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LOCATION & ACCESS: Nata Lodge is an oasis set among the Mokolwane Palms on the edge of the Makgadikgadi Salt Pans. The lodge is ideally situated close to the entrance of the Nata Bird Sanctuary, is just off the main road and 10km south of Nata Village. This is the junction to the Okavango, Chobe National Park, Victoria Falls Zimbabwe/ Zambia and Francistown areas. ACCOMMODATION: Nata Lodge offers 22 Luxury thatched chalets built on stilts and set in rustic African style, with bathroom en-suite including indoor bath and outdoor shower and now boats air-conditioning. 10 custom designed meru tents set on wooden decks with en suite bathroom and outdoor showers. All our beds are of twin bed configuration. 2 Family Chalets to accommodate 4 pax ( twin beds and bunk bed) and 1 Chalet has been built to accommodate not only the physically challenged but also those guests who require easier access to the shower and toilet. Our camping site boasts stylish semi open ladies and gents ablution facilities with hot and cold showers. FACILITIES: 50 - seater indoor restaurant with open air patio. Continental and English breakfast with buffets served over busy periods. Lunches consist of a patio/terrace menu with some of the old favorites and some new ones. Dinner menus vary between a la carte and traditional African buffet/ braais on busy occasions. The bar area overlooks our crystal blue swimming pool and offers a wide range of ice cold refreshments. Curio shop offers African crafts, jewellery, reading material, maps and clothing. Onward booking facility for accommodation and activities on the Chobe River as well as at Victoria Falls and the Okavango Delta. ACTIVITIES: Activities on offer are quad biking around the dusty tracks of the pans and surrounding areas and exploring the Nata Bird Sanctuary in our open 4x4 safari vehicles. The Sanctuary is a Community based project and boasts lots of birdlife species including spectacular sightings of Flamingos and Pelicans in breeding season.
Star ratings are intended to indicate the general level of features, amenities, and services to expect. This property is classified according to Giata.
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We arrived just as it was getting dark driving from Maun, which was a real experience in itself. On the drive here we saw lots of Elephants, Zebras, Ostriches, Goats, Donkeys and cows. Which made it worth the $27 speeding ticket we got driving through the Nxai Pan National Park on our way to the Nata Lodge. The lower the speed limit to 80k/hr because of the wildlife and it is not well marked.
Once we checked in, we were told dinner is from 7-9 so we walked to our chalet and unpacked and went to dinner. There was large wedding party at the Dining area so we had to wait a long time to be waited on and the food also took awhile to come out. But I don't want to speak poorly of anybody on their wedding day, they deserved to be given top priority.
The chalet was beautiful when walked in there was a big bed with a mosquito net, a desk and two director type chairs, past the bed was a sink, a claw foot bathtub, then you see two doors one is where the toilet is and the other is the outside shower. It has all wood floors and AC and a Ceiling Fan. There is a double sliding glass front door with a sliding screen door too with patio and backdoor where you can park next to chalet.
The next day we went on the 6am tour to Nata Bird Sanctuary to do some bird watching. Our guide was "Joy" and he was a joy. When we first arrived we saw nothing but dry grass and dry pans and he explained that last year there was no rain in the area so there were no water birds that you would usually find there. As we rode along down the dirt roads we finally saw some Wildebeest grazing. As we continued our journey, things started to appear. We saw jackels, ostriches, springbok, rabbits, and many kinds of birds. Joy was very knowledgeable and he told us he has worked for Nata Lodge for many years. He pointed out many different birds and animals and he was a good spotter. We were the only ones on this morning tour so he was very happy helps us identify the birds and animals around the area. He was such delight to be with for our tour. If you need a bird guide, ask for Joy and you will enjoy his expertise.
The pool is a great place to spend the hottest part of the day. They have quite a nice bunch of native trees and bushes around with little pools of water to attract local birds. You can grab a cold drink from the bar and just relax.
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Date of stay: September 2023
Value
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Trip type: Travelled as a couple
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Having been staying in hotels where the bacon etc has been sitting on a hot plate, the nata breakfasts all seem to be completely freshly cooked. Great choice and great service. The chalets are always clean, and the pool was very welcome.
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Date of stay: December 2024
Value
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Location
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Sleep Quality
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
The tented accommodation was excellent, the dinner was good and the staff all very friendly. It is a really nice stop over if you are going up to or down from Kasane of Maun. the tented rooms are extremely comfortable and well kitted out, and the bath was pure bliss after travelling for many days.
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Date of stay: July 2023
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Location
Service
Trip type: Travelled with family
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
This campsite was really disappointing. Plugs not available at every campsite and extremely long cable needed to get power to the campsite. Also water only available at the ablution.
Fire pit is only a small cement block with no braai grid available.
Dogs roaming the campsite through out the day. Ablutions were clean with separate male and female blocks and had warm water available. Very few campers camped the night so was rather quiet with only the noise from the main road passing.
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Date of stay: July 2024Trip type: Travelled as a couple
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
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We remember it as an "okay lodge". But nothing more. We were here with a tour group for one night at the Makgadikgadi salt pan in August 2023. Actually, everything was okay: the room, the food including the veggie options and also the grounds. The outdoor showers in the beautifully furnished wooden houses built on stilts were exceptional. Breakfast was average, the staff so-so during our time there. There was also a bit of trouble because of inaccurate drinks bills, which was a bit of a shame.
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Date of stay: August 2023Trip type: Travelled with family
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
The reception had clearly air up from the friendliness and willingness to inform. After being told the direction of our accommodation, we spent the luggage and moved into the accommodation. Our chalet was then very spacious, practical and equipped with shower, hot water and air conditioning. Visiting the restaurant left some remarkable impressions: you sit and sit and wait and at first nothing happens. Once you have presented the order, you sit and wait. We were still lucky with all this and were finished with dinner after over 2 hours, our tablemates had not even been served their starter after 2 hours. All in all, the staff seems overwhelmed, unmotivated and sometimes even unfriendly.
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Date of stay: September 2024Trip type: Travelled as a couple
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Once again we’ve been given accommodation different from what we’ve booked (lesser accommodation for the higher price) with no intention of rectifying the problem. This despite many e-mail conversations to confirm the correct booking. Twice in a row. We won’t visit again.
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Date of stay: November 2024Trip type: Travelled with family
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
We booked well in advanced but our booking was changed once but arriving, and when we got to the the camp, it was changed again and we were asked to go and stay in pelican lodge down the road. This was because the tented accommodation was “under construction and too dusty“. When we asked if pelican lodge had a swimming pool, the receptionist said she didn’t know. However, a quick Google would quickly tell you that the swimming pool has been closed for at least two years. Also, we were lucky enough to find a fellow traveler who had been there who said it was substandard, cold, food, bad service, and that the pool was indeed out of order at pelican Lodge. When we said, we were not budging remarkably the two tented Shalace that we had booked were available with no construction in place, and no dust it was clear that she had been lying to us. The food service was slow. We were always the last to be served as the lodge now caters for large groups of tourists who come by coaches and fill up the lodge and get preferential Treatment. This is such a shame as I have been co ing to Bata Lodge since 1994 but will NEVER come again. It has become like Butlins on Safari
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Date of stay: August 2023Trip type: Travelled with friends
Room Tip:Leave well alone.
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Very poor service , no manager on the floor be it in restaurant, or front desk, rooms are dated , AC weak and almost no sense of hospitality in the staff . Our group had one of the worst experiences. Only advantage is location. Better to avoid it at any cost
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Date of stay: November 2023Trip type: Travelled on business
Room Tip:Avoid the lodge
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
We arrived at this lodge having stayed here many time before however the lack of management supervision is evident. The busy season is here and they know this traditionally yet there was no chicken on the menu for lunch as it had run out. Fortunately there was some by dinner time but then the bread rolls had run out. I had to report the communal toilet had no soap in the holder 3 times before it was done. We ordered our dinner at 5:30 and 2 hours later we eventually left the table as we had been told about 4 times our food was on its way. We have always enjoyed staying here as there is a lovely pool, but not being able to get food is ridiculous next time we will just plan our trip to push through past Nata.
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Date of stay: October 2022Trip type: Travelled with family
Room Tip:Avoid busy season and I suggest planning your trip to avoid a stop in Nata
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
I did not notice the family chalets, and it was winter, so I did not notice the air conditioning either.
If you write the lodge directly, just look up Nata Lodge,
I'm sure they will answer your questions.
We were there in August 2015 and the road was fine to drive on in our safari truck to the Pan. We only saw wildebeest and pelicans and a few other birds on the water. The sunset was quite beautiful over the water.
There are more places to choose from in the Nata area.
PRICE RANGE
AU$119 - AU$243 (Based on Average Rates for a Standard Room)
LOCATION
BotswanaCentral DistrictNata
NUMBER OF ROOMS
32
Prices are provided by our partners for one room, with variable occupancy rules as provided by the property, and reflect total costs of the stay, including all taxes and fees known to our partners. Please see our partners for more details.
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