Xaus Lodge

Xaus Lodge is a 12-chalet lodge on a dune overlooking a saltpan, owned by local San and Mier communities in South Africa's Kgalagadi Transfrontier Park. Reached by a 4x4 transfer over 91 dunes from the Auob River Road, the lodge sits on its own private concession within the park, with no other accommodation for miles. Eleven standard chalets and one family chalet line the dune's ridge, each raised on stilts with a private deck facing a saltpan and freshwater waterhole.

There's no Wi-Fi, television or air conditioning here, just gas heaters for cold nights and ceiling fans for hot ones, plus a small plunge pool to cool off during the day. Watch gemsbok, springbok and the occasional black-maned Kalahari lion come to drink at the waterhole from the deck. Join San trackers on a guided walk through the dunes to learn how they read tracks and use the desert's plants, or drive out across the saltpan. In the evening, gather round the fire in the boma for dinner, then stare at the stars at night.