!Xaus Lodge 

Panoramic view of !Xaus LodgePanoramic view of !Xaus Lodge
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Side view of !Xaus LodgeSide view of !Xaus Lodge

Location

the other side of !Xaus lodgethe other side of !Xaus lodge

!Xaus Lodge is located in the South African sector of the Kgalagadi Transfrontier Park (KTP) and access is via the Auob River road that connects Tweerivieren with Mata Mata. The lodge is situated 30 km into the desert, reached after driving over 37 sand dunes from the turn-off at Rooibrak waterhole, 60 km northwest of Tweerivieren.

GPS co-ordinates for a Google search are: S26°09.005′ E20°15.392′.

Entrance road to !Xaus lodgeEntrance road to !Xaus lodge

The self-drive to Kamqua picnic site can be done in any standard sedan motor vehicle although a vehicle with good ground clearance is preferable. Guests are met at Kamqua picnic site and escorted to the !Xaus Lodge turnoff at the Rooibrak waterhole.

Guests who do not want to take their vehicles over the dunes, park in a demarcated zone off the road behind the dunes for the duration of their stay at !Xaus Lodge and are then transferred to the lodge in an open safari vehicle.

Guests with 4×4 vehicles, and the ability to drive over sand dunes, may drive to the Lodge, in convoy with the Lodge vehicles. Because the road to the Lodge is a single track, no guests may drive to the Lodge unless in convoy with Lodge vehicles.

Fuel can be purchased at the towns of Askham or Andriesvale (diesel only) or at KTP’s Tweerivieren or Mata Mata. Tyre pressures should be reduced to 1,6 bar for travelling on gravel roads in the KTP and to 1,4 bar if self-driving through the dunes to the lodge.

For more information download the Lodge Fact Sheet and/or download the Lodge Guestbook.

You can also check out our trip report page.

The drive to !Xaus Lodge in the KalahariThe drive to !Xaus Lodge in the Kalahari

About the Lodge

!Xaus lodge overlooking the salt pan!Xaus lodge overlooking the salt pan

!Xaus Lodge is perched on a sand dune overlooking a large salt pan....

The salt pan at !Xaus lodge by dayThe salt pan at !Xaus lodge by day
!Xaus salt pan with a beautiful sky!Xaus salt pan with a beautiful sky

The local community the Khomani San and Mier- the owners, make up the majority of the staff.

The main lodge building consists of a welcoming reception area with its unique wall-hanging made by the ladies of Vezokhule, a sewing co-operative in Upington.

seating area and wall hanging at !Xaus lodgeseating area and wall hanging

The cosy lounge has a fireplace and a library of selected.

the lounge at !Xaus Lodgethe lounge at !Xaus Lodge

The arts and craft shop provides locally made Bushman crafts as well as other crafts made in the Kalahari.....

Curio shop at !Xaus Lodge in the KalahariCurio shop at !Xaus Lodge in the Kalahari

The viewing deck is a good place to gaze at the night sky while the swimming pool provides cool relief from the desert heat during the hot summer months.....

!Xaus Lodge pool deck!Xaus Lodge pool deck
!Xaus lodge swimming pool and pan view!Xaus lodge swimming pool and pan view

There is no cell phone, Wi-Fi or TV signals because the telecommunications signals don’t reach the Lodge, so enjoy the digital detox during you stay.

There is a satellite phone and emails are available in cases of emergencies.

The lodge is equipped with a generator and in order to limit the environmental impact, the generator operates between 7 – 10 am and 5 – 10 pm.

!Xaus lodge in the Kalahari!Xaus lodge in the Kalahari

The Kalahari skies are beautiful and you can see both the sunrise and sunset from the lodge....

Sunrise at !Xaus lodge in the KalahariSunrise at !Xaus lodge in the Kalahari
The setting sun over !Xaus lodgeThe setting sun over the lodge
colour over !Xaus lodgecolour over !Xaus lodge

Accommodation

There are 12 well spaced chalets and one family chalet which sleeps 4, they are furnished in true Kalahari style....

chalets at !Xaus Lodgechalets at !Xaus Lodge

each chalet has 2 single beds, en-suite bathroom; there is a flask filled with purified drinking water from the desert, which is filled each day. Winter sheets and gas heaters provide comfort for the cold nights, and ceiling fans bring relief in the hot months.....

Chalet bedroom at !Xaus LodgeChalet bedroom at !Xaus Lodge
Handcrafted pillow at !Xaus lodgeHandcrafted pillow
bedroom at !Xaus Lodgebedroom at !Xaus Lodge
Inside our chalet at !Xaus LodgeInside our chalet

We had a very unusual guest pop into visit our chalet, helmeted guineafowl are a rare sighting in the Kalahari....

helmeted guineafowl at our !Xaus chalethelmeted guineafowl at our chalet

The chalets have their own deck overlooking the vast salt pan and waterhole fed with fresh water.

View of pan from chalet deck at !Xaus LodgeView of pan from chalet deck at !Xaus Lodge

Food and Drinks

All our meals were delicious and well prepared. Meals are served either in the dining room or on the deck overlooking the pan....

breakfast at !Xaus Lodge in the Kalaharibreakfast at !Xaus Lodge
Lunch in Xaus Lodge dining roomLunch in Xaus Lodge dining room
Lunch at !Xaus lodge - staffed pancake with side salad and cheese sauceLunch at !Xaus lodge - savory mince pancake with side salad and cheese sauce
dinner at Xaus Lodge in the Kalaharidinner at Xaus Lodge in the Kalahari
Our starter of bacon rolls on a bed of lettuce at Xaus Lodge in the KalahariOur starter of bacon rolls on a bed of lettuce
Dinner of Cottage pie green beans and potato bacon rounds at Xaus Lodge in the Kalaharifor dinner - Cottage pie green beans and potato bacon rounds
Lunch in dining room at Xaus lodgeLunch in dining room at Xaus lodge
Drinks on the viewing deck at !Xaus LodgeDrinks on the viewing deck overlooking the pan

Wood is a precious commodity in the Kalahari, so the inviting fire in the boma is made in the traditional method with three or four crossed sticks around which everyone huddles companionably.

The boma at !Xaus Lodge in the KalahariThe boma at !Xaus Lodge

"Having a passion for the region myself and having had to learn about all the dynamics, waterholes and ideal routes to drive over a period of 6 years.

I wish I had this guide on my first trip already!" 

- Morkel Erasmus, Secunda, South Africa

Use promo code K2K to get 33% off.

Activities

The lodge is not situated in a game-rich area so animal sightings can be infrequent but the photographic opportunities for landscapes are excellent for both day and night photography.

Having said that, we had lion sightings every day when we stayed at the lodge in November 2012 - you can read our trip report for more details.

The floodlit waterhole allows guest to see what comes down to drink... 

Male lion lying at the camp waterholeMale lion lying at the camp waterhole looking up at us in our chalet!
Eland at the !Xaus waterholeEland at the !Xaus waterhole
Lions at !Xaus waterholeLions at !Xaus waterhole
Gemsbok at !Xaus waterhole at nightGemsbok at !Xaus waterhole at night
Eland image taken from our chalet at !Xaus lodgeEland image taken from our chalet at !Xaus lodge

Guided Walks: We set out at day-break with our guides and Bushman trackers and walked through the dunes, we learnt all about our natural surroundings. Our guide showed us how to identify animal spoor, birds, trees and plants, and discussed their medicinal uses.

There is a shorter guided walk which can be arranged to see the ‘heart’ of the pan.

guided walk at !Xaus Lodgeguided walk at !Xaus Lodge
Our Bushman guided at !Xaus LodgeOur Bushman guided at !Xaus Lodge
Guided bush walk at !Xaus LodgeGuided bush walk at !Xaus Lodge
Our guided walk at !Xaus LodgeOur guided walk at !Xaus Lodge

Cultural Village: We took a walk to the recreated cultural village and saw the Busman crafters at work. You can join the young Bushmen demonstrating their traditional games and purchase traditional crafts hanging from the branches of the tree under which the crafters sit at work.  Their grafts can also be purchased at the Lodge curio shop.

The Bushman village at Xaus Lodge in the KalahariThe Bushman village at Xaus Lodge in the Kalahari
Bushman working his trade in the Village at !Xaus LodgeBushman working his trade in the Village at !Xaus Lodge

Game Drives: We enjoyed the lovely Sunset drives and dune walks to see the sun set over the Kalahari with an early evening game drive back to the lodge.

We had sightings of a Lioness drinking and a beautiful male Eland on top on a red rand dune.

Game drive at !Xaus LodgeGame drive at !Xaus Lodge
eland taken on !Xaus game driveeland taken on !Xaus game drive
Lioness image taken on game drive at !XauLioness image taken on game drive at !Xau
Sundowner stop on our sunset game drive at !Xaus LodgeSundowner stop on our sunset game drive at !Xaus Lodge
Sundowners on our game drive at !XausSundowners on our game drive

The after-dinner night drives, give you the opportunities to hear the sounds of barking geckos, insect and the call of the nocturnal animals.....

night drive at !Xaus lodgenight drive at !Xaus lodge

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"This eBook is packed with knowledge that can be applied to other parks, safaris and wildlife excursions via the photography lessons and additional advice for photographers" - Amanda Ellis, Pretoria, South Africa

"This eBook will be extremely useful for a wide spectrum of photography enthusiasts, from beginners to even professional photographers." - Tobie Oosthuizen, Pretoria, South Africa

"Having a passion for the region myself and having had to learn about all the dynamics, waterholes and ideal routes to drive over a period of 6 years - I wish I had this guide on my first trip already!" - Morkel Erasmus, Secunda, South Africa

"Mario and Jenny take you to spots that are not always visited, and their descriptions of the more remote camps will allow you to make an informed decision without wasting time and money" - Bob & Sherry Shepardson, DeBary, Florida, USA

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