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TThe icon of sweltering South African weather is the little village of Hotazel in Northern Cape province.
Ironically enough though, Hotazel is not the hottest place in the country. Weather charts for the area register 37⁰C on the top end of the scale – and a chilly 3⁰C at the bottom, on a midwinter’s night.
However, there are towns all over the Karoo and Kalahari Desert in which winter temperatures drop well below freezing, and the summer heat brings figures that top 45⁰C regularly.
So, it’s all about the name, really…
The story goes that a team of land surveyors stayed in the area sometime in 1915 and deemed the place to be as ‘hot as hell’. Reportedly, they staged a raucous party out in the dunes one night and dubbed the spot ‘Hotazel’.
The farm that was established here took on the name of Hotazel, as did the little village that was registered at this location in the late 1950s.
The reason for the founding of the town of Hotazel was that a water diviner seeking an underground stream found manganese-bearing black rock here, and a mining company then bought the farm.
Hotazel lies deep in the Kalahari Desert, which in itself is derived from the Khoisan word ‘Kgalagadi’, meaning ‘the waterless place’. The Khoisan lived here for thousands of years without realising it was ‘as hot as hell’ – they called it home.
The star attraction for travellers in the Hotazel area is a stay at Tswalu Kalahari, a luxury lodge owned by internationally famous diamond family the Oppenheimers.
The family has restored what was once quite a complex hunting and farming operation to a vision of what the ‘old Kalahari’ must have been like: blessed with good grass and a wide variety of wildlife. Here you will spot the legendary black-maned Kalahari lion in all his glory.
The nearest town to Hotazel is Kuruman, known as ‘the oasis of the Kalahari’. The ‘Eye of Kuruman’ spring supplies the town’s water and is also the main tourist attraction. For those with a love of history, there is the Moffat Mission nearby, established by the famous London Missionary Society cleric Robert Moffat. It is also where the explorer-missionary David Livingstone – who married Moffat’s daughter Mary – was based for some time.
There’s no ‘Eye of Kuruman’ at Hotazel, but here’s a little secret: should you ever find yourself in Hotazel in mid-summer, go directly to the golf club swimming pool and dive in…
Did You Know?
TTravel tips & Planning info
Who to contact
Kalahari Cottage
Tel: +27 (0)53 741 1455
Cell: +27 (0)73 178 8156
Email: kalahari.cottage@vodamail.co.za
How to get here
Coming from Johannesburg, you take the N14 Upington highway, veering right onto the R31, leading you to Hotazel. It’s a journey of 600km (about 7 hours’ drive).
Best time to visit
Come in the shoulder seasons of spring (August to October) or autumn (April to June) when the weather is not so extreme.
Around the area
Visit Tswalu Kalahari or make a day trip to Kuruman to visit the Moffat Mission Station and the Eye of Kuruman.
Get around
It’s best to rent a car and drive yourself through the Kalahari.
Where to stay
You can stay at the Kalahari Cottage in Hotazel, or at the nearby top-end Tswalu Kalahari Lodge.
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