Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
SOWA PAN
Sowa (also spelt Sua) Pan is mostly a single sheet of salt-encrusted mud stretching across
the lowest basin in northeastern Botswana. Sowa means 'salt' in the language of the San,
who once mined the pan to sell salt to the Bakalanga. Today it is mined by the Sua Pan
Soda Ash Company, which sells sodium carbonate for industrial manufacturing.
NATA DELTA
During the rainy season (November to May), huge flocks of water birds congregate at the
Nata Delta, which is formed when the Nata River flows into the northern end of the Sowa
Pan. When the rains are at their heaviest (December to February), the pan is covered with
a thin film of water that reflects the sky and obliterates the horizon. The Nata Bird Sanc-
tuary is the most easily accessible part of the delta.
SOWA SPIT
This long, slender protrusion extends into the heart of the pan and is the nexus of Bot-
swana's lucrative soda-ash industry. Although security measures prevent public access to
the plant, private vehicles can proceed as far as Sowa village on the pan's edge. Views of
the pan from the village are limited, though they're better if you're travelling through the
area in a 4WD.
KUBU ISLAND
Along the southwestern edge of Sowa Pan is a ghostly, baobab-laden rock, entirely sur-
rounded by a sea of salt. In Setswana, kubu means 'hippopotamus' (in ancient times this
was a real island on a real lake inhabited by an abundance of hippos). It's not only the
name that evokes a more fertile past - the fossilised shit of water birds that once perched
here still adorns the boulders.
As unlikely as it may seem, given the current environment and climate, this desolate
area may have been inhabited by people as recently as 500 years ago. On one shore lies an
ancient crescent-shaped stone wall of unknown origin, which has yielded numerous arte-
facts, testament to those who lived here before the waters dried up (some think it served as
a space in male initiation ceremonies).
The island ( www.kubuisland.com ) is now protected as a national monument, admin-
istered by the local Gaing-O-Community Trust.
Sleeping
Kubu Island Campsite $
Offline map
CAMPGROUND
 
 
 
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