Nxai Pan National Park

Maybe the wildlife is a bit low compared to the rest - BUT THE SCENIC BEAUTY of the Kubu Island in the Sua Pan makes up in abundance - Botswanna without this stop would NOT be on!

Great sceneries but slighty less wildlife as the other parks

Large variety of animals and limited amenities.

Absolutely awesome, and completely remote and felt like you were in your own world !

We spent 3 days at Nxai Pan on a Self drive as part of a 3 week trip to Zambia and Botswana in September 2011. We spent our first days in Livingston doing the adventure activities such as White Water rafting and Micro Flight. We then self drove through Chobe National Park, Savuti and Moremi. We spent 3 days in Nxai Pan which I can say were probably the most memorable days of our trip. We stayed at South Camp and were within 2 miles of the nearest watering hole within the park. The wildlife was stunning !! Stunning sunsets ! Elephants, Springbok (in their thousands), Wilderbeast, Ostrich, Guinea fowl, Marshall Eagles, Hyena, Oryx to name only a few. We came across a pride of lions that were at the peak of health. Approximately 5-6 females and 3 cubs about 3 months old. A very fit and healthy male. The remoteness was amazing and minimal tourist. We spent a whole morning with a Lion pride and not a single other vehicle in sight !
We would also recommend visiting the Baines Baobab trees !
This park is a must for those wanting to get away from the tourist safari !

I like the Pan landscape. It is open and dry, so wildlife congregates around the water. Cheetah are frequently sighted here, which is always a treat.

I don't remember Nxai Pan as well as the other locations we camped in, but I recall thinking this was the place most decimated by elephants, so it had a bit of a blasted feel. But the wildlife and wilderness feel were still off the charts.

In winter the elephants leave for the Makgadigadi Pans. Slightly dissapointed, but the Bain's Baobabs are beautiful

Completely alone

The Nxai Pan National Park was definitely one of the highlights on our three week trip through Botswana.
We stayed at Baines camp site 2, which gave us some much needed shade against the hot afternoon sun. There were some campers at site 3 at night but the distance between the sites is so great that you could only make out thier campfire in the pitch black dark.
Complete silence. I have never felt so far away from Civilization in my life as I did n this National Park. We did not see a single human soul or human presence (other than the mentioned fire) the entire time in the park.

When the sun goes down you really feel like part of the milky way as there is a billion stars all around.

I can strongly recommend this place. Book your campsites early as there are only three of them.

An unhindered drive into old school bush alive with vibrant tranquility and long sunset horizons.

I drove in unguided with a 4x4 with the complete feeling of discovery and calmness as a privileged part of nature in Nxai Pan. Once inside, there is really nothing beyond the ablution block in the camp to signify man's comforts and trespass upon the wild. Respect for the environment means a novel observational experience like you might have seen 50 years ago, in that there are no tarred roads or fences around hutted camps.
As a photographer, you have unique accessibility to clear fields of view, especially by the water holes, where a sensible proximity to elephants is possible. This increases the feeling of being part of nature and builds a great sense of regard. The open areas allowed me to track a Lion walking for more than a mile and get an awesome sequence of shots.
The camp ground is literally a space for tents and vehicles, with the provision of a water supply and toilet/shower facilities. Walking amongst the trees there reveals many other often overlooked species, particularly birds and insects, heightened with the exciting reality that you are in wild country without a perimeter to keep animals out.
This part of Botswana really does offer some fantastic sunset scenes with long shadows and deep colours as the dust dances in the air.
A thoroughly recommendable trip with a difference, impossible to match in South Africa.

An excellent introduction to Botswana.

My partner and I went to the Nxai Pans in September 2011 arranged by Far and Away, before heading off into the Delta with Letaka (through Naturetrek).

We stayed in Nxai Pans National Park at one of the government run camps, sleeping in tents and using the excellent solar showers at the camp. Our guide drove us on almost all of the tracks within the park, especially to the water holes which were teaming with birds and mammals. Although there were no big predators it was great to see so much wildlife on my first trip to Africa. On the last full day we went to the pans on route to Baines Boababs. The Pans were amazing; flat, hot and as far strecthing as you could see. The Boababs were an amazing place to stop for lunch! On the way back to camp on the very sandy road we had to rescue a couple who had stuck thier 4WD. I would recomend being driven!