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!Xaus Lodge is located in the South African sector of the
Kgalagadi Transfrontier Park 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
traversing around 91 sand dunes from the turn-off at Rooibrak waterhole, 60
km northwest of Tweerivieren. !Xaus overlooks a large salt pan approximately
4 km in circumference with a fresh-water hole directly below the lodge.
Experience life in the Kalahari, it’s animals and people
when you visit !Xaus Lodge. Enjoy game drives, guided dune walks and the
Bushman craft village.
Activities
- Sunset pan drive and dune walk to
‘listen’ to the sun set over the Kalahari with an early evening game
drive back to the lodge.
- After-dinner night drive, with the
accompanying sounds of barking geckos, insect shrills, and larger
animal calls to break the silence.
- A complimentary six to seven hour
game drive through the dunes and along the Auob River, with packed
breakfast and picnic lunch, is available for guests staying four
nights or longer. At an additional charge, this game drive is also
available to those staying for two or three nights. Please discuss
the availability and cost of this with our management.
- Guided walks onto the pan to see
the ‘heart’ of the Kalahari and then to our re-created cultural
village to visit the Bushman crafters at work, see young Bushmen
demonstrating their traditional games and purchase traditional
crafts hanging from the branches of the tree under which the
crafters sit peacefully at work.
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Guided wilderness walks through the
dunes identifying animal spoor, birds, trees and plants, with a
discussion on their medicinal uses.
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Walk to the re-created cultural
village to visit the Bushman crafters at work, see young Bushmen
demonstrating their traditional games and purchase traditional
crafts hanging from the branches of the tree under which the
crafters sit peacefully at work.
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Join us on the observation deck
after dinner and gaze through our telescopes at the splendour of the
Kalahari night sky.
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The central lodge building comprises a welcoming reception area with its
unique wall-hanging made by the ladies of Vezokhule, a sewing co-operative
in Upington. The cosy lounge has a fireplace and a library of selected books
for paging through before dinner. Our dining area overlooks the pan, with
furniture hand-made in Upington and images burnt by Bushmen artists.
At the art and craft shop, you can purchase locally made
Bushman crafts as well as crafts made in the wider Kalahari. Visit the large
observation deck from which we gaze in wonder at the night sky, and by day
the swimming pool provides cool relief from the desert heat. 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.
In the en-suite chalets we provide purified drinking water
from the desert which you will find in a flask in your bathroom. Winter
sheets and gas heaters provide comfort for the cold nights, and ceiling fans
bring relief in the hot months.
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!Xaus