Nxai Pan – cats, canids, and easy-mode photography
The dry season in Southern Africa, particularly in its desert regions, can be brutal. In 2024, Botswana and its neighbouring countries endured one of the most severe droughts in the last century. Climate change and a strong El Niño event devastated agriculture, disrupted ecosystems, and left millions facing acute food insecurity.
Late into the dry season, my friends and I drove into Nxai Pan, in the backdrop of this oppressive drought. Even before getting to the national park, the evidence of the drought was everywhere. The Thamalakane and the Boteti river beds were dry. We’d been to Khama Rhino Sanctuary and the Makgadikgadi Pans before this. Greenery was scarce, the trees bare, and the pans between Kubu Island and Gweta were as hard as tar roads. We crossed them with little difficulty.
However, our next stretch of driving would be on the road to hell. Without our trusty Hiluxes from Bushlore, the 35-odd kilometres between the gate and the reception would have been an absolute nightmare. I’ll say this, though. Nothing will prepare you for this sandy and corrugated strip if all you’ve driven is tar and graded gravel. We gritted our teeth. I kept my foot on the pedal and did everything possible to maintain momentum and push through to South Camp.
The Xomae group manages Nxai Pan South Camp, which is one of the best camps in Botswana. There’s no electricity, but each site has a braai pit and jackal-proof bin. The ablutions are the best we had on our trip — warm showers, an attached scullery and even fresh, clean towels! There are 10 campsites, and I’d say numbers 1 and 2 are the best if you like seclusion and privacy. Our site, number 2, has a large purple pod terminalia tree for shade, though its bare branches barely afforded us respite from the October heat. More importantly, it’s part of the regular elephant paths and gets visits from the resident jackals and hornbills. Even short spells at camp were full of life.
Back to the drought. Many migratory animals, such as the large zebra and wildebeest herds, had broken their centuries-old patterns in search of water and forage. At Nxai Pan, water and forage were the scarcest at the tail end of the dry season. It’s probably insensitive of me to say this, but the animals’ despair is often a photographer’s party. By this time, all natural water sources had run dry. The entire park had just one active waterhole, which, as you’d imagine, was a magnet for wildlife. Almost all large mammals made a beeline for either a drink, a dip or, in the case of elephants, even a shower.
During the dry season, there’s a quiet tension in the air. Every animal seems alert. You can sense that something might happen any minute. Just wait. Just wait.
So, as photographers, all we did each day was drive up to four kilometres to this waterhole and let the animals come to us. In the late dry season, the waterhole represents photography on easy mode. Elephants? Check. Buffalo? Check. Kudu, springbok, zebra and wildebeest? Check. Ostrich? Check. Lions? Check. Jackal packs? Course! All the regulars showed up. And so did the drama.
Even in easy mode, wildlife photography fundamentals still apply at Nxai Pan. Getting out early and staying as late as the park allowed yielded us lion sightings that no other visitors got. Sticking it out with a hungry lioness led to a thrilling kill. And hanging back when nothing was happening, kept us in the right place for when forty hungry jackals went to work on whatever the lioness left of the carcass. We even paid our dues to Mother Nature by driving around the pans and found ourselves lions, ostrich broods, skittish bat-eared foxes and even an aardwolf. Nxai Pan didn’t disappoint — not even on one day!
Booking your stay
The key to accessing the magic waterhole is staying at South Camp. I understand that the Xomae group is pretty responsive to booking requests from their website. The site’s worth a try for direct bookings.
That said, if you’re travelling to many destinations in Botswana or have a multi-country itinerary, engaging a booking agent can simplify your booking process. We worked with Botswana Footprints, and you’ll find other reputable agents in my guide to self-driving in Africa.
There aren’t many campsites, and if you’re keen on campsite 1 or 2, I suggest booking as early as possible.
Photography advice
If the photos you’ve seen so far have caught your attention, I have some photography advice for you, as is the pattern of my Botswana series of posts. As with every other destination I've driven to, I’ve mapped out Nxai Pan so you know where to look when you visit the park. Beyond that, you don’t need much advice, so I’ll keep things light from here on.
Visit the park during the late dry season, September or October. Natural water sources will probably dry up by late July, in most years. However, the later you visit in the dry season, the more likely you will see desperate animals crowding the waterhole. And where the prey is, the predators follow. You know how that works!
Most of your action will be at the waterhole. It’s never too crowded either, since there are only 10 campsites at South Camp. You see a vehicle or two from the pricey Kwando Lodge and maybe the odd car from tour operators, and that’s it. There’s enough space to park and manoeuvre your vehicle at the waterhole, so you should be able to get different angles to make the most of each sighting.
Prepare for different lighting conditions. The waterhole is frontlit in the mornings, and you can position yourself for sidelit and backlit images in the afternoon. There are enough shallow troughs on the track around the waterhole. I suggest driving safely into them, so you can stay at eye level with the animals that come to the water.
On occasion, I suggest driving around the pans to see what you find. If the first hour in the mornings doesn’t yield any predator action at the waterhole, try your luck looking for game along the 15 km loop that takes you around the vast grasslands. I’ve marked a few spots on the map that are very productive for finding bat-eared foxes. You’ll even find the location where we saw the aardwolf den. If you spot the critter, do let me know!
Once in a while, think in black and white. The clean backgrounds, sparse vegetation, strong lighting conditions and all day action at Nxai Pan, give you lots of options to create excellent monochromatic images. Turn on the monochromatic profile in your camera to help you visualise what your image will look like, devoid of colour. It can be an excellent tool to then produce black and white images, when you're back home, at your computer.
And finally, give yourself time. We spent five nights at Nxai Pan, and in hindsight, that was a great plan. The weather in these deserts can change occasionally, and animal behaviour can change with rolling clouds and strong winds. The more time up your sleeve, the more the averages will work in your favour.
Of course, I’d love to see what the park looks like right after the rains. I’m sure the seasonal grasslands will be a sight to behold, though I won’t expect easy mode photography during that type of visit. If I visit in a different season, I'll be sure to update my advice for you.
If I had to leave you with just one piece of advice, it’s this: skip the lodge, bring your tent, and trust your wheels. Nxai Pan rewards patience, not pampering. Everything the wildlife comes for — water, bonding, food — you’ll find four clicks from South Camp.
We watched lions hunt and jackals squabble under an unforgiving sky. We drank coffee while elephants crossed behind our tents. And every twilight, the light turned the dust to gold.
So if you're a photographer or someone who likes to earn their sightings, camp it out. Self-drive. Stay longer than you think you need. Nxai Pan doesn’t rush, and neither should you.