Tswalu Kalahari Reserve

Tswalu is a magical place. We just spent four nights in a Loapi tent after having stayed at Motse several years ago. We’ve been on many safaris in several countries and have stayed at many great lodges (including Singitas and andBeyonds) but this is hands down my favorite. The Loapi tents are giant, incredibly beautiful and well appointed. Our Loapi manager (Tumi) and chef (Matt) were so sweet and amazing. And our guide (Kallie) and tracker (Enrico) went all out to help us find exactly what we wanted to see. This included Enrico spending countless hours (in the cold and dark) tracking a pangolin hole and standing next to it to try to see the pangolin come out late at night, Kallie and Enrico making sure we got to join wild dog and cheetah hunts for hours and hours which meant we blew through their middle of the day downtime and mealtime and got back quite late in the evening, Kallie always working with us before each game drive to make sure we tailored the drive to what we wanted to do/see, etc. Most safari camps give you the same tour everyone else gets but at Tswalu it’s truly tailored to your preferences and they care deeply about your experience. We are massively appreciative to Kallie and Enrico for this. And then the landscape of the Tswalu property is just stunning. It’s so beautiful with the red sand and the yellows and greens of the grasses, bushes and trees. The red sand also makes it so much easier to track animals - every game drive we found exactly what we were looking for with the one exception of the pangolin where we could have seen him had we been willing to stay out later than we actually did (they sent another tracker the next day and he found prints leading away from the hole so we would have seen him at some point in the night). This is truly a magical place and I can’t recommend it more.

1st safari was to Sabi Sands years ago. 2nd safrai in May 2025, went to Tswalu, stayed at Motse - me + spouse + son for 5 nights. Lodging, food, staff - absolutely no complaints. Wouldn't change a thing. The magic of Tswalu is the reserve itself. It's massive. Their dedication to conservation is impressive and it shows as you traverse through (a fraction of) it. You go on safari thinking that you're there for the game viewing. After a couple of days, for me, it was more the terrain, the scenery, the varying landscape and vegitation, the spectular sunrises and sunsets, and yes, the game viewing - this was almost an added bonus. You add to this that you have a dedicated vehicle + guide + tracker, and you're able to go at your own pace, wherever and whenever you want. BTW, our guide Hailey and tracker Thembile were excellent - but more than being good at their job, both of them had a real passion for the reserve, the animals, and the conservation mission. I travel often, and like to go to different parts of the world. It's rare for me to want to go back to the same place twice. Safari in South Africa was one of the few places that I knew I wanted to go back for a second time. After Tswalu, I am already looking forward to going back - multiple more times. And next time, I'm definitely staying longer than 5 days.

WOW! We were blown away by our experience at the Loapi. This you cannot call a ‘tent’: it is a vast villa with some canvas roofing on top. All 6 stars quality. Showering outside with a view of the stunning Kalahari and a passing giraffe, having a glass of red wine at your own private campfire under the milky way while your private chef prepares a wonderful dinner. Thanks Linda and Jimmy for taking such good care of us! The game drives were utterly relaxing and exciting at the same time. I think we once passed another vehicle. We loved the wildlife viewings from meercat to oryx to lions, white rhino’s and cheeta’s and many giraffes but also simply cruising around in the beautiful and insanely large reserve with our great guide Andries and dito tracker MC. A night in the Malory sleep out is a must; the most unforgettable experience ever! It comes at a price, but we do recommend to stay 4 nights. We will try to save up and come back as soon as we can!

The experience of a life time! Arriving at Tswualu has been like starting a wonderful dream for our family! Terrific structure, attention to detail, customer care, flexibility and unbelievable game drive experience! A particular thanks to Michaela and Thembile, our guide and tracker during the game drive: they simply made this experience magic, taking such a great care of us and of the children! A big thanks to Sanah as well for taking care of the children with great activities! Thank you for a wonderful time! We would definitively love to come back!

We had an amazing, incredible time at Tswalu Kalahari Game Reserve and highly recommend the resort and safari for anyone looking for an immersive, catered experience. Lara, Tumi, Jimmy, Kaiser and MC were very accommodating. We were treated like royalty the entire time we were there, and it was difficult to leave the team that we felt had become our friends. I lack the words to express how much fun we all had and how unique-to-us the trip was overall, but I will try. There are so many good points about Tswalu that I will divide this review into sections. Getting there and leaving: We flew from Cape Town to Tswalu in a tiny chartered plane. It took about 2 hours. Once we arrived, we saw giraffes from the windows of the plane! When we left Tswalu about four days later, we flew to Johannesburg, which took about 1 and a 1/2 hours. There is a weight limit of 44 pounds (20 kg) per person for baggage on the flight, so keep that in mind. Safari: Our guide, Kaiser, and our tracker, MC, were fantastic! We were four adults with a 10-year-old and a 6-year-old, each of whom had different ideas about which animals they wanted to see. For instance, the 10-year-old wanted to see the African wild dogs, and thanks to MC -- one of the top 10 trackers in South Africa (not an exaggeration; he must go to school and take repeated exams to earn his tracker status) -- we were able to catch sight of a pack of wild dogs going after an oryx. What's more, we were able to walk relatively close to the wild dogs to take photos and videos. The 6-year-old wanted to see cheetahs, and thanks again to MC, we were able to do exactly that, too! Kaiser, our guide, was very knowledgable as well. He and MC worked in tandem to help us find and learn about as many of the reserve animals as possible. For instance, they explained the visible differences between cheetah tracks, lion tracks and hyena tracks in the reddish sand that's all over the reserve, We also saw graceful giraffes, two types of gorgeous zebras, many oryx, a hyena, kudu, mother lions adorably playing with their cubs, two types of rhinoceros, owls (but only at night), sociable weavers (another type of bird), Egyptian geese, baboons, a couple of jackals, as well as other animals. [[ NOTE: There are no elephants at Tswalu, so keep that in mind if you are planning on seeing the Big Five. ]] Because we were there in April, which is autumn in South Africa, we usually went out on safari early in the mornings until about 10 a.m., and then again from about 4:30 p.m. to about 8 p.m. at night. This was to best catch the animals in the pre-dawn and post-dawn, and pre-sunset and post-sunset, time periods. BUT, the time periods that we were on safari depended on the types of animals that we were trying to see. We had perfect weather while we were there. I would suggest bringing and wearing lots of layers and a rain jacket just in case, but Kaiser and MC gave us warm ponchos and blankets while riding in the open-air Land Rover, as well. It can get chilly in the early mornings and evenings, but it usually warmed up in the late mornings and late afternoons. The resort provides you with lots of sunscreen, too, so don't worry about packing that, either. Also, Kaiser and MC provided us with snacks and drinks during the safari drive. Accommodations, food and drink: We had our own lodge, staffed by our wonderful host Lara, Tumi and Chef Jimmy. Food and drinks were plentiful and ubiquitous. The meals were artistic and delicious. Our 10-year-old especially loved the peppered ostrich. We also ate kudu, which was unique and artfully prepared. Personally, I think Chef Jimmy specialized in desserts, but everything he cooked was very tasty. (I loved the stews, as well.) The rooms were luxurious and spacious. The staff does laundry on site. Any time we had a need for anything, Lara and Tumi were right there to provide it for us. Restaurant Klein Jan: We didn't know what to expect, but let's just say that there is so much more to this restaurant and experience than what you see when you first arrive on the grounds. There is a tour of the restaurant's extensive pantry as well as an explanation of the building's history. We were served inventive dishes paired with two choices of exquisite South African wines for each course. You leave full, but not overly so. The restaurant staff was gracious. It's not an experience for children, we were told, so Lara played games with the kids back at the resort while we were having dinner. The kids each made bracelets that they were able to take home with them. They had a lot of fun with Lara. Additionally, each guest was provided with a Species Checklist booklet to help us remember the animals we saw while on safari (and also, sometimes, right from our outdoor living room at the resort!) All in all, we would all love to return to Tswalu. It's a huge reserve, and there was no guarantee that we would see any of the animals that we sought to see, but MC and Kaiser really made everything happen for us. Everyone was a joy to interact with. Thanks again to Lara, Tumi and Chef Jimmy, as well as Kaiser and MC -- you were all so wonderful! Thanks so much -- and again -- for all you did for us. The Marty and Roche families