Xaudum

The Khaudum National Park is a remote and wild park in north eastern Namibia, on the border with Botswana and close to the start of the Caprivi strip. The park itself is unfenced and offers a good variety of wildlife species to seek out on game-drives, including elephant, lion and hyena as well as more than 300 species of bird. The terrain here is very arid, with sandy soil, rough roads, and dry forests with camelthorn and leadwood trees. The area around the park is also renowned for being one of the best areas in Namibia to meet and spend time with the San bushmen, a hunter-gatherer tribe, offering a fascinating cultural element to your Namibian adventure.

Xaudum is a new luxury lodge opening in spring 2017, perched on a prehistoric sand dune within the park, overlooking the Xaudum Omuramba. There are just nine luxurious rooms here, each with an open front and balcony overlooking the plains, and an en-suite bathroom to the side. Unique in their architectural design, using a mix of modern techniques and traditional thatching, they are designed to blend into the environment and withstand the heat.

Activities offered include game-drives with expert guides in the Khaudum National Park, time spent at the photographic hide (particularly wonderful when wildlife comes nearby to drink), cultural excursions to visit the San and some unforgettable star gazing.

Access isn't entirely straightforward to reach Xaudum, so a visit here is not for the faint hearted, but this is part of the appeal for a more intrepid visitor, experiencing a park and a part of the country seldom found on a traditional Namibia circuit. Self-drivers will need to park at a halfway point and be transferred the last stretch, a total journey that will take most of the day if travelling from eastern Etosha. Flying-in is also possible, to the town of Rundu, where you will be met and driven to the park.