Take a trip to the desert

If this is true, you may as well set up a debit order with the lodge, as that sand will work its way into your socks and between your toes – particularly on a windy day.

Situated near the end of the R360 just short of the entrance gate to the huge Kgalagadi Transfrontier Park (if you’re looking at a map, it’s in the little hollow on the right hand side of the “R” shape where the borders of South Africa, Botswana and Namibia meet), the lodge has much of its marketing done for it simply by being very remote (if you’re flying in, the nearest commercial airpor is in Upington, 270km away).

There are other venues to stay, but many of those are fairly low-rent, while Kgalagadi Lodge, opened last year, is shiny and fresh and comfortable.

GREAT START. Sunrise in the Kgalagadi is a wonderful time to be awake and ready to go. Pictures: Bruce Dennill.

Host SJ Koortzen is no doubt used to guests underestimating the time it takes to get to the location, but it was still impressive to see him up and waiting for our party at 11.30pm, holding a sketch of the property to help us find out way to our respective bungalows as quickly and safely as possible.

Said accommodation consists of 26 chalets offering various levels of luxury (at very reasonable prices), as well as 19 campsites. The kitchenettes in the units offer all the facilities you need and a well-stocked shop – including a fine butchery, a bakery and a liquor store – on the property ensures that you don’t need to import all your supplies, taking up otherwise useful space in the car. And if you’re not in the mood to prepare your own meals, the on-site restaurant is excellent (particularly the breakfast fry-ups).

With the Kgalagadi being a semi-desert region, with temperatures often exceeding 40 degrees Celcius, cooling off with a shower at the end of the day is a big deal. Be aware beforehand, then, that the water used by the lodge comes out of a borehole and has a very odd consistency. It’s viscous, meaning that you’ll end your shower feeling like you still have a thick layer of soap on you. Dry it off, though, and there are no ill effects.

Each chalet has a small patio with a table and chairs and a dedicated braai. This is likely where the bulk of your time at the venue will be spent, reading or eating as you look out, from your position on a dune above the road, over the dry bed of the Nossob River and into Botswana – literally a stone’s throw away. Look carefully in the middle of the river bed and you’ll see a series of concrete markers – that’s the border.

The lodge owners have put in place strict regulations about the making of noise, and the silence is something you’ll appreciate, particularly if you’re a city dweller and used to some sort of noise – house alarms, barking dogs, rowdy neighbours – every hour of the day or night. The most striking sound in this region is the braying of one of the many donkeys on the surrounding properties. The animals are used to pull carts around the region (among other things) and use their off-shift time to converse with each other, even if they’re several kilometres apart at the time.

Once you’ve been in the Kgalagadi for a few days, you’ll realise that early starts are a great idea. Firstly, the aforementioned distances aren’t getting any shorter and if you want to avoid getting to your day’s destination and instantly turning around and coming back in order to get to bed at a decent hour, you can’t head off after brunch. And secondly there’s the heat: if you are up and about before the thermometer reading starts looking like a nine-hole golf score, you’re less likely to end the day in a slightly roasted state.

The pay-off for such discipline is rather special. All the chalets at Kgalagadi Lodge face east, and the sunrises, watched in wonder as you sip the day’s first cup of coffee, are gorgeous – splendid reminders that the clutter of what passes for civilisation hasn’t yet tumbled into all corners of South Africa.