Reviews of Nxai Pan Camp
(89%) From 21 travellersThey do not necessarily represent the views of Expert Africa.
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Zebras, Elephants, Lions
In late March, the area was full of game. Water hole out front of camp (at a distance), with lots of zebras and elephants and a bit of everything else.
Saw lions and cheetahs several times on drives. Downside of nearby water hole with lots of zebras is that there were a lot of annoying flies at the camp. Not a problem in the rooms, only in the central/dining part of the lodge. Food was especially tasty. Rooms are very large and comfortable.
Was disappointed in the guiding. The guide was knowledgeable, but rarely shared any background information on animal habits, the locale, etc. Tried unsuccessfully to pry more info out of him. Also we spent too much time sitting in the truck and waiting for carnivores to wake up and walk around.
There were signs of wear around the camp - our deck had a couple boards buckled, for example.
The rains came, prior to our arrival
Our stay was dominated by the effects of weather prior to our arrival. After 5 years of below average rainfall throughout Southern Africa, the rains arrived late summer 16/17, but in January and first 2 weeks February were exceptionally heavy culminating in the after effects of the passage of typhoon Dineo, where even Windhoek received more rain than usual in third week Feb.
So arriving 4th week Feb, the condition of the roads in clay mud areas, particularly near the camp was appalling and got worse over the 3 days. Sand roads in the pan and further afield were still good. Although tired, the driver guides struggled manfully on, bolstered by the presence of Jessica to assist with guest relations. She persuaded our guide {Mr T!} to do the full day drive to Baines Baobabs, which was the highlight of our stay, showing varied landscapes and vegetation.
As expected animals were limited except for the large number of zebra present having migrated from Chobe and is the wildlife highlight at that time of year.
The rooms were spacious, and comfortable and the food good..
Expert Africa comments
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.
Nxai Pan Review
We had a beautiful time a Nxai Pan during the Green Season.
The rooms are expansive, and zebra plentiful as their migration was in the area.
a disappointment
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
Expert Africa comments
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.
Really excellant
The Baobab trees were my reason to go, but the elephants at the waterhole were something else.
Read more about the whole safariNxai Pan was just great!
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.
Nxai Pan Camp review
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 !!!!!
Read more about the whole safariThe Perfect Start to Our Safari
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!
Nxai Pan Camp review
Partner was a great guide, very knowledgeable.
Read more about the whole safariNxai Pan Camp review
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.
We have always believed that acting responsibly is the only way to approach tourism and we're one of
the few companies to hold AITO's original coveted 5-star status for responsible tourism. It's a lead
that others are now following.
