Barefoot luxury in a private nature reserve
Tswalu Kalahari is South Africa's largest private nature reserve with vast hills and savannah. Everything here is about conservation. Only 40 guests are admitted at a time to minimize the impact on nature. No other nature reserve in South Africa has so few visitors per square kilometer. During the safaris you will at most encounter a few other guests, but otherwise you will have the landscape all to yourself and your travel companions. You will drive around in a private vehicle with a guide who can "read" the landscape and who will reveal the secrets of the Kalahari in fascinating ways. You will learn how plants and animals have adapted to this environment full of challenges: extreme temperature fluctuations and a structural lack of water. Meanwhile, you will search for black maned lions, hyenas, oryx or gemsbok and sable antelope. If you are very lucky, you may even see a black rhino or cheetah. The vast space around you takes on more and more meaning, and you find your footing in the vast emptiness. Where the world can't find you...
Three unique locations: Motse, Tarkuni and Loapi
The lodge consists of three locations, and you can choose to stay at different locations during your stay. If you choose Motse, you will stay in one of the ninelegae: spacious cottages overlooking the savannah. Tarkuni' s five luxurious suites are suitable for privatization, if you are traveling with a group of up to ten people. Finally, there is the very exclusive Loapi: an encampment with six luxurious, canvas safari tents with plunge pools, butler service and plenty of privacy. As a guest of one of these locations, you will have access to The Motse's communal facilities.
Tips & Tops Tswalu Kalahari Reserve:
- There are specialfamily suites at The Motse where you can stay with two adults and two children. The Motse's nine legae share a common infinity pool, from which you overlook the savanna landscape
- The Motse features an extensive library, a spa and fitness center, and a boutique
- Tarkuni 's five suites are built under one thatched roof; they face outward and each has a veranda overlooking the landscape
- Tarkuni is exclusively privatizable; here you will have access to a private chef, your own host, a private safari vehicle with guide and tracker, a swimming pool and a spacious outdoor lounge around an open fire
- In Loapi, there are four two-person safari tents with indoor and outdoor spaces (300m2) and two settings with two sleeping quarters (400m2). These mini-compounds are at least 50 meters apart, for maximum privacy
- Loapi's safari tents are exceptionally luxurious and here you will have a small plunge pool, dedicated service from your own host, a private chef, and your own safari vehicle with guide and tracker
- There are two sites for a drag-out at remote locations outside the three encampments: Malori and Naledi. Here you will stay in the middle of the desert in a very comfortable safari tent on a platform, for the ultimate experience of silence and brilliant starry skies
- Going on safari in Tswalu can be done in various ways: by 4WD, on foot, as well as on horseback
- Are you traveling with children? At Tswalu, they enjoy teaching them about life in the desert. The special bushwalks for children are very educational and conclude with a well-deserved picnic
- In April 2026, Tswalu will open the promising Boscia Restaurant; until then, enjoy exquisite meals in the Boscia House Pop-up, a charming heritage house from the early 20th century that was once part of the Klein Jan experience
- Member of Virtuoso
