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.
Studying mongoose ecology in a semi-arid environment
PhD candidate Juri Filonzi is studying two rarely coexisting mongoose species at Tswalu to understand whether they compete or coexist through segregation. His research fills crucial knowledge gaps about small carnivores as environmental sentinels.
The Kalahari butterfly migration
For more than a decade Lepidopterist Reinier Terblanche has been documenting butterfly migrations at Tswalu. His long-term research has established the reserve as a critical source area for one of southern Africa’s most remarkable multi-species migration events.
New lion cubs trigger territorial tensions
Eight lion cubs were born in November, and the northern pride sisters are fiercely protective. Meanwhile, territorial tensions escalate as southern females push boundaries, and a young male navigates precarious new ground.
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.
