Kalahari Bushbreaks Tented Camp & Campsite

all reservations via Logufa, PO Box 21783, Windhoek; tel: 062 658936; fax: 062 569001; email: enquiries@kalaharibushbreaks.com; web: www.kalaharibushbreaks.com or contact the lodge on tel: 062 568936; fax: 062 569001

Accessed via the same turn-off as the guesthouse, Kalahari Bushbreaks also runs a simple camp of a few pre-erected dome tents and a campsite within a few hundred metres of the road. Both are deigned as stopovers for travellers on the Trans-Kalahari, though there is always the opportunity to join (and pay for) activities from the lodge if you wish.

The tented camp is immediately adjacent to the gate, and consists of three simple, bow-tents. The campsite is on the right, just beyond the gate and the tented camp.

Rates: N$115 per tent plus N$15 per person for bedding. N$30 per person camping. Open: all year.

Kalahari Bushbreaks Guesthouse

(7 rooms) all reservations via Logufa, PO Box 21783, Windhoek; tel: 062 658936; fax: 062 569001; email: enquiries@kalaharibushbreaks.com;
web: www.kalaharibushbreaks.com.
Contact the lodge directly on tel: 062 568936; fax: 062 569001

About 87km east of Windhoek, and 26km west of the border with Botswana at Mamuno, Kalahari Bushbreaks is about 3km south of the main B6 road. It is owned and run by Ronnie and Elsabe Barnard, who have lived here since 1982. The lodge has 40km2 under game, including eland, oryx, giraffe, kudu, red hartebeest, warthog, zebra (both Burchell's and Hartmann's mountain) and blue wildebeest. Several species of antelope which wouldn't normally be found in the Kalahari are also here, including waterbuck and blesbok (both normal and albino). The predators include cheetah, leopard and caracal.

Accommodation is currently in one of seven bedrooms, all with en-suite facilities, and when I last visited there was talk of two new bungalows which each have two twin rooms. The standard of the accommodation here is generally good, with lots of wood, reeds and leather.

The main lodge building consists of a warm, enclosed lounge and dining area with high thatched ceiling. Above this are three en-suite bedrooms. There's also a large, doughnut-shaped thatched boma area, with a fireplace in the middle, which is used for outdoor eating when temperatures are warm. Reflecting Ronnie's profession of architecture, it's all been well and carefully designed with solid wood on a large scale. Be aware that there is a sprinking of animal trophies on the walls, and that the farm is occasionally used for hunting.

Although many visitors simply stop over here, activities can be arranged revolving around game and birdwatching drives. They can also encompass visiting rock paintings (some San, and some alleged to be of a different origin), bush walks with a guide and horseriding for experienced riders (who don't mind riding feisty working horses) without a hard hat.

Rates: N$375/455 per person sharing/single, including dinner and breakfast. Activities cost about N$35 per person (minimum 4 people) for a 90-minute game drive, or N$75 per hour per group (maximum 4 people) for a guided walk. Open: all year