Tswalu Reserve
A Raw Land and its Beautiful Red Soil
The Kalahari has always held great mystique, growing up reading Mark and Delia Owens book “Cry of the Kalahari” - solidifying a nostalgic place in my heart for this raw land and its beautiful red soil.
The Kalahari has always held great mystique, growing up reading Mark and Delia Owens book “Cry of the Kalahari” - solidifying a nostalgic place in my heart for this raw land and its beautiful red soil. Maddie and I spent three wonderful, child-free nights at Motse, one of three camps on the property: the others, a private house called Tarkuni and the new, Loapi tented camp. All things considered, only three camps on this massive reserve means tons of space for real exclusivity.
Tswalu’s vision for what it has created was profound. It is hard to imagine today, that this 100,000 hectare reserve and its abundance of wildlife was once miles and miles of overgrazed sheep farms. What is more profound, is how acutely Tswalu has considered its conservation impact in such a holistic manner. From providing space for and protecting critically endangered desert adapted black rhino to incredibly in depth research into the symbiosis of Cape Cobras, pygmy falcons and social weavers and how those learnings translate into modern day effective conservation efforts.
Having spent my entire life in the bush, there are a few curious creatures that always peak my interest more than others. Tsalwu is home to a few of those, namely, the pangolin and brown hyena. Both very elusive and a trip to Tswalu offers a rare opportunity to not only see these two but to do a deep dive on why they are so important, so rare and so special. I will always try to highlight these unique opportunities because ultimately, these often unknown species live longest in our memories when we get opportunities to reflect.
The conservation efforts and the wildlife notwithstanding, the hospitality experience at Tswalu is world class. Our stay at Motse for three nights was exceptional from the comfort of the rooms to the quality of the service but there were two unique highlights that will live long in our memories.
The First is KleinJan. When Chef Jan Van De Westhuizen teamed up with Tswalu, lord knows how they cooked up such a unique concept for such an exceptional experience in quite literally the middle of nowhere. Jan is a Michelin starred South African chef and whilst the traditionally inspired Afrikaans dining experience is mindblowing - it is the combination of the architecture, ambience and nostalgia that form such a heady experience- it takes you completely by surprise, walking into a unassuming 200 year-old farm house is just the beginning of a wondrous journey that blends modern engineering with pioneering spirit and a dining experience inspired by genius.
The second was our night sleeping on the starbed. The team at Tswalu do not do things in halves so when Maddie and I asked if we could sleep out under the stars, little did we know the length our wonderful host would go to accommodate such a blissful experience. Despite being a simple wooden platform tucked away in a remote corner of the reserve, we could not have wanted for more: from the abundantly stocked bar to the mountains of food and comfortable camp beds, our guide Joanthan wished us a lovely evening and disappeared over the horizon with a cheerful “see you in the morning”. And so as we fell asleep, watching the stars and listening to the lion’s roar, yet another stunningly fortunate memory was created to be cherished forever.
