Nxai Pan National Park

Pros & Cons

• Stunning desert scenery
• Off the beaten track and little visited
• Open plains make wildlife viewing easier
• Animals migrate to the pan in the wet months
• Less wildlife than in more popular parks, such as Chobe National Park or Moremi Game Reserve
• Very little accommodation in and outside the park
• It is very hot and dry

Wildlife

At the right time, after good rains, this is the best place (after neighboring Makgadikgadi Pans National Park) to see one of southern Africa’s most amazing wildlife spectacles: the migration of thousands of zebra. Smaller herds of giraffe, impala, springbok, oryx and red hartebeest can also be seen. This is not a Big Five destination, but some elephants are around, and lions are always on the prowl.

• More about Nxai Pan's wildlife

Scenery

Nxai Pan is the more accessible of the pans in the area. The scenery is quite different though. Nxai Pan is older, and this has allowed vegetation to take root. It is permanently covered in grass, and pockets of acacia trees also grow inside the pan. After the rains, the pans are covered in spring flowers. Some huge baobab trees tower on the fringes.

Weather & Climate

Nxai Pan’s desert locale is governed by a distinctive pair of seasons: Dry (April to October) and Wet (November to March). The sunny, warm days at the start of the drier months at first give way to cooler midyear conditions, before the heat builds up as a prelude to the first rains of November. The Wet season typically doesn’t see day after day of rain. Instead, afternoon thunderstorms are the norm.

• More about the weather and climate

Best Time To Visit

You can explore Nxai Pan year-round. But don’t expect to see much wildlife in the Dry season (April to October), when animals venture elsewhere in search of water and to escape the ubiquitous dust. For rich animal-watching experiences, visit after the rains have arrived in November, when wildebeest, zebra and many other species come here to drink their fill. You’ll also see plenty of greenery, including flowers.

• More about the best time to visit

Want To Visit Nxai Pan NP?

• Nxai Pan Safaris & Tours
• Tour Operators for Nxai Pan