Our Stories

The hierarchy of the brown hyena is quite complex, with aggressive rituals dominating relationships. Clans are incredibly territorial, and may cover an area of up to 500 square kilometres.

While pangolins are known to be threatened by the illegal wildlife trade, electrocution by electric fences, habitat loss, and road mortalities, very little attention has been focused on how climate change will affect their welfare.

There are few, and possibly no other, studies that have aimed to understand responses of multiple species with an entire ecosystem, making KEEP a unique, ground-breaking project.

It is extraordinary to think that 77 butterfly species have been identified at Tswalu, a semi-arid zone that receives on average less than 400 millimeters of rain annually.

The Kalahari tree skink is a tree-dwelling lizard commonly found on a camel thorn or shepherd’s tree, especially common if the tree contains a sociable weaver colony.

The cheetah, the world’s fastest land mammal, is one of the predators that finds sanctuary in Tswalu Kalahari’s wide, open spaces. Cheetah are known to be shy and elusive and, as a result, we don’t know exactly how many there are on the reserve.

While Tswalu guarantees a private vehicle and dedicated, experienced guiding team with every booking, those who are really serious about taking wildlife photos will appreciate the introduction of a fully equipped photographic safari vehicle and specialist guide.

Tswalu Kalahari Reserve is regarded as one of Africa’s great conservation stories, not only through the preservation of the southern Kalahari’s diverse habitats but also the protection of many rare and critically endangered species. One such species is the Desert black rhino.

Tswalu is one of the best places on the continent to see five of the most elusive species in Africa, namely aardvark, pangolin, brown hyena, aardwolf and bat-eared fox. Game drives here provide up-close sightings of species that prove highly elusive elsewhere.

Three of South Africa’s nine vulture species, including the once-prolific White-backed vulture, have declined to such an extent that they are regarded as Critically Endangered by the International Union for the Conservation of Nature (IUCN).

Freedom to explore wide, open spaces has long drawn those seeking a deeply layered, immersive safari to these dramatic landscapes, from the ancient, quartzite Korannaberg mountains and savannah grasslands to the red sand dunes rippling away to the horizon.

Whether wandering over rocky hills, strolling through grassy plains, cresting a red sand dune or just waiting it out at a watering hole or pan while sipping on coffee, birding on foot is always a rewarding way to spend a morning on the reserve.

Veronique Venter has devoted the past four years to habituating meerkat families, spending many hours in their presence to build their trust, so that our guests can view them in their natural environment.

When one views Tswalu from a birding perspective, there would be few places comparable in the region. With a total list running in the region of 260 species there is plenty to be gained from spending a few solid hours at least trying to find some of the more iconic Kalahari species.

Aardvarks are strange animals. They look like a bizarre hybrid between a kangaroo, pig and vacuum cleaner. They are mostly active at night, smell odd, and live most of their lives in solitude.

Are you interested in birding, but perhaps have no idea where to start? My interest in birding began when I started working as a field guide, and once I’d grasped their entertainment value I quickly became hooked. Learning bird calls...

They say an experienced tracker can read the earth like a book. Successful tracking demands experience, knowledge, patience, physical endurance, and mental focus, often under challenging environmental conditions over extended periods. Tracking involves the interpretation of signs of the wild,...

The boomslang (meaning ‘tree snake’ in Afrikaans) is regularly sighted at Tswalu, winding its way through the massive nests of sociable weavers. The snakes move from chamber to chamber, looking for food, then wedge their bodies into the chamber hole when they find the chicks or eggs they’re after.

On World Pangolin Day we are reminded that all species of pangolin are threatened by illegal trade, which persists and is escalating.

Recently at Tswalu Kalahari, a cheetah gave birth to five cubs. Unfortunately, only a few of these little cubs have a chance of reaching adulthood and independence.

On 7 September 2019, International Vulture Awareness Day, BirdLife South Africa declared Tswalu Kalahari Game Reserve as South Africa’s first Vulture Safe Zone.

The KEEP (Kalahari Endangered Ecosystem Project) project has been formed to try to answer some of the pressing issues related specifically to climate change effects in the Southern Kalahari region.

A great read by guest blogger James Bainbridge  from SafariBookings.com. A major draw of Tswalu Kalahari is that it is a malaria-free reserve; five other top reasons to visit are listed here.

Tswalu is, as we tell people, “big country” with boundaries beyond horizons. It provides a stunning backdrop to the dramatic changes that accompany each new season.  

The classic idea of camouflage is a unique, cryptic colour-pattern combination of an organism that enables it to blend into its environment to escape detection.

Once in a while, trap cameras turn up really remarkable sightings – like this female honey badger. If thoughtfully used, are a wonderful way to unobtrusively observe what is happening in the world around us.