Tswalu Kalahari

Tswalu Kalahari is South Africa’s largest privately owned game reserve, situated in the heart of the Northern Cape Province. A stay in Tswalu Kalahari Lodge in South Africa at its primary accommodation, the Motse, promises a breathtaking and exclusive Kalahari experience, introducing guests to its clear mission to restore the Kalahari to itself.

Property Details

The main game reserve accommodation within the Tswalu Kalahari is the Motse, nestled at the foot of the Korannaberg mountain range facing westward across the grasslands of the Kalahari. Designed to blend inconspicuously into the mountain range surrounding the reserve, the Motse of Tswalu Kalahari consists of eight spacious legae (a Tswana word for small house/suite), all designed with a distinct African feel while remaining elegant and stylish.

The legaes of the Motse are built of local stone, rich red clay and typical Kalahari thatch roofs, and altogether can accommodate a maximum of 20 people. Six of the legaes are for two guests each, while two legaes were designed with families in mind, each accommodating four people. Each suite comprises a spacious bedroom, an en suite bathroom with both indoor and outdoor walk-in shower, a large private lounge with an open fireplace, a private sun deck overlooking a waterhole, direct dial telephone, in-room safe, and minibar.

Dining at the Motse offers guests many distinct Tswalu Kalahari choices: meals can be enjoyed either in the dining room at the main building or in the privacy of the lounge contained in each suite. Of course, some would argue that luxury African safaris are simply not complete without a dining experience under the stars in Tswalu Kalahari’s traditional African boma. Picnic breakfasts and lunches are available for guests wishing to dine off the beaten path, and exciting desert dune dinners are also available. As an added bonus for any game reserve in South Africa, the main deck overlooks a game watering hole and features two swimming pools, one of which is heated.

Guests also have a variety of safari options at the Tswalu Kalahari. Aside from traditional game drives in private vehicles, resident donkeys Pedro and Don Juan ferry guests about in a traditional Kalahari cart. Tracking on horseback and on foot is also possible in the vast bush, with the Kalahari lion, cheetah, desert black rhinoceros, aardvark, honey badger, lynx, wild dog, a variety of antelope, and the ever-popular meerkats among some 80 species of game within view.

Another tempting activity is spending time in the Tswalu Kalahari Spa, with indoor treatments rooms and a unique open-air sala that enjoys a stunning view of the Kalahari grasslands and Korannaberg Mountains. Guests may also wish to visit the staff village which houses a community wellness clinic, preschool, and adult literacy center. Participate in educational talks with resident ecologists, or trek to nearby archaeological sites where ancient Bushmen rock carvings have been discovered. Book Tswalu Kalahari lodge in South Africa by contacting your Ker & Downey designer.