Restoring the Kalahari through sustainable conservation, supported by nature-based tourism
Tswalu offers a true wilderness experience on the southernmost edge of the Kalahari, and privileged access to the largest privately protected area in South Africa. From the landmark Korannaberg mountains to the southern Kalahari’s typical arid savannah and iconic ochre dunes rippling away to the horizon, days on safari are unscripted and unhurried.
With guaranteed access to a private safari vehicle, our guests have the freedom and flexibility to explore the remote reaches of the reserve in their own time and at their own pace. Besides game drives, safari activities include habituated meerkat encounters, nature walks, tracking, horse riding, stargazing, star-bed experiences, and meeting visiting scientific researchers and resident artists.
Tswalu is first and foremost an ambitious conservation project, sustainably safeguarding vital habitat and the restoring biodiversity. Offering a private and exclusive safari experience for a maximum of 40 guests in one of three luxury safari camps, the ratio of guests to wilderness space is one of the lowest in South Africa. This low footprint, sustainable model of nature-based tourism is vital to supporting the conservation work that is at the heart of Tswalu’s purpose to leave the world better than how it was found.
Choosing Tswalu for your safari not only contributes significantly to our conservation vision but positively impacts our sustainability journey. Tswalu releases an annual impact statement, a tool developed in collaboration with our sustainability partner, The Long Run, to calculate the cost of conservation and the positive contribution to nature and people. By staying with us, guests help conserve 114,000 hectares and impact the lives of 282 residents. In 2021, this equated to a US$ 5.8 million investment in nature and people. In addition, nature-based tourism helped provide essential health care to approximately 1000 people through the Tswalu Health Care Centre, a free community service for anyone living within a 100-kilometre radius of the reserve.
SAFARI CAMPS
Your African adventure begins in one of three luxury safari camps, overlooking the wide, open spaces of the southern Kalahari. Whether you choose the Motse, Tarkuni or Loapi, luxury accommodation and generous South African hospitality set the scene for a deeply private wilderness experience. With the lowest guest footprint in South Africa, at Tswalu there is space to breathe out and reconnect with nature.
SAFARI EXPERIENCES
With wildlife conservation at its core, Tswalu offers privileged access to unique safari experiences in South Africa’s biggest privately protected wildlife reserve. A private safari vehicle, field guide and experienced tracker are guaranteed with every accommodation booking. With this comes the exclusivity to plan deeply immersive days on safari, both on and off the safari vehicle.
WILDLIFE SIGHTINGS
From iconic Kalahari wildlife sightings of black-maned lions, cheetah, black rhino, oryx and wild dog to tracking the elusive, nocturnal creatures, such as pangolin, aardvark and brown hyena, extraordinary and unusual encounters add a thrilling dimension to game drives. Tswalu is also one of the only places in South Africa to experience habituated meerkats up close.
SUSTAINABLE CONSERVATION
Tswalu’s sustainable conservation journey to restore the Kalahari is supported by a high-value, low-impact ecotourism model of nature-based tourism with community and culture at its core. Staying in one of our small, luxury safari camps contributes to the sustainability of the entire reserve as well as the Tswalu Foundation, which is dedicated to scientific research.
As South Africa’s biggest wildlife reserve, Tswalu is a bold conservation project supported by a sustainable model of ecotourism. Choosing to stay in one Tswalu’s small, luxury safari camps contributes to our vision to leave the world better than how we found it. As a member of The Long Run, Tswalu is committed to a continuous journey of sustainability guided by the four key benchmarks of conservation, community, culture and commerce.
The Long RunTswalu Kalahari is a member of Oppenheimer Generations, a diverse community of commercial ventures and not-for-profit organisations representing the global interests of the Nicky and Jonathan Oppenheimer family.
RECENT INSTAGRAM POSTS
This #GivingTuesday we are excited to launch our online photographic print gallery, a collection of images that depicts the beauty and diversity of Tswalu and the southern Kalahari. These beautiful prints also serve as a reminder of the restoration miracle that is Tswalu and the positive impact of nature-based tourism.
By purchasing one or more of these limited-edition prints, you will be helping to fund research which plays a key role in conserving the fragile Kalahari ecosystem - 50% of each sale supports the Tswalu Foundation`s ongoing and new research initiatives.
Visit our photographic print gallery to purchase a print, make a difference, and let the spirit of Tswalu live on long after you’ve returned home - follow the link in our bio to see all of them.
These images by @MarcusWestbergPhotography are just two of the beautiful prints available to purchase.
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The southern Kalahari will take your breath away at any time of the year, but the long days of summer are definitely underrated. There are more daylight hours to traverse the reserve`s 114,000 hectares with your private guide and tracker and chance upon incredible sightings like this.
Video @Trevor_Kleyn
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On returning to camp after a late afternoon game drive, guests staying at Tarkuni homestead gravitate towards the fireplace for sundowners with front-row seats of the waterhole where many animals venture in for a drink, including buffalo, giraffe, kudu, and oryx. Afterwards, a barbecue-style dinner in Tarkuni`s boma under the stars rounds out a memorable day in nature.
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In January, when a dozen wild dog pups were born on the reserve, our conservation and guiding teams had no idea whether all 12 would survive to adulthood. After all, wild dogs are the second most endangered carnivore in Africa. Their habitat and distribution are limited exclusively to vast conservation areas where they can roam freely. Tswalu is one such place.
Video @Trevor_Kleyn
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Whether you`ve taken your family on safari before or it remains a bucket-list trip, Africa is often likened to a homecoming. Many guests describe this as reconnecting with their true, wild nature. One reason is that a safari provides the time and space to ‘be’. What a gift to give your children in a digital world that constantly demands their attention.
🔗 At the link in bio, find out what it`s like to check into one of Loapi`s exclusive-use tented homes for a truly private wilderness experience.
Images courtesy of @ROARAFRICA
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There is something heartwarming and life-affirming about gathering around a table and sharing a long, leisurely meal with friends and family. We cannot think of a better place to do so than Tarkuni, our private homestead with accommodation for up to 10 guests under one roof.
Tarkuni is one of three luxury safari camps on the reserve - you won’t find a lower ratio of beds to hectares anywhere else in South Africa. Our guests have exclusive access to 114,000 hectares of the southern Kalahari together with all the advantages of a private vehicle, guide and tracker.
🔗 At the link in bio, read more about the private experience you can expect at Tarkuni.
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If you`ve been following Tswalu for a while, you will remember the excitement when a litter of cubs was born to a collared cheetah monitored by Micole Monteiro, from our conservation team.
🔗 @MarcusWestbergPhotography spent a day with @miccy_m to learn more about this monitoring project - read his story at the link in bio.
Mom and cubs continue to be monitored and provide amazing sightings. Despite their size, these cubs apparently still enjoy climbing trees!
Image @Trevor_Kleyn
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Ease into the new year slowly with a family safari in South Africa. Tswalu welcomes children of all ages and the Kalahari is malaria-free. Did we mention that all bookings are guaranteed a private vehicle, guide and tracker for freedom and time to explore at your own pace?
You can still take advantage of our exclusive offer for Loapi Tented Camp, which includes 4 nights for the price of 3 - valid for all new bookings between January and March 2024.
To make the ‘getting there’ aspect of this bucket list trip to South Africa feel like part of the adventure, we also offer private aviation solutions giving families more time on safari and less time in transit.
Get in touch with your preferred travel planner to find out more or contact [email protected].
🔗 All the details about this Loapi Stay 4, Pay 3 Exclusive Offer and crafting a Private Aviation Solution are at the link in bio.
Image courtesy of @ROARAFRICA
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By choosing Tswalu and supporting nature-based tourism, our guests are actively contributing to the conservation of biodiversity in the southern Kalahari and safeguarding crucial habitats for many species, such as zebras.
Image @MarcusWestbergPhotography
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Tswalu offers privileged access to 114,000 hectares of regenerated arid savannah in a region once ravaged by cattle farming and neglect. Meaning ‘a new beginning’, Tswalu has been leading the restoration and conservation of the southern Kalahari for 25 years.
With a low-impact, conservation-first approach to safaris, Tswalu represents the lowest ratio of guests to space in a privately protected reserve in South Africa. With every booking, a private vehicle, guide and tracker guarantee an incomparable wilderness experience rich in fauna and flora, including many species unique to the southern Kalahari.
By choosing to safari in this considered, sustainable way, our guests are contributing to a bold regenerative conservation vision to leave the world better than how we found it.
We invite you to experience Tswalu for yourself by taking advantage of one of our exclusive offers - details at the link in bio.
Book through your preferred, trusted travel planner or contact [email protected] to find out more.
Video @Trevor_Kleyn
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Sustainable in design and concept, Loapi Tented Camp appears to float in the `space below the clouds`, embracing the principles of low-impact architecture with a deep respect for the red Kalahari earth.
Since opening, Tswalu`s first tented camp has established itself as a quietly luxurious, private retreat with unobtrusive, intuitive service. Each private home has generous outdoor spaces for dining and relaxing, especially during the summer months.
There has never been a better time to escape to the Green Kalahari and enjoy summer warmth, epic sunsets and dining under the stars. Find out more about our exclusive Loapi offer, valid for all new bookings between January and March 2024 - details at the link in bio. You don’t want to miss it.
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Tswalu’s dramatic seasonal contrasts inspired landscape artist Walter Voigt who spent several months on the reserve as a guest of the Tswalu Foundation`s Artists in Residence programme. Referencing hundreds of photographs and sketches from this time, Voigt produced glorious light-saturated, colour-drenched paintings for his solo exhibition, ‘Tswalu, a Wilderness Revisited’.
In a fortuitous union between art and science, 20% of all sales are donated to the @TswaluFoundation to support scientific research, ultimately informing Tswalu’s bold conservation vision.
Curated by @everard_read_johannesburg Voigt’s show will be hosted by @Fireblade_Aviation until 31 January 2024. Kindly note that viewings are by appointment only. Please email the gallery to make an arrangement: [email protected]
🔗 To support Tswalu`s conservation vision from anywhere in the world, view the show`s digital catalogue at the link in bio.
Images taken at Tswalu by @Walter.Voigt.1
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An animal`s default setting is calm-alert: ready to retreat, defend, or attack. Next time you go on a game drive, notice the soft focus of an animal’s eyes and its reliance on all its senses. Just imagine how many bits of data it has to process every second to stay alive.
In our over-stimulated, incessantly verbal culture, we tend to distrust our intuition and ignore our instincts. It may not be a matter of life or death for humans, but being disconnected from our surroundings (and ourselves) can be detrimental to our overall health. Yet another reason why a safari is good for you!
Video @Trevor_Kleyn
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A safari has all the elements of a deeply romantic escape, whether you are thinking about an extravagant love declaration, a dreamy honeymoon, or a special anniversary trip.
On safari, there is time to slow down and embrace the freedom and joy of unscripted time in nature together. You and your beloved will be in the capable, experienced care of a private guide and tracker. Besides showing you the best of the reserve and its iconic wildlife, they know all the best spots to stop for morning coffee or sunset drinks - always with the best views and the perfect photo opportunities.
🔗 At the link in bio, read more about a romantic getaway to Tswalu.
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Images @LaurandNicolas
For our guests, the guarantee of a private vehicle, guide and tracker provides the freedom and flexibility to enjoy every game drive at their own pace. Tswalu is a private reserve, a true off-the-beaten-track escape, with surprising habitat diversity where rare and iconic Kalahari wildlife thrive, including the black-maned lion, desert black rhino, cheetah, and African wild dog.
Images @MarcusWestbergPhotography, @Trevor_Kleyn, @OB1GoneWild, and @Veronique_Venter
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