Huge trunks
Storing water.
Fabio Achilli from Milano, Italy — CC BY 2.0 · Fabio Achilli from Milano, Italy — CC BY 2.0 · Fabio Achilli from Milano, Italy — CC BY 2.0 · Fabio Achilli from Milano, Italy — CC BY 2.0
A group of giant baobab trees standing close together on the edge of a white salt pan in Nxai Pan National Park, painted by the artist and explorer Thomas Baines in 1862 in a famous picture; the scene today looks almost as he painted it more than a century and a half ago. Baobabs are among the world's longest-lived trees, surviving hundreds or even thousands of years, with huge swollen trunks that store water and bare tangled branches that look like roots, hence the nickname upside-down tree. Against brilliant white salt and blue sky the seven trees look like giant sculptures. The best times are sunset and sunrise, when the trunks glow orange and long shadows stretch over the salt. The park has waterholes where giraffes, zebras and antelope gather, with big herds arriving in the rainy season. The track is deep sand, passable only by 4x4, and sources differ on fees. Parks are unfenced and wild animals roam near camps, so stay in the vehicle on drives, never walk at night and follow your guide. October and November are very hot, rains fall from November to March, and wildlife viewing is best in the dry season.
Storing water.
Behind the trees.
Long shadows.
Edge of Kudiakam Pan, Nxai Pan National Park
Thomas Baines, an artist and explorer who painted these trees in 1862; they still look much as in his painting.