Nata Lodge : Info Sheet
Junction to the Okavango, Chobe and Francistown areas
Botswana map
Set among the Mokolwane palms on the edge of the pans – close to the entrance to the Nata Sanctuary, 10 km from Nata village.
Nata Bird Sanctuary
Located 17 kms south of Nata Village, the sanctuary was established in the early 1990’s on the north eastern edge of Sowa Pan. The sanctuary is a community project and a refuge for wildlife around Sua Pan including various species of antelope such as hartebeest, kudu, reedbuck, springbok and steenbok – and springhares, jackals, foxes, monkeys and squirrels.
Eland, gemsbok and zebra are being re-introduced, and current plans include engineering a permanent water hole, which will be filled with pumped water from the Nata riverbed
Nata Sanctuary is home to more than 165 bird species including flamingoes * kingfisher* ostrich* eagles * bustards* pelicans
Nata Birding Spots & Attractions
Sowa Pan with its unique beauty and beaches of rolled quartz pebbles also offers good birding opportunities.
Sowa Spit – Botswana’s soda ash industry mines on part of the pan
Eastern Ntwetwe Pan: fascinating landscapes and beautiful sunsets is also worth visiting
Nata basketry is available for purchase at the village
Travel Note: access to the Makgadikgadi Pan is by four-wheel drive vehicles only.
When the Nata River flows, this corner of Sua Pan becomes a paradise for water-loving birds from all around Africa: teals, ducks, geese and hosts of pelicans, spoonbills and both greater and lesser flamingoes.
Nata bird sanctuary
This area is also an important breeding ground for flamingoes, pelicans & Crowned Cranes
Dominated by a fallen baobab tree of immense age and girth – this huge tree collapsed in 1992 but, amazingly, has survived and continues to grow horizontally with new shoots sprouting along the length of its trunk
Plane lunch is served
the salt pans of Botswana
Access roads throughout the sanctuary are well maintained but access to certain areas may be restricted to 4 – wheel drive, particularly in the wet season