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A four-wheel-drive vehicle is necessary to get to this sanctuary; the entrance lies 36 km north of the Francistown - Maun road.
Nxai Pan National Park now extends southwards to include Baines’ Baobabs and the Kudiakam pans, and links up directly with Makgadikgadi grasslands to the south. It is set on the northern fringe of the Makgadikgadi basin, and includes Nxai Pan itself, part of an ancient lakebed. There is a manned entrance gate (a fee is charged for vehicles and passengers; booking and payment is required in advance) but has no facilities other than two campsites with ablution blocks. Visitors must be entirely self-sufficient although there is usually a reliable water supply. Game scouts will direct you to the two main campsites, both of which are within 10 km of the gate.
About 15 km to the east of the entrance, inside the park, is a large, unnamed pan complex. Kgama-Kgama Pan lies a further 9 km to the northeast. The pans themselves are the only parts of the park to which there is ready access. A road map is sometimes displayed at the entrance gate.
At certain times of the year (December to early April, if rains have fallen), game can be prolific and the viewing spectacular. The area is a breeding ground for hers of gemsbok, zebra, wildebeest, springbok and eland, and is one of the few places in Botswana where impala and springbok occur together.
In the south of the national park is another complex of pans, the largest of which is Kudiakam. On a site overlooking the latter is a group of very large Baobab trees, a picture of which was painted by Thomas Baines on 22 May 1862. Photos taken in July 1987 show scarcely any discernible changes. These trees are known today as Baines’ Baobabs (and also as the Seven Sisters and the Sleeping Sisters) and provide a very popular camping spot.

Okovango Delta: The largest midland river delta all over the world.

A bizarre apparition where new office buildings bump up against mud huts, and donkeys still wander the dusty streets in among the flash 4WDs from South Africa, Maun has a certain raw frontier feeling. Walk into one of the popular watering holes and you’ll be rubbing shoulders with bush pilots and drinking shots with safari guides. Because it’s an easy jumping-off point for the adjacent Okavango Delta, the town is growing at a rapid pace. As a result there is no real defined centre.
Almost everyone comes to Maun to book safaris. For activities, lounging in your lodge’s pool is popular (Maun can get uncomfortably hot in the summer), as is drinking. If you’re determined to do something you could head to the Nhabe Museum (Tel. 686 1346; Sir Seretse Khama Rd; admission free, donations welcome; open 9am-5pm Mon-Fri, 9am-4pm Sat), which features art exhibitions and outlines the natural history and cultures of the Okavango. It also sponsors theatre presentations and sells local curios and artwork.