Almost as if on cue, the fidgeting stopped. Conversation became superfluous. Nobody looked at each other. Yet we all sensed what had happened. The calmness and beauty of the surroundings had permeated our very core. Almost as if we had become one with nature. If it weren’t for the soft whining of the Landcruiser engine, the modern fabrics and our tech-laden devices, we might as well have been back in the late Pleistocene epoch some 20,000 years ago, when this part of Southern Africa transitioned from wetland to dry savanna.  

Achieving that feeling of being immersed in the environment, finding that place of peace and privacy and realizing that off-the-map experience is what we strive to include in every one of our customized Africa itineraries. To one degree or another. In a high adrenaline ‘Big Five’ wildlife setting it is not always achievable but in areas like Samara in the Great Karoo and at Tswalu in the northern Cape Kalahari, it is there, always. Waiting for you around every corner.

Wildlife at Tswalu 

For the first 40 minutes or so on that morning drive, there was hardly an animal in sight but it did not matter. Clearly they were cold too and staying in thick cover. Then we started to see them. First giraffes, then mountain zebras, gemsbok, kudu and springbok. We were particularly thrilled to come across a non-habituated family of meerkats which stared at us from a distance in their own inimitable way, standing straight up on their hind legs. 

The previous day our afternoon game drive had started with a bang. Barely out of camp we bumped into two beautiful white rhino bulls, strutting around a salt lick,  their impressive horns perfectly intact. A major consideration nowadays with so many other South African reserves dehorning their rhinos. 

Twice during our short stay at Tswalu we came across lions. While different, the two experiences were equally fascinating and fulfilling from a wildlife viewing perspective. On the first afternoon we followed up on a pride of lions which had brought down an eland early that morning. We found all of the lions, and what was left of the eland. Not much, to be sure. Several of the lions continued feeding, either by themselves, and notably, an impressively maned male which uncharacteristically allowed a young cub to continue feeding in tandem. 

Our final morning drive delivered yet another excellent lion sighting when we followed the tracks and then eventually came across two female lions in hunting mode. They were checking the dense acacia thickets along a narrow track, poking their noses into the undergrowth to locate or flush one of the many antelopes hidden away there. Watching them walk right by our vehicle was a visual treat. Passing right by us with hardly a sidelong glance, their powerful back muscles rippled under the tawny coats. At around 4.5 years old, the two sisters were in their prime, projecting total confidence and competence. Clearly at the top of their game, each having left three cubs in a safe area while making this hunting sortie. 

Another highlight was spending some time with a female cheetah and her three sub-adult cubs. Initially lying down in the shade, they eventually got up and relocated, providing me with a brief yet useful opportunity to get a few more low level photographs. 

On previous trips to Tswalu we had also come across an aardvark, one of the property’s signature mammals. This time around they were much more difficult to find and observe, due to the rank vegetation prevalent at the time, following an exceptionally good rainy season. The same was true of black rhino.  

My best advice to future Tswalu guests is to spend a minimum of four nights there. It’s a massive reserve and to give yourself a realistic chance to find elusive species like black rhinos and largely nocturnal ones like aardvark, you will need time and patience. Due to the immense size of the reserve (118,000 hectares, equivalent to 292,000 acres) the animals at Tswalu are widely spread out. It’s not unusual for the guides to target only one signature species per outing. While it’s entirely possible to have several amazing sightings on one game drive, there are bound to be slow ones when the desired ‘signature’ sighting doesn’t materialize. Set your expectations accordingly. Fortunately all guests at Tswalu automatically get a private vehicle and guide so you can remain entirely flexible in terms of timing and duration of game drives, inclusion of night drives, a meerkat experience, horseback riding and more. 

Guiding and hospitality at Loapi

Tswalu is renowned for its consistently excellent hospitality with a high ratio of staff to guests, first class accommodation options and sophisticated food and beverage offerings. The guiding cadre is likewise top tier with a guiding stint at Tswalu being highly sought after. 

On our third visit to the property we spent a couple of nights at one of their deluxe Loapi units, essentially a mini private camp within a camp. Complete with a kitchen, coffee machine, milk frother, refrigerator, dishwasher, bar with stools, table for 4, a wet bar with wine fridge filled with wine and soft drinks, various spirits and mixers, an outdoor dining area, outdoor sala with heated splash pool, indoor and outdoor fireplace, private study with desk, living room with couch and chairs, guest toilet, separately air conditioned master bedroom with recessed daybed with window, a boomer-proof safe, two bedside tables and a chair, a bathroom with two sinks, walk-in shower and outdoor shower, and a dressing room with an ottoman, as well as a separate toilet. 

We hardly had enough time to look at, never mind experience all of these features and enhancements so I’m reluctant to be critical in any way. The one thing I would have liked to see either inside or outside the room is a standalone tub. In this setting and in a property of this quality, it seems like a no-brainer. I suspect that water conservation may have played a role in the decision to go with inside and outside showers only. 

The four one-bedroom and two two-bedroom Loapi suites each have a dedicated team of four staff members assisting guests. A professional guide and tracker team, a professional chef and an homathi (house manager). Our private chef Mathew prepared several sterling meals including a delicious oxtail and a fantastic breakfast on our day of departure. Our homathi Dries was as personable and delightful a person as one could wish to meet.  

Our Tswalu guide Michaela impressed us from the word go with her confidence and joie de vivre. She and tracker Piet made a formidable team and between them we didn’t miss a thing. Lion tracks, rhinos dragging their lower lips, ultra-distant kudus against the skyline, finding cheetahs in the thickets, the tiniest of birds – we got them all. It would not surprise us in the least to see Michaela take on a leadership role in her field. 

New developments at Tswalu 

We were fortunate to be shown around Tswalu’s original and best known lodge – the Motse – by ebullient GM Pietro Addis. At the time the Motse was just days away from reopening after a major, top-to-bottom architectural refashioning. Most graciously, despite being wanted in more than just one meeting at that very minute, Pietro focused on us to the exclusion of everything else. He gave us the insider’s view on every facet of the renovation from the state-of-the-art new workout equipment in the gym to the maps which once graced the canopy of the four poster beds. They’re gone.  

Over the preceding six months the camp’s main areas, shared outside spaces and rooms have been attractively and thoughtfully renovated and enhanced. Returning guests don’t have to worry: the Motse is still the classic safari camp which they’ve been visiting all these years. It’s just a little bit lighter all round with white tones inside and out. Some of the spaces in the main lounge and dining area have been reconfigured in a practical and we think most pleasing way. The front entrance also now works a lot better than before. Even more so than previously, the main area and the rooms harmonize beautifully with the surrounding Kalahari landscape.

Tswalu also completed a soft refurbishment of its exclusive-use Tarkuni homestead in April this year. The updates include redesigned open-plan lounge and dining areas, a new mezzanine lounge, and a refined outdoor retreat space. The five en-suite bedrooms and bathrooms were also updated with new linens, curtains, and tactile, natural materials. 

A fine dining experience at Boscia House

On our last night at Tswalu, at the conclusion of our afternoon game drive, Michaela dropped us off at a small homestead, with several prominent Boscia (shepherd’s trees) in the vicinity. Boscia House is a restored, century-old frontier farmhouse, formerly home to Michelin-starred chef Jan Hendrik van der Westhuizen’s Klein JAN dining experience. In its new, evolving iteration Boscia House is a quaint, peaceful setting for a multi-course dinner with expert local wine pairings. Dining here is a culinary adventure from start to finish. The seven-course tasting menu which we enjoyed incorporated several local ingredients, some of which are foraged, and it illustrates a deep respect for the area’s heritage foods and local culture. Tswalu’s guests get to enjoy one complimentary dinner at Boscia House during their stay, adding a unique dimension to a safari of a lifetime in the northern Cape Kalahari. 

Here are some notes about the courses in the order they were served, the wine pairing and a few photos. 

Brioche bread with marmite butter, rolled in biltong dust

This uber-South African flavor-bomb, served on a skewer in the style of a lollipop, appealed to the 7-year old small-town boy in me with the unmistakable slightly earthy, somewhat salty hint of Marmite blending beautifully with locally made butter in a brioche crumb square, rolled in fine biltong dust. Biltong being the ubiquitous South African dried meat snack. Food doesn’t get any more nostalgic than that, or more playful. The taste sensation of that single canape was worth coming all this way.   

Mopane worm and lemon butter with amagwinya 

Amagwinya (locally known as vetkoek which can be loosely translated as ‘fat cake’) is a humble South African comfort food. In many other parts of Africa, India and elsewhere similar ‘fried dough’ iterations serve as the basis of hundreds of varieties of delectable street food. On this evening at Boscia it was elevated into a mini work of art with the addition of a smear of aromatic-infused mopane worm paste and a dab of bright lemon butter. Like practically everything on the menu it was unusual, innovative and absolutely palate-pleasing.  

Spekboom gazpacho with frozen apple, melon, cucumber and goat cheese 

This highly visual, even theatrical take on a cold soup was my personal favorite of all the courses served. Mostly because of the textural variety and the totally unexpected yet exhilarating temperature contrast and interplay between the extremely thinly sliced frozen apple and melon with the other ingredients. In an ensemble with spekboom (a crisp, citrusy local succulent) and an exquisite local goat cheese, this gazpacho is the stuff of culinary dreams.  

Potato with leek, corn and mesquite bean

By this point in the meal, I was not surprised to experience the novel way in which such relatively humble ingredients – potato and corn – were transformed into a stunning mid-course dish. Again, the textural diversity was superb and the mesquite beans added a distinctly smoky, slightly sweet and nutty flavor.  

Ostrich medallions with baby corn, vanilla, saffron, cabbage 

Game meat (such as kudu, gemsbok loin or ostrich) is often the centerpiece of the main course at Boscia. The ostrich medallions on this night were perfectly seared and incredibly lean yet tender as can be. Paired with some savory cabbage it created a show-stopping main course which was satisfying and not at all heavy, as can sometimes be the case with game. 

Sago pudding with rooibos, soetkoekie and orange 

The dessert course at Boscia was a heritage-laden sago pudding; something which might have been served by one’s grandmother around a traditional coal stove in South Africa in years gone by. This particular sago pudding with cinnamon, tiny orange slices and crumbled cookie, was totally dreamy without being overly sugary or cloying. Just the right level of cinnamon and sweetness with a hint of rooibos tea, rekindling the familial warmth and kinship of the family dining table.  

Mesquite tree coffee with coconut sugar and an infused raisin.  

Kathy and I don’t habitually experiment much beyond decaf Americano and cappuccino so we had to be gently cajoled into ending the wonderful meal with a shot of mesquite tree coffee. Hearing that it was naturally caffeine-free helped. Just as well that we set our initial misgivings aside. The naturally sweet, nutty, and slightly caramelized flavors of the roasted mesquite pods were satisfyingly coffee-like while being completely new to our palate. It was served on a tiny bed of coconut sugar ‘Kalahari sand’ with an infused raisin as a faux springbok pellet, on the side. Storytelling and local culture intertwined in an entertaining and playful manner – the ideal end to our delightful dinner at Boscia House.   

The accompanying wine selection included the following:

• Lowerland Vaalkameel 2024
• Jan White Blend 2025
• Koedoe Cabernet Sauvignon 2023
• Jan Red Blend 2023
• Die Mas Chardonnay 2023
• Prins Ben Muratie Cape Ruby
• Orange River Cellars Hanepoot

Planning a Tswalu Kalahari visit

We had not seen the Kalahari looking this good in a very long time. It did not come as a surprise, with as much as twice the average summer rainfall having been recorded in the northern Cape Kalahari this year. It augurs well for Tswalu for the remainder of this year and likely well into 2027, even if the next rainy season falls short of expectations. So if you want to experience the Kalahari at its best, this fall or next winter may be particularly good opportunities to head there.  

Beyond its fascinating mix of wildlife, superb accommodation, expert guiding, and as much privacy as you can imagine – and not forgetting its culinary prowess – Tswalu is also a visionary conservation project. Over the course of the past 31 years it has become the very model of ecological restoration in South Africa, protecting diverse habitats and fauna and flora, including many rare and endangered species. 

Email Bert at bert@fisheaglesafaris.com to find out more about traveling to Tswalu to experience its remarkable diversity and unique experiences and to become involved in the ongoing scientific research supported by the Oppenheimer family and Tswalu Foundation. 

Tswalu property photos provided by Tswalu.