Kicking up Kalahari dust
The Kalahari Game Lodge in Namibia’s Karas region features a wildlife reserve with a lekker 4x4 route winding through it. Join us for a drive.
Fill up your rig’s tank at MataMata before you leave South Africa, because the next petrol station is at Gochas, about 180 km from here, and you’re going to tackle dunes at the Kalahari Game Lodge.
You’ll need to open the entrance gate to the lodge’s reserve yourself, as it’s unmanned. Then, check in at reception. Day visitors who spent the previous night in the Kgalagadi Transfrontier Park and are actually en route to another destination in Namibia are welcome to drive this 4x4 route, but they pay N$500 per vehicle.
Guests who overnight may drive the route for free. The lodge staff provide a paper map and give directions to the start of the 4x4 trail. They also advise lowering tyre pressure to 1,3 bar and maintaining a speed of 40 km/h when tackling a steep dune. The map also warns that the route is only suitable for those with experience driving in deep sand. It’s a one-way route that you must follow counter-clockwise.
You may deviate from the main route to drive the smaller loops, but be warned that some of these are more challenging than the main route. Naturally, you may not carve your own path through the dunes or drive on tracks marked as prohibited. If caught, you could be fined at least N$300 and get evicted.
From the lodge, drive towards the campsites. As soon as you enter the dry bed of the Auob River, follow the sandy twin-track up an opposite dune. We suggest you engage four-wheel drive as the sand is quite loose, especially around midday when the sun has baked out the last bit of moisture.
The sandy track zigzags through and over the distinctive red dunes of the Kalahari Desert. The reserve is home to
plenty of wildlife, including kudu, eland, springbok by the dozen, and even giraffe. You may stop and get out wherever you like, as the most dangerous animals you’ll encounter here are snakes and scorpions.
The bush looks healthy, and so do the animals. We saw several sociable weaver nests with noisy birds constantly flying in and out. You also frequently come across zebra, gemsbok, and the ubiquitous springbok.
On some dunes, there are signs that vehicles got stuck and had to be dug out. The resulting holes are an added challenge for your vehicle.
About a third of the way through the route, you’ll reach an electrified gate. This is the lion reserve right next to the Kgalagadi Transfrontier Park, and the gate is locked. Previously, you could join a game drive in a wildlife viewing vehicle, but management says this is no longer the case, also, the lions have been sold…
The bush looks healthy, and so do the animals. We saw several sociable weaver nests with noisy birds constantly flying in and out
If the sandy road has been too challenging for you up to this point, you can turn left at the gate and follow a long straight sand trail back to the lodge. This route takes you past a windpump on a tall dune – the windpump supplies water to a nearby waterhole during the dry season.
Incidentally, if you get stuck, you can walk back and request help, or call the lodge at 00 264 63 252 052 (the emergency number after hours is 00 264 63 252 068).
But if all goes well and you decide to continue and drive the last two-thirds of the route, you’ll be rewarded with the most beautiful part of the reserve. It’s also in this section that we encountered giraffes and lappet-faced vultures
(Torgos tracheliotos).
We also discovered the carcass of a young blue wildebeest. It looked like the animal had died recently, but oddly enough, the vultures hadn’t descended on it yet. The carcass was, however, covered in carnivorous beetles.
The sandy trail continues to zigzag through the Kalahari dunes until you suddenly drive down a tall dune into the bed of the Auob River. Simply follow the riverbed back to the lodge. If you want to drive the route again, you’re more than welcome. In fact, you may drive the route as many times as you wish, but day visitors must be out by 17:00. That’s why we recommend staying at the lodge. We camped at a pleasant stand, and the six of them are spaced far apart, so you’re barely aware of your neighbour. Your neighbours are close enough, however, that you can walk over for a chat.
Each stand has private bathroom facilities consisting of a shower (there’s a wood-fired donkey), flush toilet and basin. Outside on the covered porch is an outdoor kitchen. The lights are solarpowered, but the water is brackish and might upset sensitive tummies.
The lodge has a shop selling souvenirs, also a swimming pool, a bar offering drinks and coffee, and a restaurant serving dinner and breakfast. Breakfast starts at 07:00, and you can book dinner for whenever it suits you.
Stands cost N$302 pppn. If you prefer a chalet with air-conditioning and a heater, you can stay in one of the eight chalets for N$1 600 pn for a couple – dinner and breakfast included.