!Xaus Lodge is a private Safari Lodge in the Kgalagadi Transfrontier Park. Set in an isolated corner of the Kalahari Desert, this eco-lodge is owned by the local Khomani San and Mier communities, and commercially managed. Guests stay on a full-board basis, with all meals, activities and game drives included in the tariff. Activities include wilderness walks with local Khomani San trackers, a visit to the craft village to meet local crafters, game drives and an opportunity to listen to the sunset. Night-sky star-gazing is a highlight of the evening.!Xaus Lodge is an isolated, desert destination where the emphasis is on experiencing this unique part of the world. Guests stay in chalets on the edge of a large salt-pan and can view game at the waterhole from their private viewing deck. Wilderness walks provide an opportunity to see the smaller details, and give an opportunity to learn about desert life.The local community owners, the Khomani San and Mier, make up the majority of the staff, and their influences dominate the aesthetics and culinary experience. !Xaus Lodge is a place to experience, and not just observe.
Star ratings are intended to indicate the general level of features, amenities, and services to expect. This property is classified according to Giata.
HOTEL STYLE
Romantic
Luxury
Languages Spoken
Afrikaans
Location
Dune 91 Off the Auob River Road, Kgalagadi Transfrontier Park 8814 South Africa
!Xaus Lodge is not for the feint hearted or those who have expectations of fields full of animals. It is a quiet desert, a red desert, a desert the colour of our life blood. The accommodation is beautiful and very comfortable with a verandah that looks out over the salt pan often frequented by gemsbok (oryx). At night the skies light up with beautiful stars but I wonder how beautiful it would be with a full moon? The meals are not fine dining but are well prepared with lots of love from the most divine SAN and Mier Bushmen chefs and servers. The staff are extremely helpful and vigilant as you are in a wilderness, far away from the nearest hospital. What impressed me the most was the walk with the “gentle people” whose footprints barely touch the precious land. Kallie and Castro have bush knowledge venturing onto magic. Their eyes have super powers! Never in my life, have I met game guides that treaty the land and the animals with such veneration. The small animals and creatures are a treat as these are the ones that start the circle of life. Enjoy and admire them. You might be lucky enough to see some different mammals but rather visit !Xaus without expectations. !Xaus Lodge will have a special place in my heart and I highly recommend at least a 3 night stay to ensure that there is time to absorb and appreciate your surroundings. PS. You may self drive in but on hindsight, rather drive with the trackers as their knowledge on the 90 minute trip is astounding. Vehicles are well secured at a base garaging area. There is no power at !Xaus to charge camp fridges. Highly recommended.
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Date of stay: November 2020Trip 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.
Our visit to !Xaus was amazing! It's always fantastic to be met by the managers as well as the camp staff. Fantastic stories and videos of lions under the deck cooling off- only disappointed we missed seeing them on this trip. We had the pleasure of watching Oryx and ostriches trek across the salt pan to the water hole. Our game drives were great, though I definitely wish we'd had time to do a drive into the main park with our guides. On the plus side, the night drives were incredibly fruitful! We had two aardvark sightings, making us the envy of our more-seasoned safari friends. The rooms were slightly tired and could use a bit of updating, but they were clean with lovely turn down stories. The steps into the rooms and the decking can be a bit uneven so older guests should be careful. The thoughtful touches like the reusable glass water bottle was fantastic though, and the Dark Sky Sanctuary Status meant the stargazing was absolutely phenomenal. I can't wait to go back!
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Date of stay: November 2019
Value
Service
Sleep Quality
Room Tip:If any travellers are particularly nervous, it may be best to request a room closer to the main...
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 had a great stay at !Xaus Lodge. The buildings are very pretty, the food was good (breakfast and most dinners were excellent, lunch was a little boring). Our staff was wonderful, and our guide really knew his stuff. The only downsides are that in the absolute heat of the day, when you are back at the lodge possibly having a siesta between game drives, the generator is off and its crazy hot in the summer. Also, the water from the tap is well water and very very soft. !Xaus is priced at a luxury and I think it's hard to take paying so much.
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Review collected in partnership with this hotel
Date of stay: December 2019
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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 were 2 couples who stayed for 3 nights at the !Xaus Lodge. We were looking forward to these last 3 nights in the lodge after we were "roughing it" on the Nossob 4x4 trail. We found the guides to be knowledgeable and passionate. We enjoyed their stories about the Kalahari and the animals we encountered. The sunset drives were spectacular and morning walks extremely informative. The kitchen and bar staff were very friendly. We enjoyed good Kalahari fair from the kitchen with the lamb "potjie" taking the prize for best dish. We can't fault the staff. We were also spoiled by frequent leopard visits at night and two young male lions also decided to frequent the lodge during our stay. The lodge needs some urgent maintenance and upgrades. I see that this concern is echoed in other reviews. The pool was cracked and empty. The generator only runs for a short period during the day and the fridges were not able to keep the drinks cold. The beer was warm and ice was running low. Some of the guests opted to refrigerate the beer in their own freezers in their cars before drinking it. This lodge is in a beautiful setting with beautiful staff and I hope that management can resolve the financial issues thrown at them due to COVID 19.
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Date of stay: October 2020
Value
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Service
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 stayed here for three nights and where highly impressed and had a great stay. That said, It is ~30 km away from the main road in the park and is on SAN land. The room where nicely decorated and the view down to the salt pan in the morning was a nice start of the day to see animals at the water hole. We had guided morning walks, night ride, sun downers and half day morning safari guided by a very knowledgeable guide who puts a smile on your face. There was a also a "small craft grall' where you could see what the SAN produce on the roads sides and how/what they use. The dinner was each night a ball and really good. We drove to dune 91 ourself, following the guide in and later alone out. It takes nearly 90 minutes to get in and there is no cell reception or internet. So talk to people and have a drink. This was a great place to learn more about the SAN and the Kalahiri. Yes also saw a lot of animals big and small and the guide saw them 10 km down before us ;-)
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Date of stay: January 2023
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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.
Anthony, Suzi and their team made us really feel at home. The location is amazing and we were treated to two Kgalagadi thunderstorms in the 3 days. With the temperatures nearing 40 degrees in the afternoons, the cool splash pool was appreciated, and air conditioning would have been a winner. Being woken up at 6am was a surprising treat to have a small pride of lions with cubs literally a few metres from the lodge pathways. The wind from one of the storms shook a lot of sand from the thatch which rained down on an afternoon nap. The staff did their best to tidy up before we went to bed. Will be going back for sure.
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Review collected in partnership with this hotel
Date of stay: March 2020
Value
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Location
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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.
After the heavy rains, the Kalahari dunes were green, not red. But this meant that animals shunned the grasses and rather trod the sandy roads. It also meant we could be shown the excellent tracking skills of the San staff who could read a story from spoor in the sand. Restful views of the pan from the very comfortable rooms helped to free us from our locked-down lives. Good food, too.
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Review collected in partnership with this hotel
Date of stay: March 2021
Value
Rooms
Location
Cleanliness
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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.
We spent two nights in this expensive private lodge and had high expectations given by the photos of the site, unfortunately it didn't go that way. The location is certainly very suggestive and the chalets very beautiful, the cuisine very well cared for but there is a but. I state that we were the only guests which amazed me as at the booking it seemed fully booked so that we had to move the dates. The first night around 11 pm there were loud squeasing and noises of scratching nails, coming from the nests of bats in the roof inside the chalet, bats that then began to fly and emit verses throughout the night. They scare me a lot so I spent the whole night awake huddled under the blankets while my husband tried to get them out. In the morning I reported everything to Antony, the manager, who spread his arms saying that they don't bother him. I expect such an answer from a staff member at Twee Rivieren where I pay 1000 rand a night, but not in a 22,000 rand private lodge. Although nothing would have changed, he should have proposed to change chalets since they were all empty and only 4 other people would arrive. The next night, same thing, however, I slept in the bathroom sitting on a chair with my feet on the toilet. In the morning when Antony the manager asked me how it went and I told him he smiled .... I'm a stupid tourist ok course ...... Let's move on to activities. A 55 minute night drive, a 50 minute morning walk and a 1 hour and 30 minute sunset drive We have been going to South Africa for 23 years and we know the natural environment well and it is not the first time we have gone to a private lodge, but we have never had such a treatment. I wrote an email on my return to the company that manages the lodge, no answer Money really wasted
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Date of stay: August 2023Trip 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.
I really enjoyed my stay at !Xaus Lodge particularly the visits by the Lions with their cubs! The activities were great especially the morning walk and all the staff were extremely helpful . The weather was very hot during my stay but that is not something that the Lodge can control but I do hope that they manage to secure funding to improve ventilation in the rooms at this community owned lodge. Well done everyone for a great experience!
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Review collected in partnership with this hotel
Date of stay: February 2020
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Location
Cleanliness
Service
Sleep Quality
Trip type: Travelled on business
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 visited this lodge as a senior citizen trip and really enjoyed our stay. From our arrival at the pick-up point, to the last day was excellent in all aspects. The service and food provided is well prepared and Kieran & Lyn-Rae manage this lodge well and are supported by the Khomani San and they complete the package. From the game walk to the game drives, to the cleaning of the rooms, all are done with a smile. The lodge needs some tender care and a paint etc. We even lost a cell phone in the desert on a sand road and this was found by the lodge staff. We really enjoyed our stay and will be back next year for another trip. Thank you one and all at iXaus lodge. You guys are great.
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Date of stay: September 2021
Rooms
Location
Service
Trip type: Travelled on business
Room Tip:All rooms have a great view.
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.
Hello, we travelled from Upington by car. It was a "light" 4WD drive car - Nissan X Trail- we hired at the airport in Upington. First was the company.
A 4 WD is needed to travel between the the "main road" in the national park and the Lodge;
Cape Town Central, South Africa12 contributions1 helpful vote
Yes, all activities are included in the daily rate. Activities include guided morning walks through the dunes, interaction with the Khomani San community at their crafting school, afternoon or night game drives, sundowners on the dunes, nightsky viewing through telescopes.
Cape Town Central, South Africa12 contributions1 helpful vote
Yes, all activities are included in the daily rate. Activities include guided morning walks through the dunes, interaction with the Khomani San community at their crafting school, afternoon or night game drives, sundowners on the dunes, nightsky viewing through telescopes.
There are more places to choose from in the Kgalagadi Transfrontier Park area.
PRICE RANGE
R 11,144 - R 13,114 (Based on Average Rates for a Standard Room)
LOCATION
South AfricaNorthern CapeKgalagadi Transfrontier Park
NUMBER OF ROOMS
12
Prices are provided by our partners, and reflect average nightly room rates, including taxes and fees that are fixed, known to our partners, and due at time of booking. Please see our partners for more details.
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