Reviews of Nxai Pan Camp
Wildlife sightings and reviews
38 independent comments and wildlife information from our travellers who have visited Nxai Pan Camp and kindly agreed to share their thoughts. They do not necessarily represent the views of Expert Africa
Wildlife sightings by our travellers
Starting in Jan-2020, 9 of our travellers have recorded their wildlife sightings at Nxai Pan Camp.
Lion
67% success
Leopard
14% success
Cheetah
11% success
Wild dog
25% success
Elephant
100% success
Giraffe
100% success
Wildebeest
100% success
Zebra
100% success
Oryx
63% success
Buffalo
43% success
Brown Hyena
11% success
Aardvark
0% success
Meerkat
0% success
Pangolin
0% success
Spotted Hyena
0% success
Mrs C
Tring
"a disappointment"
2 nights Arrived 17 Mar 2016
"Accomodation poor. No pressure so no hot showers in evening.
Safe broken, Ants in room, Basin doesn't drain off the water, patio doors in front of bed dont open - staff were told but did nothing.Poor lighting. Made to walk back to rooom after sunset once alone, which is not policy. When we got to our room had to sit in dark as no electricity. Swimming pool dirty, no filter.
The area is a poor chice for the wet season. Roads a nightmare. Got stuck and took hours getting through. Only one perimeter road and 2 roads in park so everything was too far away in the long grass to see. They need to maintain their very few roads and open some more up.
Guide seemed bored -Chester. Shoes the tracker was charming. Safaris started late especially in afternoon and had to finish by 7 pm. Very good food.
Management need to spend money on the infrastructure and the park officials need to open more roads into the Pan and maintain their roads" See all these reviews: 9n in Botswana; 3n in Zimbabwe
Safe broken, Ants in room, Basin doesn't drain off the water, patio doors in front of bed dont open - staff were told but did nothing.Poor lighting. Made to walk back to rooom after sunset once alone, which is not policy. When we got to our room had to sit in dark as no electricity. Swimming pool dirty, no filter.
The area is a poor chice for the wet season. Roads a nightmare. Got stuck and took hours getting through. Only one perimeter road and 2 roads in park so everything was too far away in the long grass to see. They need to maintain their very few roads and open some more up.
Guide seemed bored -Chester. Shoes the tracker was charming. Safaris started late especially in afternoon and had to finish by 7 pm. Very good food.
Management need to spend money on the infrastructure and the park officials need to open more roads into the Pan and maintain their roads" See all these reviews: 9n in Botswana; 3n in Zimbabwe
Experience Report
Overall Rating:
Poor
Location:
Average
Service:
Average
Activities:
Poor
Rooms:
Poor
Food:
Good
Facilities:
Poor
Feedback Response
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.
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.
Mr C
Harvest
"Really excellant"
2 nights Arrived 10 Jan 2016
"The Baobab trees were my reason to go, but the elephants at the waterhole were something else."
See all these reviews: 12n in Botswana; 1n in South Africa
Experience Report
Overall Rating:
Excellent
Location:
Good
Service:
Excellent
Activities:
Excellent
Rooms:
Excellent
Food:
Excellent
Mr & Mrs SA
Norfolk
"Nxai Pan was just great!"
3 nights Arrived 7 Apr 2014
"The trouble with our holiday is that we chose the best camps to stay in and while they were all different they were all 5 star.
We loved every day and were treated like Royals." See all these reviews: 9n in Botswana; 3n in Zambia
We loved every day and were treated like Royals." See all these reviews: 9n in Botswana; 3n in Zambia
Experience Report
Overall Rating:
Excellent
Location:
Excellent
Service:
Excellent
Activities:
Excellent
Rooms:
Excellent
Food:
Excellent
Facilities:
Excellent
Mr & Mrs M
Queensland
"Nxai Pan Camp review"
3 nights Arrived 4 Dec 2013
"Game viewing was very patchy as the rains had only arrived at the time I did. I took a gamble and it misfired. Nevertheless an interesting and enjoyable change of environment. A well appointed and well run camp with very attentive staff under the management of Bonnie and Clyde !!!!!"
See all these reviews: 12n in Botswana
Experience Report
Overall Rating:
Good
Location:
Good
Service:
Excellent
Activities:
Good
Rooms:
Good
Food:
Good
Facilities:
Good
Mr P
Somerset
"The Perfect Start to Our Safari"
3 nights Arrived 26 May 2013
"Nxai Pan camp was the first camp that we stayed at on our safari. It was, for us, the perfect place to start.
The managers were very friendly and welcoming and created a very relaxed atmosphere - a real 'homely' feel in the camp. This was probably helped by the fact that, for the first 2 days of our 3 day stay, we were the only guests!
Our guide, Partner, and tracker, Shoes, were also very friendly, but very knowledgeable and we felt totally relaxed and safe on our game drives.
Highlights were learning about the San customs with Shoes, the trip to see the Baines baobab trees, the traditional meal eaten with our fingers around the fire and, of course, the leopard sighting!" See all these reviews: 7n in Botswana
The managers were very friendly and welcoming and created a very relaxed atmosphere - a real 'homely' feel in the camp. This was probably helped by the fact that, for the first 2 days of our 3 day stay, we were the only guests!
Our guide, Partner, and tracker, Shoes, were also very friendly, but very knowledgeable and we felt totally relaxed and safe on our game drives.
Highlights were learning about the San customs with Shoes, the trip to see the Baines baobab trees, the traditional meal eaten with our fingers around the fire and, of course, the leopard sighting!" See all these reviews: 7n in Botswana
Experience Report
Overall Rating:
Excellent
Location:
Excellent
Service:
Excellent
Activities:
Excellent
Rooms:
Excellent
Food:
Excellent
Facilities:
Excellent
Mr & Mrs M
Utah
"Nxai Pan Camp review"
3 nights Arrived 2 May 2013
"Partner was a great guide, very knowledgeable."
See all these reviews: 11n in Botswana
Experience Report
Overall Rating:
Good
Location:
Excellent
Service:
Good
Activities:
Excellent
Rooms:
Good
Food:
Good
Facilities:
Good
Ms M
Virginia, USA
"Nxai Pan Camp review"
3 nights Arrived 19 Apr 2013
"Wonderful Camp with excellent guides and staff. I was traveling on my own and I loved the relaxed atmosphere and friendliness of the whole staff and fellow guests.
The game drives were wonderful. Great food as well." See all these reviews: 12n in Botswana
The game drives were wonderful. Great food as well." See all these reviews: 12n in Botswana
Experience Report
Overall Rating:
Excellent
Location:
Excellent
Service:
Excellent
Activities:
Excellent
Rooms:
Excellent
Food:
Excellent
Facilities:
Excellent
Mr & Mrs H
Indiana
"outstanding first camp"
3 nights Arrived 2 Apr 2013
"Our introduction to what we came to Africa for in the first place. Staff overachievers at all levels! Not Groot Bos, but not supposed to be either!
If you can handle the roads here, you can handle the roads at the other three camps we visited." See all these reviews: 12n in Botswana; 5n in South Africa; 2n in Zimbabwe
If you can handle the roads here, you can handle the roads at the other three camps we visited." See all these reviews: 12n in Botswana; 5n in South Africa; 2n in Zimbabwe
Experience Report
Overall Rating:
Excellent
Location:
Excellent
Service:
Excellent
Activities:
Excellent
Rooms:
Good
Food:
Excellent
Facilities:
Excellent
Mr & Mrs W
Coventry
"Safari at Nxai Pan Camp"
2 nights Arrived 20 Nov 2012
"Again the Kwando staff were exceptionally welcoming and friendly. They even arranged a meal in our room on our last night when we were the only guests - much appreciated.
The guide (Alex) was a temporary assignment from Tau Pan but was very helpful and knowledgeable, especially on the different bird species. He enabled us to have great photo opportunities of two cheetahs at the water hole.. We also saw lions and elephants in confrontation at the nearby waterhole before nearly being joined by two warthogs! The guide was always happy to stop and point out bird-life.
Again the safari vehicles were very comfortable but suffered from being six people in two tiers. This situation was made worse by the roof cover which was necessary to protect the occupants from the strong sun. We were lucky in only having a six person situation for one safari, but the people sitting in the middle had a difficult time. If you are serious about bird watching and/or have a big camera lens the vehicle set up is potentially very problematic. Again the guide tried his best to ensure everyone got a reasonable view whenever possible.
The camp is in a very open setting overlooking an artifical water hole. The rooms are excellent and very spacious and the swimming pool presented a welcome break at midday. The food and drink were plentiful and good quality. Well worth another visit for the friendly staff, knowledgeable guides and a different perspective on wildlife viewing but not for the prospect of being six people cramped into a two tier vehicle." See all these reviews: 9n in Botswana
The guide (Alex) was a temporary assignment from Tau Pan but was very helpful and knowledgeable, especially on the different bird species. He enabled us to have great photo opportunities of two cheetahs at the water hole.. We also saw lions and elephants in confrontation at the nearby waterhole before nearly being joined by two warthogs! The guide was always happy to stop and point out bird-life.
Again the safari vehicles were very comfortable but suffered from being six people in two tiers. This situation was made worse by the roof cover which was necessary to protect the occupants from the strong sun. We were lucky in only having a six person situation for one safari, but the people sitting in the middle had a difficult time. If you are serious about bird watching and/or have a big camera lens the vehicle set up is potentially very problematic. Again the guide tried his best to ensure everyone got a reasonable view whenever possible.
The camp is in a very open setting overlooking an artifical water hole. The rooms are excellent and very spacious and the swimming pool presented a welcome break at midday. The food and drink were plentiful and good quality. Well worth another visit for the friendly staff, knowledgeable guides and a different perspective on wildlife viewing but not for the prospect of being six people cramped into a two tier vehicle." See all these reviews: 9n in Botswana
Experience Report
Overall Rating:
Good
Location:
Good
Service:
Excellent
Activities:
Good
Rooms:
Excellent
Food:
Excellent
Facilities:
Average
Mr & Mrs S
York
"Nxai Pan Camp review"
3 nights Arrived 13 Sep 2012
"in a word - Fabulous.
Clean, airy ,spacious and laid back and spacious, just what we needed to reflect on our trip, whilst continuing to keep us occuupied. The Bushman's walk was really interesting taken as it was by a one-eyed old bushman (must have been about 70! Really interesting. A lovely touch was a bottle of bubbly in our room which they gave us to celebrate outr wedding anniversary." See all these reviews: 8n in Botswana; 2n in Zambia
Clean, airy ,spacious and laid back and spacious, just what we needed to reflect on our trip, whilst continuing to keep us occuupied. The Bushman's walk was really interesting taken as it was by a one-eyed old bushman (must have been about 70! Really interesting. A lovely touch was a bottle of bubbly in our room which they gave us to celebrate outr wedding anniversary." See all these reviews: 8n in Botswana; 2n in Zambia
Experience Report
Overall Rating:
Excellent
Location:
Excellent
Service:
Excellent
Activities:
Excellent
Rooms:
Excellent
Food:
Excellent
Facilities:
Excellent
Holiday styles & special interests in Botswana
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Other lodges in Kalahari's Salt Pans
Alternative places to stay in this same area.
Camp Kalahari
Overlooking the Makgadikgadi Pans, Camp Kalahari is great value; come for quadbiking excursions on the salt pans, cute meerkats, excellent Bushman walks, and interesting 4WD safaris.
Jack's Camp
Jack's Camp was the original camp in the Makgadikgadi area, and many still consider it the best. Come for a unique and memorable experience, but not for prolific game viewing.
San Camp
The simple but stylish San Camp lies in a stunning location beside the Makgadikgadi Salt Pans, where highlights are quadbiking, meerkats, and Bushmen walks.
Meno A Kwena
Meno A Kwena Tented Camp is an old-style safari camp, run by an experienced Botswana expert. Overlooking the bed of the Boteti River, it's a great place to relax and watch wildlife at the camp's waterhole.
Leroo La Tau
From the western bank of the Boteti River, Leroo La Tau overlooks the Makgadikgadi Pans National Park, where game concentrations are highest from July to October.
