Aerial View from Lounge - Tswalu Kalahari, Safari, South Africa
At a Glance
The largest private game reserve in South Africa, this unique lodge shares the untouched wilderness and wildlife of the southern Kalahari in elegant style.
Indagare Loves
A maximum of 30 guests sharing 250,000 acres of the little-explored Kalahari Desert
Sleeping under the stars (kids too!) on the special Malori sleep deck
No schedule: private vehicles allow guests to choose to safari by jeep, on horseback, by foot or not at all
It’s unique, desert location, which happens to be a malaria-free zone
Review
In South Africa’s Northern Cape Province, closer to the border of Botswana than Johannesburg, Tswalu Kalahari (“new beginning” in Tswana) is the Oppenheimer family’s 13-suite lodge that exists “to restore the Kalahari to itself.” A side effect of the family’s trailblazing conservation efforts is that this rare corner of the Kalahari Desert, with its black desert rhino, 380,000-year-old cave drawings, precious colonies of meerkat and aardvark, and dramatic Korannaberg Mountains, is yours to explore and admire from the luxe confines of the designer lodge.
A maximum of 30 guests share some 250,000 acres (this is the largest private game reserve in South Africa), and there are just six safari jeeps on the reserve, so a vehicle encounter is almost rarer than one with a black-maned Kalahari lion or native mountain zebra. The grasslands and open savannah of the Kalahari Desert make a unique habitat for such animals as meerkat, spotted hyaenas, desert black rhino and Kalahari lions.
Unlike most lodges, guests set their own schedule here: a pre-dawn game drive can be swapped for a Champagne breakfast in bed; horseback rides and walking safaris can include stops for picnic lunches prepared by the executive chef; and a relaxing dip in the lodge’s infinity pool could fill the time between a spa treatment or a meeting with the onsite ecologist. Youngsters are encouraged to join bushwalks or take the Junior Rangers program, and free babysitting is available 24-hours.
Designer Boyd Ferguson is behind the successful mix of native architecture and modern furnishings in the Motse (“village”) that houses the main lodge and dining areas, and, in standalone “little houses,” the eight enormous suites. Made from local stone, red clay and Kalahari thatch, each is around 1,800 square-feet, with open fireplaces, canopied beds with mosquito netting (though the region is malaria-free), ensuite bathrooms and dreamy outdoor showers with views of the savannahs and sand dunes. For a more intimate stay, the Oppenheimer’s own five-suite lodge “Tarkuni,” flanked by two mountains, is available to rent, as is the very special “Malori” deck that lets you slumber like King and Queen of the jungle under the stars.
Who Should Stay
Privacy-seekers who don’t want to see another safari jeep; adventurous families of all ages; big groups who could take over the entire lodge for special occasions; and serious animal lovers and conservationists.
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Verandah at Tswalu Kalahari, Safari, South Africa
Aerial View from Lounge - Tswalu Kalahari, Safari, South Africa
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