Makgadikgadi Salt Pans: Nata Santuary
After another increadible fly over the Okavango we get again in to the truck and went across the northern reaches of the Makgadigadi Pans.
Imagine an area the size of Portugal, largely uninhabited by humans. Its stark, flat, featureless terrain stretches to eternity, meeting and fusing with a milky-blue horizon. This is the Makgadikgadi – an area of 12 000 sq kms, part of the Kalahari Basin, yet unique to it – one of the largest salt pans in the world.
We visited the Nata Sanctuary: Botswana’s first community-based conservation project is managed and staffed by residents of four local communities – Nata, Maphosa, Sepako and Manxotae.
Covering an area of 250 sq kms – comprising both grasslands and pans, in an important environmentally sensitive area.
The sanctuary boasts a large number of bird species, in addition to several types of mammals
When there is water in the pans, thousands of flamingos, pelicans, ducks and geese congregate, and the scene is indeed awe-inspiring. an elevated hide provides an unbeatable panorama of the pans.
One reason for visiting the bird sanctuary is for the sunset over the Makgadikgadi Pan we had drink waiting for the sun to set, but at the end we had to run because a storm was coming.
Chobe National Park
Chobe National Park in the north of beautiful Botswana is home to Africa’s largest elephant population (50,000) and comprises more than 10,000km2 of rich ecosystems, diverse landscapes and an almost unparalleled abundance of wildlife and birdlife all centred around the stunning Chobe River, and in close proximity to a number of Southern Africa’s other safari must-sees.
50,000 elephants, I repeat 50,000 elephants and I sow none! Really none!!!
When we arrived to our accommodation was raining cats & dogs. We got lucky and by the time of our game drive the rain stop. But even so it was too late, all the elephants had gone into Bush.
During the tour we were able to see many buffalo, antelopes and warthog. The landscape was also pretty amazing.
After the game drive we went on a boat, where we did a tour for 3 hours. There we could see many more hippos, large crocodiles and birds. The most interesting thing was to see an elephant, who had been shot by illness, being eaten by the crocodiles.
The boat ride was interesting but being so big you could not get too close. 3h is at the end a lot of time, and for me was a little bit boring.
During that time we could see rainbows and storms in the distance. Our last night in Botswana also rained a lot :(
