Discover 5 Reasons Why Tswalu Is South Africa’s Premier Safari Lodge

19.05.2024 - 10:59 / forbes.com

Tswalu will win your heart in a hundred ways — many of those ways not what you expected. Oh sure, it’s one of South Africa’s most coveted safari destinations, set in the stunning Kalahari Desert and boasting plenty of unparalleled game viewing opportunities (including the rare wild dog and the even rarer pangolin). It even offers one of the top dining experiences in the entire country, Klein JAN, which is a culinary adventure overseen by Michelin-starred chef Jan Hendrik van der Westhuizen.

Yet Tswalu’s allure extends far beyond the typical safari checklist and one-of-a-kind dining experiences. Here, it’s the unexpected extras — the lodge’s genuine dedication to conservation, the fact that each booking comes with a dedicated guide and tracker so you can set your own schedule, and the warmth and enthusiasm of the staff — that make it such an unmissable destination. Here are five reasons why Tswalu stands out as an exceptional safari experience.

Location

Despite its remote location, getting to Tswalu is surprisingly easy thanks to direct flights from Johannesburg or Cape Town with Fireblade Aviation. (The flying time from Johannesburg is approximately 90 minutes, while from Cape Town, it's around two hours.) Upon landing at the lodge’s private airstrip, you'll disembark filled with the thrilling sensation that you’ve landed on another world.

Situated on the southernmost edge of the Kalahari, it is a landscape of contrasts, where the stark beauty of the desert is punctuated by the incredible richness of flora and fauna you’ll discover at every turn. The Kalahari is a semi-arid grassland, peppered with red sand dunes, open savannahs and rock-strewn mountains. Tswalu, which is South Africa's largest private game reserve, spans over an incredible 282,000 acres — making it nearly double the size of Chicago — and it pulsates with possibilities.

Even after spending several days driving around the reserve, it’s simply impossible to grasp how immense it truly is. The red sands stretch out in every direction, inviting you on hundred different adventures, and even if you stayed a lifetime, you’d never tire of seeing what’s beyond that next bend in the road.

Think I’m exaggerating the beauty of the landscape? I promise that every dawn you’ll be entranced with the pillowy, blue hazy mornings the Kalahari is famous for, and then be wowed again at night with heart-piercingly beautiful sunsets that showcase shades of amber and crimson that a camera can’t even come close to capturing.

The reserve's location, far from the nearest town, imbues Tswalu with an inviting sense of isolation and tranquility — and the stargazing opportunities are unparalleled. It’s a place where the rhythm of nature sets the pace, and the