Nxai Pan

Situated north of Makgadikgadi, 136 kilometres from Maun, Nxai Pan supports a strong population of springbok, as the short-cropped grasses can testify. The fossil pans of Nxai Pan offer spectacular, seasonal game-viewing. The vegetation is typical of the Kalahari and, as such, is quite different from the plant life of the Okavango or the Chobe.

The Nxai pans, integrated into the national park since 1993, were once part of the great lake that covered central Botswana. Now largely covered by grassland and sprinkled with clusters of trees, the Nxai Pan National Park offers spectacular game-viewing in the rainy season (November - March). Huge herds of zebra, wildebeest, springbok and gemsbok attract many predators - lion, cheetah and both brown and spotted hyena. There are large numbers of bat-eared fox, which preys on rodents and reptiles. 'Baines' Baobabs' are at the southern edge of the park.