Sowa Town

Sowa Town (also spelled Sowa) is a small town in the Central District of Botswana, located at the southern edge of the Makgadikgadi Pans. The town was established in the 1990s to support the Soda Ash Botswana mining operation, which extracts sodium carbonate (soda ash) and salt from the vast salt pans. Sowa Town is a modern, planned settlement with housing, schools, and amenities built for the mining workforce. Its location on the edge of the Makgadikgadi Pans — one of the largest salt flats in the world — gives it a stark, remote beauty. The town is named after the Setswana word for salt.

The best time to visit is during the dry winter months (May–August) when the pans are accessible and the weather is mild. In summer (November–March), the pans flood and are impassable but attract spectacular flocks of flamingos.

Sowa Town is small and walkable, but spread out across a flat landscape. A private vehicle is needed to reach the town and explore the surrounding Makgadikgadi Pans. The town is connected by a paved road to the Nata–Maun highway, about 30 km south.

• Sowa Town — A remote mining town on the edge of the Makgadikgadi Pans, gateway to one of Botswana's most dramatic landscapes.

Dining options in Sowa Town are limited to a few basic restaurants and takeaways serving Setswana staples. Visitors should bring supplies from Nata or Francistown for self-catering.

Sowa Town's community is centred around the soda ash mine. There are no notable annual festivals in the town itself, though the nearby Makgadikgadi Pans are the setting for cultural events organised by the local communities.

• Makgadikgadi Pans exploration — The vast salt pans stretch to the horizon, dotted with baobab trees and, in summer, flocks of flamingos.
• Soda ash mine tour — The extraction operation is visible from the town (arrange access in advance).
• Nata Sanctuary — 30 km south, a community-run bird sanctuary at the edge of the pans.
• Kubu Island — A granite outcrop in the Makgadikgadi Pans, featuring ancient baobab trees and Stone Age artefacts.