sparse landscape left with hardy desert adapted animals that somehow make a go of it. The springbok that can survive the harsh conditions are the key food source and are enough to support 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 lay around the waterholes that are almost completely absent of any cover vegetation. Springbok must come to drink and even though they can see the lions in wait eventually they must take the risk. Normally lion could not run down a springbok 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. During the most desperate dry conditions it can be common for three to four of these quick strike kills along with many misses to occur in a day at a single waterhole making this one of the most predictable and best opportunities to witness a kill. 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 better place to visit. The overpowering IMAX Film Roar: Lions of the Kalahari by Tim Liversedge for National Geographic was filmed at one of the waterholes in Nxai Pan and featured this action on the bigscreen.

Young male Kalahari lion patrols the waterhole.

Nxai Pan Camp will feature 8 desert purpose structures (1 – 4 person family unit and 7 twin units) that are thatched with solid insulated walls to stay cool in heat and warm in the cold, essential with the large fluctuating temperatures of the Kalahari. The Kalahari’s greatest resource, the sun, is put to use to solar power the camp with a generator as back up. All units have ceiling fans, outside showers and private viewing decks. The rooms and the main lounge area are all slightly raised off the ground and connected with wooden walkways. The main area will contain a viewing deck, lounge, dining area, library, curio shop, and pool. Like all Kwando Camps drinks, laundry and activities are included in the accommodation rate. Activities focus on game drives in open 4 x 4 vehicles with historical tours to Baines Baobabs and Pandamatenga Cattle Trail, as well as walks available.

Tau Pan Camp

Tau Pan Camp will be located inside the Central Kalahari Game Reserve (CKGR), a magical wilderness that is the second largest protected area in all of Africa (over 52,000 sq. km). With a very limited number of public campsites and now the establishment of just two small permanent Camps it remains one of the least visited as well. This is a place to experience solitude and to feel dwarfed by the expansive landscape that surrounds you.

A lone springbok shades from the heat of the Kalahari summer in Deception Valley before the rains arrive

For those with an appreciation of wilderness this vast emptiness can be soul stirring. The CKGR is the opposite of most areas in that the rains correspond with the ideal time for game viewing because the rains actually draw the animals together rather than disperse them. Typically from December to April the rains produce a wonderful bounty of sweet grasses on the pans and ancient river beds in the northern part of the reserve drawing together thousands of springbok and oryx along with many red hartebeest, eland, and blue wildebeest. Thunder storms can be violent and spectacular. Predators within the CKGR tend to have enormous ranges and occur at low density but they also converge to take advantage of the congregations of herbivores. Due to the low density of other predators this is one of the strongholds for cheetah. As for lions the black-maned lions of the Kalahari have an almost mythical status, and having met some I can understand why. Lions here often run on the large size, in fact bordering on gigantic, but there is also a curiosity and supreme confidence that seems to go even beyond that of lions in other areas. Lions are sighted with regularity in the company of the herds during the rains and near the dwindling water sources in the dry season.

Impressive black-maned Kalahari lion

Once the rains halt the wildlife disperses far and wide across the CKGR making game viewing focus on the few remaining water resources and the sightings are sparse compared to most traditional safari areas. During this time, generally May through November the CKGR remains an intriguing place for visitors that can appreciate the pure wilderness of one of the largest protected areas on earth, and those with patience can be rewarded with amazing action at waterholes as well as discover interesting smaller creatures such as meerkats, bat-eared foxes, and leopard tortoises but there are likely to be some quiet hours where little wildlife is seen as well.

The ostrich is a common sighting in the Central Kalahari Game Reserve.

Tau Pan Camp is situated on the edge of Tau Pan, one of the most beautiful and wildlife rich areas of the CKGR. From here game drives are able to reach the famed Deception Valley as well, the location of the largest herbivore concentrations during the green season. The camp set up is similar to Nxai Pan Camp except that rooms and the main area are connected by sand path walkways. Tau Pan Camp will feature 8 desert purpose structures (1 – 4 person family unit and 7 twin units) that are thatched with solid insulated walls to stay cool in heat and warm in the cold. The camp will operate on solar power with a generator as back up. All units have ceiling fans, outside showers and private viewing decks. The main area will contain a viewing deck, lounge, dining area, library, curio shop, and pool. Like all Kwando Camps drinks, laundry and activities are included in the accommodation rate. Activities focus on game drives in open 4 x 4 vehicles as well as game walks.

These two camps offer fantastic opportunities to explore the Kalahari region, discovering some of the most awe-inspiring wilderness in the world. We are currently including these options in custom Botswana safari itineraries.