Reviews of Nxai Pan Camp

You've summed this up perfectly! The summer rains this year have been exceptional. More rain fell between Dec 2016 and March 2017 than over all of the three previous rainy seasons combined: 2013/14, 2014/15, and 2015/16. So it's been a challenge to both the camps and the charter flight companies who have worked hard to make it as disruptive to their guests as possible. We're delighted to hear that you managed to get out to Baines' Baobabs and see some of the zebra migration - both really famous sights in their own right.

When we shared these comments with Sue, the CEO of Kwando Safaris, which runs Nxai Pan, she was very responsive and appreciative that these guests took the time to give their feedback.

For our most recent report, Expert Africa’s Sarah Glyde, stayed at Nxai Pan Camp in December 2015. She found the accommodation to be in good order and enjoyed the contrast in scenery and wildlife viewing in this area to the Delta.

The Nxai Pan team explained that during the rains, a heavy downpour can drive ants into the rooms in search of dry ground. The housekeepers try to minimise this problem by spraying the rooms with insecticide, but are prevented from using stronger, environmentally unfriendly forms of poison by strict park rules. The huge amounts of heavy rainfall also caused the patio doors in the room to swell and stick. These have now been fixed but Kwando is sorry it was not done before your stay. The lighting is a balancing act in terms of having enough light but at the same time keeping the lighting low so as not to attract bugs and mosquitoes, especially in the rainy season. Unfortunately, it is tricky to get the balance right for everyone. The team thank you for bringing the plumbing issues to their attention, they are keeping an eye on them and haven’t had any similar issues reported. Furthermore, they assure us that the swimming pool water is filtered, but say that it can appear murky due to the concentration of salt in the water that comes from the surrounding area.

We were disappointed to hear that the road conditions around Nxai Pan impacted on your drives. The park infrastructure falls under the Government’s remit and Kwando has been pushing hard to get permission to carry out road maintenance for some years. The good news is that shortly after your stay, approval was given, which should make a positive difference next rainy season.

We passed your comments on to your guide he has said he is very sorry if he appeared bored. He did not pick up on this, and feedback from the other guests on your drives was really positive.

We really appreciate that you would’ve liked a longer safari at Nxai Pan. However, the camp has to take on board feedback from all its guests and the general feeling has been that most do not want to start the afternoon safari earlier due to the heat, and also because predators tend to be inactive at this time. Moreover, the camp is governed by strict park rules that require vehicles to return to camp by dark – usually around 7pm, a fact which we do mention in our communications and on our website.

Even though Nxai Pan Camp is a relatively simple camp, the team there still aims to offer high standards of service and a memorable stay to all their guests. We felt that these expectations were being met on our most recent visit there in December 2015.