As we drew nearer to the lion pride with its kill, we noticed that a female giraffe was hovering awfully close to the lions, as if she was looking for something.  We realised that the lion had taken down a giraffe foal, and the mother giraffe was looking very confused and forlorn at this point.  We watched while the lions gnawed away at the baby giraffe with the mother not moving at all until she was absolutely certain that there was no way of saving her offspring.  Reluctantly she walked away leaving the lions to their feast – yet another sad moment in the life of the prey, but a very happy moment for the predators that survive only by being brutal and taken their chances where they can.

This is just one of the many exciting sightings and experiences we had while travelling in the Nxai Pan National park in northern Botswana. This incredible park is not nearly as well known as the Okavango Delta, Moremi and Chobe reserves further north, however it is definitely worth a visit if you have the time. Nxai Pan offers the opportunity to see wildlife and landscapes not seen in the Okavango Delta, Moremi and Chobe areas.  It is a much drier, almost arid area, especially in winter, and attracts wildlife such as springbok, gemsbok (oryx), bat eared-fox, brown hyena, cheetah and other game - all of these not seen often, or even at all, further north.  The landscape is flat with low scrub and grasslands making wildlife viewing very easy - there is not much bush to conceal the animals! Water is also scarce, so the wildlife congregates around the few watering holes in the park making these incredible areas to just sit and wait…and see what comes along.

We were on a ‘mobile camping’ safari in the park operated by WILDERNESS SAFARIS. A very experienced guide, plus a few helpers, bring in all the equipment needed into the park from large dome tents with comfy camp beds, toilets and ‘bush ‘showers, to a ‘dining’ tent, chairs, food  and drinks…everything that you would need to make you as comfortable in the wild as possible …..without taking away from the experience of being in the wilderness, of course!  In the 3 nights we had in the park, a camp fire was lit every night and we sat by the fire eating a delicious dinner under the stars listening to stories told by the guide of his adventures and escapades while on his various safari trips. During the days, we were taken on game and nature drives to various areas in the park in search of wildlife sightings. Time was also spent enjoying and watching the many birds in the park of which there a huge variety, especially predatory birds. One sighting I recall in particular was a poor guinea fowl that had flown into a small tree after being separated from the rest of his group. Two goshawks were dive-bombing the tree trying their best to get him to fly down to the ground so that they could share in the feast.

Another highlight of the Nxai pan is a visit to the famous Baines Baobab (actually a group of huge baobabs) which entails a drive across the barren Kaudia Pan. The trees are extraordinarily beautiful and a visit to the Nxai Pan national Park is not complete without seeing these magnificent trees.

To find out more about Janine’s trip to Nxai Pan National Park, please contact her on This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it