Our Stories
Find inspiration and learn more about Tswalu through our stories, written by members of our community as well as guest contributors. Browse by category to read all about our luxury safari camps, what to do and see on the reserve, how your stay positively impacts our sustainability journey, and much more. For seasonal updates and wildlife sightings from our guiding team, don’t miss the Tswalu Wildlife Journal.
Outwitting the black-backed jackal
Researcher Geke Woudstra is studying how black-backed jackals influence predator-prey dynamics across Tswalu. Her in-depth fieldwork is revealing the surprisingly complex ecological role of this adaptable, intelligent canid in the southern Kalahari.
Early summer in the southern Kalahari
CONSERVATION JOURNAL ISSUE 2 – The first rains arrived early this year, greening the Kalahari and triggering new life. Lion cubs, migrant birds, meerkat pups, and flowering plants dotted across the red dunes mark summer's transformation.
A delicate dance: The Kalahari, fire and climate change
Fire has shaped the Kalahari for millennia. Tswalu's fire ecology project is uncovering the intricate dance between flames, rain and resilient vegetation, revealing how this remarkable ecosystem adapts and thrives through changing conditions.
What makes Tswalu unique
CONSERVATION JOURNAL ISSUE 1 - Tswalu’s vast landscapes shape everything guests experience, from the wildlife encountered to our approach to conservation. Appreciating the Kalahari ecosystem is key to understanding what makes this a unique safari destination in South Africa.
Life Lessons from a year in the Kalahari
Amy Jacobs, a nature conservation student from Cape Town, traded the coast for the Kalahari, discovering her true calling through research, resilience and Tswalu’s unexpected beauty during her transformative Work Integrated Learning year.
New black rhino research at Tswalu
Desert black rhinos (Diceros bicornis bicornis) were reintroduced to Tswalu from Etosha National Park in neighbouring Namibia in 1995. Today black rhinos serve as a flagship species for conservation on the reserve.
Tswalu’s Pioneering Carbon Credit Project
Tswalu has become the first privately protected area in southern Africa to earn carbon credits as a result of wildlife management interventions, creating a pioneering model that has the potential to restore degraded ecosystems, fund conservation and community development, and...
The value of collaring mesopredators at Tswalu
Attaching a device to reveal an animal's movements and activities across the landscape offers a practical approach to tracking. The data these collars provide is invaluable, offering insights into daily movements, home ranges, social interactions, and dietary habits. Each transmission...
Bridging theory and practice in the southern Kalahari
As the world faces mounting environmental challenges, conservation has transformed into a dynamic, interdisciplinary field, drawing on insights from economics, anthropology, sociology, and beyond. This evolution underscores the importance of hands-on learning, which not only sparks enthusiasm but also provides...
