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After almost 2 months in Zimbabwe, we finally arrived in Botswana with our first stop being Baines Baobab in Nxai Pan National Park (camping at Baines BO3).
Nxai Pan National Park
Combining the 39,000km2 Makgadikgadi (coming up) and 21,000km2 Nxai Pan reserves has created a vast, unfenced park about the size of Portugal. It's a 4x4 country that requires cautious driving. But nothing our Toyota Landcruiser Prado VXL could not handle.
Baines Baobab
Named after explorer Thomas Baines, are Baines Baobabs; millennia old baobab trees scattered across the salt pans of Botswana. These ancient wonders are described as looking like upside-down trees with the branches sporting an appearance of a root system; most of the year not bearing any leaves. The trees have not changed over the last 150 years making it almost identical to what Thomas Baines would have seen on his pioneering mission.
Baines Baobab campsite
For the first few nights, we camped at Baines Baobab BO3. We were booked to stay at BO1 but with an imminent rain forecast, the gate advised us to opt for BO3 (BO1 is located on an “island” on the pan - making it dangerous to cross once rains start).
Once again, this type of camping is not for everyone. The facilities at BO3 are limited to a manual bucket shower, a long drop toilet and fire pit. There is no water and no rubbish collection (What you bring, you take out). This meant we had to drive 2 hours to South Camp to shower when we could not stand being sandy any longer.
Watch next week’s episode when we camp at South Camp Nxai Pan.
Nxai Pan - Weather and Climate
We visited Nxai Pan mid-December. Nxai Pan has a well-defined dry (April to October) and wet (November to March) seasons, as well as a hot, desert climate. As the dry season progresses, the park becomes more and more parched, with the heat reaching its peak in October. When the rains break, signaling the beginning of the wet season, it cools down immediately.
Pro’s for visiting during this time include that many animals migrate to the pans, including large herds of zebras and wildebeest, a lot of the herbivores give birth to their young and this also means predators are numerous. Unfortunately it also means it is very hot, the roads become boggy and afternoon showers will sometimes interfere with your plans.
Toyota - Destination Anywhere
Our timing was a bit off for the first few nights at Nxai Pan. Rains had started elsewhere but had not yet fallen on the pan. This meant we had almost no animal sightings while camping at Baines. Instead we decided to put our Toyota Landcruiser Prado through its paces and shot our very own little car advert.
Trip Information:
Days on the trip: 58 out of 90
Current Country: Botswana
Current National Park: Nxai Pan National Park
Current Accommodation: Baines Baobab BO3 (www.xomaesites...)
Completed stops on the trip: Gonarezhou National Park, Great Zimbabwe, Harare, Mana Pools National Park, Matusadona National Park, Lake Kariba, Pamuzinda Safari Lodge, Victoria Falls, Hwange National Park, Matobo National Park
Next up: Makgadikgadi National Park, Moremi National Park, Chobe National Park
Special thank you to our sponsors:
Toyota South Africa, Zimparks, Garmin, Ledlenser, Xomae Sites
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