About us
About us
About us
Botswana told from the inside
When Kelly and Melvon Guga founded Nxai Travel, it wasn't to build a business in the conventional sense. It was to share something they loved. Botswana had given them everything: a childhood shaped by open landscapes, a life spent learning the rhythms of the bush, and a bone-deep knowledge of a country that most people only glimpse on a two-week holiday. Sharing all of that with the right travellers felt not just like an opportunity, but a responsibility.
That feeling drives every journey we create. Nxai Travel is a Botswana-owned, family-run company offering the full spread of Botswana travel solutions, from tailor-made safaris, mobile expeditions and self-drive adventures to fly-in itineraries, wellness retreats and accommodation on the edge of landscapes that will stay with you for the rest of your life.
Our name comes from the Nxai Pan, one of Botswana's most iconic national parks. The word itself derives from 'Nxa', a curved digging stick used by the San people, reflecting both the shape of the landscape and the cultural heritage woven into everything we do. The Makgadikgadi and the Central Kalahari are our heartland. We are, as we often say, the Makgadikgadi people.
Three complementary arms sit under one roof: Nxai DMC with its destination management expertise, Nxai Stay (our own accommodation collection, including Zoroga Expedition Camp on the edge of the Ntwetwe Pan) and Nxai Explore (our mobile safari, self-drive and wellness offering, led by Melvon). Together, they allow us to deliver a more connected, more personal experience across every journey we create.
Our mission
To share Botswana in a way that feels genuine, unhurried and deeply personal. We believe travel should do more than move people from place to place. The best safaris change something in you: the way you listen, the way you look, the way you understand your place in the world. Creating those moments, for every guest, is what gets us out of bed in the morning.
Our promise
You'll feel it from the first conversation. We ask the right questions, we listen properly, and then we build something around what you actually want rather than what's easiest to sell. Every detail is handled with care and precision, from the first enquiry to the moment your safari ends. That's how a family business operates when it genuinely cares.
Our mission
To share Botswana in a way that feels genuine, unhurried and deeply personal. We believe travel should do more than move people from place to place. The best safaris change something in you: the way you listen, the way you look, the way you understand your place in the world. Creating those moments, for every guest, is what gets us out of bed in the morning.
Our promise
You'll feel it from the first conversation. We ask the right questions, we listen properly, and then we build something around what you actually want rather than what's easiest to sell. Every detail is handled with care and precision, from the first enquiry to the moment your safari ends. That's how a family business operates when it genuinely cares.
What we offer
Nxai Travel offers the full spread of Botswana travel solutions across three complementary arms, each one designed to connect you more deeply to one of the most extraordinary countries on earth.
Nxai DMC
As a fully accredited inbound tour operator and destination management company, we handle every element of your journey with local knowledge that comes from living Botswana every day. Itinerary planning, accommodation reservations, transfers and car hire, air charters, fly-in safaris, self-drive tours, guided group journeys, activities and cultural experiences — everything managed under one roof, with one team who knows this country properly.
Our specialist experience pillars let you match your safari to your passion: Women-Only Safaris, Yoga and Wellness Safaris, Culture and Heritage Safaris, Walking Safaris, Photographic and Birding Safaris, and Conservation Safaris. Each can stand alone or be woven into a wider journey.
Nxai Stay
Our own accommodation collection brings together carefully chosen properties in some of Botswana's most compelling natural settings. Each one is selected for its sense of place, its connection to the surrounding wilderness and the quality of the experience it delivers. Zoroga Expedition Camp sits at the very heart of our home territory on the edge of the Ntwetwe Pan, a bushman-inspired glamping retreat designed for self-drivers and guests seeking something slower, more intentional and beautifully wild.
Nxai Explore
For those who want to go further and feel more, Nxai Explore is our active, mobile and self-directed safari offering with guided mobile safaris that reach landscapes most travellers never find, self-drive itineraries with full local support, and yoga and wellness retreats that use the extraordinary stillness of the Botswana bush as their setting. Itineraries cover popular Botswana routes, Botswana and Namibia combinations, the Makgadikgadi heritage trail, astrophotography, birding, wellness programmes and corporate retreats.
What we offer
Nxai Travel offers the full spread of Botswana travel solutions across three complementary arms, each one designed to connect you more deeply to one of the most extraordinary countries on earth.
Nxai DMC
As a fully accredited inbound tour operator and destination management company, we handle every element of your journey with local knowledge that comes from living Botswana every day. Itinerary planning, accommodation reservations, transfers and car hire, air charters, fly-in safaris, self-drive tours, guided group journeys, activities and cultural experiences — everything managed under one roof, with one team who knows this country properly.
Our specialist experience pillars let you match your safari to your passion: Women-Only Safaris, Yoga and Wellness Safaris, Culture and Heritage Safaris, Walking Safaris, Photographic and Birding Safaris, and Conservation Safaris. Each can stand alone or be woven into a wider journey.
Nxai Stay
Our own accommodation collection brings together carefully chosen properties in some of Botswana's most compelling natural settings. Each one is selected for its sense of place, its connection to the surrounding wilderness and the quality of the experience it delivers. Zoroga Expedition Camp sits at the very heart of our home territory on the edge of the Ntwetwe Pan, a bushman-inspired glamping retreat designed for self-drivers and guests seeking something slower, more intentional and beautifully wild.
Nxai Explore
For those who want to go further and feel more, Nxai Explore is our active, mobile and self-directed safari offering with guided mobile safaris that reach landscapes most travellers never find, self-drive itineraries with full local support, and yoga and wellness retreats that use the extraordinary stillness of the Botswana bush as their setting. Itineraries cover popular Botswana routes, Botswana and Namibia combinations, the Makgadikgadi heritage trail, astrophotography, birding, wellness programmes and corporate retreats.
What we offer
Nxai Travel offers the full spread of Botswana travel solutions across three complementary arms, each one designed to connect you more deeply to one of the most extraordinary countries on earth.
Nxai DMC
As a fully accredited inbound tour operator and destination management company, we handle every element of your journey with local knowledge that comes from living Botswana every day. Itinerary planning, accommodation reservations, transfers and car hire, air charters, fly-in safaris, self-drive tours, guided group journeys, activities and cultural experiences — everything managed under one roof, with one team who knows this country properly.
Our specialist experience pillars let you match your safari to your passion: Women-Only Safaris, Yoga and Wellness Safaris, Culture and Heritage Safaris, Walking Safaris, Photographic and Birding Safaris, and Conservation Safaris. Each can stand alone or be woven into a wider journey.
Nxai Stay
Our own accommodation collection brings together carefully chosen properties in some of Botswana's most compelling natural settings. Each one is selected for its sense of place, its connection to the surrounding wilderness and the quality of the experience it delivers. Zoroga Expedition Camp sits at the very heart of our home territory on the edge of the Ntwetwe Pan, a bushman-inspired glamping retreat designed for self-drivers and guests seeking something slower, more intentional and beautifully wild.
Nxai Explore
For those who want to go further and feel more, Nxai Explore is our active, mobile and self-directed safari offering with guided mobile safaris that reach landscapes most travellers never find, self-drive itineraries with full local support, and yoga and wellness retreats that use the extraordinary stillness of the Botswana bush as their setting. Itineraries cover popular Botswana routes, Botswana and Namibia combinations, the Makgadikgadi heritage trail, astrophotography, birding, wellness programmes and corporate retreats.
Why choose Nxai Travel
Botswana in our bones
This is home. Our team was born here, raised here and shaped by the same landscapes we take our guests into. The Makgadikgadi and the CKGR are not just destinations on our list. They are places we know the way you know a beloved, well-worn place from childhood, with all the intimacy, affection and quiet authority that comes with that.
One company, many solutions
From a single night's accommodation to a three-week multi-destination journey, we handle it all in-house. Our own camps, our own vehicles, our own guides, our own expertise. That means fewer gaps, better continuity and a level of consistency and care that only comes when everything is in the hands of people who care deeply about the outcome.
Tailored to you, every time
No two Nxai Travel journeys are ever the same, because no two guests ever are. We start with a conversation, not a catalogue. We want to understand what you're searching for and then build something around that. The result is a safari that feels entirely yours rather than something plucked off a shelf and handed over.
Travel that gives back
Conservation and community are not add-ons for us. They're baked into every decision we make. We choose partners who operate responsibly, we support initiatives that protect the landscapes our guests come to experience, and we make sure the communities living alongside these wild places benefit meaningfully from the tourism that moves through them.
Beyond our borders
Botswana is our heartland, but the journey doesn't have to stop at the border. We offer seamless extensions to Victoria Falls in Zimbabwe and Zambia, to Namibia and across southern Africa, all handled with the same local knowledge and personal care that goes into every Nxai Travel journey.
Our people
Our people are Kelly Guga, our Managing Director, who is the calm, considered heart of Nxai Travel, the person who listens first, plans with precision and ensures every safari feels genuinely personal. Melvon Guga has an unmatched knowledge of the Makgadikgadi, the CKGR and the landscapes in between. Together, they lead a team built on trust, local knowledge and a shared belief that Botswana deserves to be shown at its very best.
Why choose Nxai Travel
Botswana in our bones
This is home. Our team was born here, raised here and shaped by the same landscapes we take our guests into. The Makgadikgadi and the CKGR are not just destinations on our list. They are places we know the way you know a beloved, well-worn place from childhood, with all the intimacy, affection and quiet authority that comes with that.
One company, many solutions
From a single night's accommodation to a three-week multi-destination journey, we handle it all in-house. Our own camps, our own vehicles, our own guides, our own expertise. That means fewer gaps, better continuity and a level of consistency and care that only comes when everything is in the hands of people who care deeply about the outcome.
Tailored to you, every time
No two Nxai Travel journeys are ever the same, because no two guests ever are. We start with a conversation, not a catalogue. We want to understand what you're searching for and then build something around that. The result is a safari that feels entirely yours rather than something plucked off a shelf and handed over.
Travel that gives back
Conservation and community are not add-ons for us. They're baked into every decision we make. We choose partners who operate responsibly, we support initiatives that protect the landscapes our guests come to experience, and we make sure the communities living alongside these wild places benefit meaningfully from the tourism that moves through them.
Beyond our borders
Botswana is our heartland, but the journey doesn't have to stop at the border. We offer seamless extensions to Victoria Falls in Zimbabwe and Zambia, to Namibia and across southern Africa, all handled with the same local knowledge and personal care that goes into every Nxai Travel journey.
Our people
Our people are Kelly Guga, our Managing Director, who is the calm, considered heart of Nxai Travel, the person who listens first, plans with precision and ensures every safari feels genuinely personal. Melvon Guga has an unmatched knowledge of the Makgadikgadi, the CKGR and the landscapes in between. Together, they lead a team built on trust, local knowledge and a shared belief that Botswana deserves to be shown at its very best.
