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SPONSORED: Unleash your inner explorer with the Kalahari Red Dune Route, full of breathtaking sunsets, wide open skies, and crimson dunes – it’s just one phone call away.
The Kalahari Red Dune Route starts 50 km from Upington on the R360 and heads to the Kgalagadi Transfrontier Park. The way there is sprinkled with starlit evenings, meerkat watching, 4x4 trips and delicious food.
Choose this convenient solution by getting in touch with Retha Stadler to book any or all the accommodation options here. She’ll help you create a personalised adventure with some or all the destinations here. Find her at 082 492 3469 or email rooiduinroete@hotmail.co.za. Visit the website for more at kalahariredduneroute.co.za or follow them on Facebook @Kalahari Red Dune Route.
Ratelpan Lifestyle Farm & Eco Lodge
Watch the sun rise over a red dune, coffee in hand on the stoep. Read a book at the waterhole as masses of sandgrouse (kelkiewyn) come to sip water in split seconds, hike as far as the eye can see on the 2 000 ha farm or take an afternoon game drive. Test your 4x4 skills and stop on the highest dune in the region, enjoying an unforgettable sundowner overlooking the vast plains of the Kalahari.
Call 082 557 9328 or 082 856 9848, or email orders@mykalaharicollection.co.za.
Rooipan
A guesthouse on an operational farm named Rooipan. A small-scale operation managed by the Knoetze family, where wide, orange-coloured landscapes, massive sand dunes, clear skies and astonishing wildlife are part of everyday life. Enjoy their outstanding food, the freedom of nature, the warmth of the hosts and the kindness of the Kalahari.
Call Lizette and Daantjie Knoetze on 082 415 1579, email them at rooipan@gmail.com or go to Upington.com to read more.
Kgalagadi Lifestyle Lodge
This is your one-stop Kalahari oasis. It’s situated 250 km from the Upington Airport, 5 km from the Kgalagadi Transfrontier Park, and you can choose between luxury, air-conditioned chalets, or well-equipped campsites with private ablution facilities. Voted the best food in the Kalahari, the Black Mane Butcher & Grill offers wood-fired pizza and Kalahari Craft Beer. There is also a landing strip, curio shop, and grocery store, hiking, self-drive game drives, swimming, 4x4 hire, and off-site catering and function options.
Call 054 325 0935 or 083 225 0331 or 073 727 7241. Email info@kgalagadi-lodge.co.za or go to kgalagadi-lodge.co.za to read more.
Dreghorn Kalahari Game Farm
Choose between five self-catering units and four camp sites. A swimming pool at the private boma area makes it ideal for a summer visit or an intimate function with a group of friends. It is the ideal stopover on your way to the Kgalagadi Transfrontier Park or Botswana, where you can take time to explore this unique part of the Green Kalahari, from the small steenbok to the large but graceful gemsbok. They also offer game viewing, 4x4 drives, and birdwatching.
Call 072 351 5395, send an email to info@dreghornfarm.co.za or go to their website at dreghornfarm.co.za.
Kalahari Trails
Only 35 km from Kgalagadi Transfrontier Park, between towering red dunes, lies a unique sanctuary home to rescued meerkats as well as diverse wildlife. Rehabilitated meerkat families roam freely here and offer hours of entertainment. With over 220 bird species, diverse game, and guided walks and tours as well as wildlife encounters and affordable accommodation, it’s a unique destination for photographers, birders, botanists, and nature enthusiasts alike, with the option of doing a day visit too.
Call 063 087 7732 or 082 769 4884, send an email to info@kalahari-trails.co.za or visit their website at kalahari-trails.co.za.
Rea Farmstead Kalahari
Choose this bushcamp for 12 or one of their seven campsites for privacy, silence and nature-bathing guaranteed. The bushcamp chalet has fully kitted beds and towels, with an equipped kitchen and braai area. The campers shower with a view and can enjoy the silence of no electricity as well as access to the bushcamp lapa. It’s a birdwatcher’s paradise, where the sunsets on the dune overlook the Kalahari. Book sundowners in advance.
Call 083 313 1044 or email reabushcamp@gmail.com to book.
Thirstland Trails
This is your go-to for slackpacking trails, Kalahari experiences and mobile tent camp hire. Choose between a six-day, five-night Kalahari red dune (hiking) trail, a full day guided Kgalagadi game drive, a two-day, one-night 4x4 off-grid red dune experience, or mobile tent camp hire for almost any occasion you can dream up. Slow down and experience the Kalahari Thirstland.
Call 082 769 4884, email info@thirstland-trails.co.za or go to their website for more: thirstland-trails.co.za.
Molopo Kalahari Lodge
Only 60 km from the Kgalagadi Transfrontier Park, this lodge boasts luxury, air-conditioned chalets and camp sites with private ablutions and electricity. An à la carte restaurant, swimming pools, laundromat service, security, and generator mean additional convenience, allowing you to embrace your wanderlust and sense of adventure: grab a sandboard and enjoy an energetic slide down the dunes near Molopo Kalahari Lodge, or bring your binoculars for birdwatching of the many endemic bird species.
Call 054 511 0008, send an email to info@molopolodge.co.za or go to their website at ncfamouslodges.com/molopo-kalahari-lodge.
Kalahari Gasteplaas en Plaasstal
Daily fresh farm milk in the fridge, a stoep for the braai, and a long distance away from worries. Come do some birdwatching; for even more birds, you can choose to camp at the large dam. The farm is fully equipped with solar power and features a farm stall with lamb chops, curry kebabs, game pies, a wide selection of biltong and dry wors, as well as ginger beer, dates, and braai wood.
Call Paul and Riana Loots on 073 194 2864, send an email to bookings@kalahariguesthouse.co.za or go to kalahariguesthouse.co.za.
Vischgat Game Lodge
An exclusive 14 000-hectare sheep and game farm where a separate 5 000 hectares plays host to a variety of game, such as gemsbok, springbok, zebra, eland, red hartebeest, rooibok, steenbok, blue wildebeest, black wildebeest, duiker, and ostrich. Vischgat is a self-catering private game lodge perfect for small groups of up to 20 people. They offer on-site braai packs, ice, camelthorn wood, postcards, bottled water, fully licensed (one-stop buy and relax), a wash bay, laundry service, an overnight bulk freezing facility, group braai facilities, a swimming pool, a giant chess set, on-site wildlife, birdwatching, hunting, and 24-hour security service.
Call 054 511 0008, send an email to info@vischgatlodge.co.za or visit them at ncfamouslodges.com/vischgat-game-lodge.
!Xaus Lodge
This unfenced, fully catered lodge inside the Kgalagadi offers a unique Kalahari hospitality experience, with comfortable beds, en-suite facilities, generous meals, and cold drinks. Experience the dune life while walking with the guides at sunrise to “read the newspaper in the sands”. See, touch, and smell what’s missed when in the car, and listen to the day turn to night as animals and birds go about their business. There is also a farm dam pool to enjoy.
Call 021 701 7860, send an email to info@xauslodge.co.za or visit them at xauslodge.co.za.
Kalahari Erfenis
It’s the ideal stop on your way to the Kgalagadi Transfrontier Park or Botswana, and the perfect overnight stay if you’re planning to experience the famous Restaurant Klein JAN. There are roomy luxury rooms, safari self-catering units, and six luxury camp sites. You can also enjoy a hiking trail with a field guide, breakfast in nature, game drives, cheese platters, and picnic baskets, as well as sit-down dinners with the Kalahari sunset as a backdrop.
Call 053 741 1455 or 073 178 8156, send an email to kalahari.cottage@vodamail.co.za or visit their website at kalahari-erfenis.co.za.
Zoutpanputs Game Lodge
Unique accommodation is provided in bungalows built around an old camelthorn tree at the foot of a red Kalahari dune. There is space for up to 14 people in three bungalows, with a separate entertainment area and a fully equipped kitchen. Choose the inside braai on cold winter nights and enjoy a fully solar powered stay. Bring your own towels, but don’t worry about linen – it’s provided. Camping is also available.
Call 083 262 0233 or 071 885 9374, send an email to fluffy.fdj@gmail.com or visit their website: www.zoutpanputs.co.za.
