In assocciation with Kalahari Wildlife Tours

Tour 04A: 3 Day+ Kgalagadi – Xaus Lodge Exclusive Tour

This tour covers 01 Trans Frontier Park

MALARIA FREE AREA!

3 Days
2 Nights

DAY 01 Upington – Kgalagadi Transfrontier Park / Xaus Lodge DAY 02 Kgalagadi Transfrontier Park / Xaus Lodge DAY 03 Upington – Departure

DETAILED ITINERARY

Accommodation is at the more exclusive Xaus Lodge, situated in the Kalahari Duneveld. Game drives are on an open game drive vehicles in the concession area as well as on the normal game drive routes. Additional activities with the San are offered.

DAY 01 Upington – Kgalagadi Trans Frontier Park
Time of departure will depend on clients’ travel schedule to Upington. Flight schedule to be finalised. Only the flights arriving in the morning at Upington Airport, leaves enough time to get to meeting point for Xaus Lodge transfer. (Flight not included)

Depart from Upington on a 03-hour drive through the Kalahari duneveld (“veld” means natural vegetation), passing various pans (dry lakes), to the Kgalagadi Trans Frontier Park,

The word Kalahari derives from the word Makgadigadi, meaning salt pans (salt lakes) in the language spoken by the Kgalagadi people living in the Kgalagadi Region in south-western Botswana. The word Kgalagadi means salt pans too in their language. More than 1 000 pans are scattered throughout the park. The Kalahari is the largest area of sand in the world, covering 2.5 million square kilometres from the Orange River in South Africa in the south to slightly north of the equator. The area referred to as the arid Kalahari covers some 900 000 square kilometres in the south and covers parts of South Africa and Namibia and most of Botswana. The Kgalagadi Transfrontier Park is situated in the southern part of the arid Kalahari in South Africa and Botswana and is jointly managed by South Africa National Parks (Sanparks) and Botswana Wildlife.

The Kgalagadi Transfrontier Park covers 37 000 square km, which is one of the largest conservation areas in the world and one of the last truly unspoilt ecosystems.

Endemic game such as gemsbok, springbok, eland, giraffe, blue wildebeest and red hartebeest roam the sparsely vegetated red sand dunes and the dry river valleys of the Nossob and Auob where a variety of acacia species thrive.

The Park is well known for good sightings of lion, leopard and cheetah and spotted – and brown hyena are common residents. Because of an abundance of prey in the form of mice, whistling rats, birds and insects, smaller predators thrive in the park. The park is home to caracal, honey badger, black-backed jackal, bat-eared fox, cape fox, African wildcat, mongoose and the ever-popular suricate (meerkat).

Kgalagadi is a bird watcher’s paradise with more than 300 species recorded including at least 20 larger raptor species. The world’s heaviest flying bird, the Kori bustard and the stately secretary bird patrol the riverbeds while the noisy northern black korhaan rule in the dunes.

Check in at reception at Twee Rivieren. Depart on a game drive along the Auob River Valley to Kamqua Picnic Area. Meet Xaus Lodge staff member at 15:00.

Kalahari Tours and Travel guide departs to Kgalagadi Lodge outside the park to save on overnight costs.

Transfer on an open game drive vehicle on 4×4 trail to Xaus Lodge. Xaus Lodge is situated in the western duneveld of Kgalagadi Park in an area that belongs to the Khomani San and Mier Communities and is managed in partnership with South African National Parks. The 12 luxury twin bed thatched chalets overlook Skrij Pan and is connected with a safe stilted walkway to the main building housing the restaurant, swimming pool deck and viewing deck.

Game drives in open vehicles and informative walks with the San are some of the activities offered.
Overnight: Chalet at Xaus Lodge
Meals: B, L & D

DAY 02 Kgalagadi Trans Frontier Park
4×4 Trail to the Auob River Valley. Game drives. The route will be determined by rainfall and game migration. Return to Xaus Lodge late afternoon.
Overnight: Chalet at Xaus Lodge
Meals: B, L & D

DAY 03 Kgalagadi – Upington
4×4 Trail to the Auob River Valley. Meet Kalahari Tours and Travel guide. Game drive to Twee Rivieren.

Depart to Upington. En route stop at the last indigenous San tribe in South Africa, the Khomani. Today these earliest residents of the Kalahari, living here for 40 000 years, consist of only 400 people and are resident in an area between 40 and 70 km south of Twee Rivieren. Clients will have the opportunity to view and purchase their handcraft at one of the roadside stalls. The presence of the San at the roadside stalls can’t be guaranteed.

Continue to Upington to be in time for departing flight. Flight schedule to be finalised. (Flight not included.)
Meals: L

Rates on request:
E-mail: dantes@kalahari-tours.co.za or click on CONTACT US.

contact us

KALAHARI SAFARI
TOURS & TRAVEL
Upington 8801

TEL/FAX: + 27 (0) 54 3380375
CELL: + 27 (0) 82 4935041