!Xaus Lodge (pronounced as “Kaus” or with a palatal “click” and meaning “heart” in Nama) is a community-owned lodge in the Kgalagadi Transfrontier Park that offers guests a full-service experience including all meals and 4* accommodation, wilderness walks with trackers, game drives and opportunities to meet local San artists while they create their traditional crafts. The lodge is located on a 50,000 hectare concession within the Park that was awarded to the Mier and Khomani San communities through a historic land claim settlement. The lodge is now operated under a management agreement with a private partner, Transfrontier Parks Destinations.

While !Xaus Lodge is an attractive destination for international and local tourists alike, it is also an asset that the beneficiary communities can be proud of. Community members are involved in various capacities throughout the business’ operations; this includes direct employment and as suppliers of beautiful craft whose business has grown through direct access to and interaction with guests. Of course, being a wholly community-owned lodge, an additional direct, financial benefit accrues through levies that are paid out to both the Khomani San and Mier communities.

!Xaus Lodge operates on an unfenced concession in the Kgalagadi Transfrontier Park and in accordance with the idea that it is “a place to experience, not just observe”. The Lodge infrastructure and management is based on a ‘tread lightly’ philosophy, with minimum use of natural resources. In this water-scarce area, numerous initiatives are in place to reduce water use, one of which is to inform guests at every opportunity about how they can help to conserve this precious resource. Electricity is available for only a very limited period each day (up to 5 hours), encouraging guests to ‘live off the grid’. Sensitivity to the local environment is further enhanced by taking guests tracking through the dunes to learn about the plants and small living creatures that are never seen from game-drive vehicles. Overall, the visitor experience is focused around learning about, and living with, this unique natural environment.