The Kalahari Desert is a large semi-arid sandy savanna in Southern Africa covering 350,000 square miles, including much of Botswana as well as parts of Namibia and South Africa. Being a semi-desert, with huge tracts of excellent grazing after the rains, the Kalahari supports more animals and plants than a true desert. However, there is little rainfall, and the summer temperatures are very high.
On the edge of the southern Kalahari lies Tswalu, the largest private reserve in South Africa, covering 460 square miles. Tswalu offers the only safari of its kind in an ecologically significant and unique landscape rich in biodiversity. This luxury safari camp provides the backdrop to privately guided encounters with diverse wildlife in one of Africa’s last remaining semi-arid wildernesses. Tswalu (meaning “a New Beginning”) is a story of restoration, regeneration and hope. For over 25 years, protecting biodiversity and securing habitat for wildlife to thrive has been at the core of this ambitious conservation project.
We landed at Tswalu’s private airstrip and disembarked to a dry heat in excess of 100 degrees. Our guide Gary and tracker David were waiting to transfer us to the new Loapi villas. Rounding a corner behind a rocky hill we came upon our magnificent villa inspired by Bedouin tents. Our luxurious two bedroomed residence was as large as a home and lacked for nothing. Our private chef and butler greeted us and we were soon relaxing with cold drinks and a sumptuous lunch. Our villa overlooked a vast plain dotted with scrub and small bushes as far as the distant hills. At Tswalu there are three safari camps – Motse which consists of 9 private retreats surrounding a central lodge, Tarkuni an exclusive use homestead for up to 10 guests and Loapi a luxury tented camp with 6 private villas. At all three camps, a private safari vehicle, guide and tracker is guaranteed with each booking.
Tswalu has evolved with the reintroduction of many native animals to the area. There are no elephant in the park so we did not witness the decimation of vegetation often found in other parks. The undulating dunes of the reserve are punctuated by the Korannaberg mountains, which contribute to greater habitat diversity than anywhere else in the Kalahari. Lion have been reintroduced and there is a plethora of game to sustain these predators. Our game drives took us through thorn scrub and up rocky hills with magnificent views of the valleys below. The environment is well suited to a variety of ungulates (hoofed animals). We saw roan and sable antelope (very rare), black and white rhinos, springbok, steenbok, gemsbok, kudu, duiker and many more. This is a birdwatchers paradise, we identified 42 species in just 2 days.
One morning we were introduced to a family of meerkats that have been habituated (accustomed to human interactions). We followed these unusual creatures as they scratched through the sand for insects. The family dynamic is as seen on TV’s Meerkat Manor. There are always one or two on guard for threats (mostly from birds of prey). At the first sign a warning is barked and they all scurry for a safe hole. The area is covered with a warren of tunnels they have dug. Meerkats are only found in these semi-desert conditions.
While we were with the meerkats David was on foot tracking cheetah through the sandy hills. He was quite remarkable and travelled 7 kilometers by the time we caught up to him. He did not disappoint and located the mother and cubs resting under a shady bush. Gary is Tawalu’s senior guide and was a fund of knowledge as he knows the region intimately. We loved his sense of humor and learned so much about this very unforgiving environment.
No cost has been spared in creating this incredible wildlife experience, but the most important attribute of Tswalu is the work that has been done to return the environment to it’s natural state. There is constant research on the property and many of the findings have been implemented thus restoring the ecosystem.
Jan Hendrik van de Westhuizen was the first South African chef to achieve a Michelin star for his namesake restaurant in Nice, France. Jan has been enticed to showcase the Kalahari (his native region) and has created Klein Jan – a unique dining experience at Tswalu. The restaurant utilizes ingredients found in this area and highlights the resilience of the farmers that inhabit the Kalahari.
We were taken to a dilapidated farm house where we were served with an assortment of appetizers created with local ingredients. An initial jolt to our culinary pallets, but there was much more to come. Chefs in starched white uniforms invited us to follow them into what appeared to be a large water storage tank. Inside we descended a spiral staircase to be confronted by a state of the art underground refrigerated pantry. Here we again sampled unique fare and eventually were led into a dining room that looked out onto the desert landscape. The dinner we were served was exquisite with a full tasting menu of foods curated from ingredients found within 100 kms. Quite honestly, I wish we had a larger capacity to indulge as there were far too many delicious delicacies to sample. This evening’s experience was an amazing juxtaposition after a day in a dusty Landover exploring the desert. Not what one would ever expect to find.
Tswalu is a very unique safari destination. One of these safari camps certainly should be on a bucket list for anyone returning for another “bite of the African apple”.
DID YOU KNOW?
There are 9 subspecies of giraffe Giraffe do not bend their knees when drinking.
They bend their ankles.
Giraffe are not soundless. They can snort, bellow, grunt, whistle, bleat, groan, moo and moan. At night they can often be heard humming.
Giraffe usually sleep only about two hours a day.
Giraffe spend most of their lives standing up, even when giving birth.
Giraffe can run up to 35 miles per hour over short distances.
