KNOW BEFORE YOU GO
How to get there? The park has one entrance gate, off the A3 tar road 132 km east of Maun and 75 km west of Gweta. Drive carefully on the A3 because there are lots of potholes.
Take note: A section of the tar road at the village of Zoroga between Gweta and Nata washed away in heavy summer rain early in 2017. There’s a 15 km gravel detour.
I don’t have a 4x4 – what now? Book accommodation at Tiaan’s Camp. (See page 90.) The camp offers day outings into the park in their game-viewing vehicle.
Fuel & shops? There is no fuel in the park. Fill your tank in Maun, Rakops or Nata. Gweta doesn’t always have fuel. Fill some jerrycans and take them along too, to calm your nerves.
The shop at South Camp is well stocked with toothpaste, soap, cooking oil, Doom, Johnnie Walker (Red Label and Black Label!), tinned food, beer, wine, cigarettes and even battery water and brake fluid for your vehicle. per day. Only cash (pula) is accepted at the gate.
Accommodation: There are camping facilities at South Camp and at Baines’ Baobabs – both campsites are run by the Xomae Group. The only formal accommodation is Nxai Pan Camp, run by Kwando Safaris, but it’s expensive. See page 92 for more about these places.
What about Makgadikgadi Pans National Park and the Boteti River? Both are relatively close by and it makes sense to visit them too if you’re going all the way to Nxai Pan. (See page 22 for info about the Boteti River.)
There are three campsites in Makgadikgadi Pans National Park: Khumaga next to the Boteti River, Njuca Hills and Tree Island. (See page 90.) Njuca Hills and Tree Island are seldom visited. There might not be much game in the vicinity, but both are excellent wilderness destinations.
When you’re planning your Nxai Pan trip, don’t forget about Kubu Island (page 93) and the accommodation options around Gweta (page 93) and Nata (page 93).