Tswalu Kalahari Reserve

Outstanding from start to finish. We spent three nights in this, understated, stylish lodge. The rooms were spacious, comfortable and warm. The staff were fantastic. Friendly, efficient and attentive. Food was excellent. The landscape is stunning and there is enough game to keep attention. The guides were very knowledgeable. As well as game viewing, we were able to learn much about the flora, fauna and ecology.

I can not say enough about our stay at Tswalu. I managed a group of 14 travelers from the US and we were all blown away by our experience at Tswalu. The staff, the accommodations, the food and the Kalahari Desert. The staff - from the guides to the trackers to the hosts to the catering staff to the housekeeping staff to the Tarkuni management - all of them were so on it. We all felt so well taken care of plus they genuinely seemed vested in our excitement and enjoyment of the resort

Our guide (Michael) , tracker (Jackson), personal chef (Ace) and personal house manager (Z), were all AMAZING! I miss them all so much! They went above and beyond for us! The house was huge and beautiful! The massage therapists were FANTASTIC! The food was great! The only thing I didn’t like was how far all the animals were; you have to drive a long way before you see any. But they were very active once we found them!

Firstly the accommodation. Stayed at the Motse and all aspects were superb. Wonderful staff, great food and overall a totally relaxing experience. Game viewing was, however a different experience. Tswalu prides itself on being the largest privately owned conservation area in South Africa. Unfortunately there are not enough animals in this area to make game viewing a positive experience. For example only two black maned lions at present - If you can find them. I have travelled all over Africa and must have done well over 30 safaris. This was the worst due to the unbelievable paucity of wildlife, I was put off by the high cost (plus single supplement) initially but felt I'd go on what was possibly my last safari in order to see some of the less common animals. However, when seen, thanks to the expertise of the tracker and guide, the animals were at a significant distance and certainly not possible for good wildlife photography. I give 2 to the game viewing because of the meerkats, otherwise wildlife was scarce. This was in spite of an incredible tracker and guide who made the most of every situation. So, if you want an extravagant but wonderful hotel stay, this is the place for you. However until more wildlife get introduced this is neither a wildlife or photo destination.

We are just leaving Tswalu Loapi camp and I am struggling to find the superlatives to do it justice. We have stayed for four nights and it exceeded all expectations. The staff are incredible and our butler Tshego and chef Meraka were excellent and nothing was too much trouble from planning menus to suiting our time for meals. The setting is outstanding and vast and if you are looking for wall to wall animals then perhaps this is not the place for you however we saw all the animals we needed e.g. wild dogs (my favourite), lions, cheetah with cubs, black and white rhino and various others. Our dream team of Michaela and Jackson tried everything possible to make our game drives interesting and informative. We are sorry to leave but hopeful of a return visit one day.