The Motse - Tswalu Kalahari Luxury Private Game Reserve

We just returned from our 4th trip to Africa and our first trip to Tswalu. What at unique and incredible experience! The Kalahari is a magical place and Tswalu gives the perfect way to see it. From experience with their research team, to fantastic game drives and unique game, to horseback riding in the desert, to wonderful food and service, Tswalu does not disappoint.

I was on a small group tour which stayed at Tarkhuni Lodge in Tswalu reserve. The lodge manager, Morah,and her team were fantastic. The food was amazing and the wines and gin were lovely. The rooms are spacious and very well appointed. The scary and game is spectacular. The guides (Dave and Kevin) and the trackers (Jonnas and Fez) were amazing. I had a massage which was excellent. A fantastic experience.

Everything about Tswalu lives up to the many 5-star reviews. First and foremost is the natural beauty....the red soil, the semi-arid climate, unusual plants, brown-*****ed zebras (who knew?), and our only sighting of cheetahs during our stay in Africa. But also, the camp itself is exquisite in design - simultaneously luxurious and relaxed. And the staff were superb, every last one of them, especially our guide, who has since been deservedly promoted to head guide. The choice of wines was first rate. Food was delicious at every meal, and incredibly flexible when our teenagers suddenly craved some comfort food. The real kicker was on New Year's Eve when we pulled up onto a bluff and were greeted by a bartender and a beverage truck with snacks and chilled champagne. What a delightful surprise as the sun went down on the Kalahari, an evening we'll never forget. Oh, the Klein JAN experience was out of this world. My kids still talk about it. From start to finish, Tswalu was world-class.

The new one bedroom loapi villas are beautiful, comfortable, have amazing views and staff. The private chef and butler were fabulous, non intrusive and the food was delicious. I would recommend this camp for people that have done some more traditional safaris. What I loved about this experience is being left alone and being able to do exactly what we wanted and when, with our private guide and vehicle. Thank you to Linda, Reese, Rey and Ben! Fabulous all around, I’ll be back.

We have just spent 5 nights in this vast area of the green Kalahari. Great accommodation, food and service - all 5 star. Klein Jan was amazing. Don’t google it before you go as the surprise venue is amazing. Food is a work of art. All the team are fab with Freddy and Keo stand out as friendly and super efficient looking after us at meal times. All the food is delicious - lots of choices. Our safari experience with guide Juan and tracker Jackson was great. They’re really enthusiastic with a real desire to find things. We saw pangolin and aardvark as well as lion, cheetah with 4 cubs, wild dog/painted wolf pups and lion cubs. Plus a great experience up close and personal with meerkats. Nigel the guest manager is welcoming and engaging. Spa is worth a trip too.

Such a unique and pleasant experience. Saving this place is critical and the owners have made this available to the greater community. Awesome sightings. Food was amazing, can't remember out cook (young and from SA), but he continuously did wonders.

We've just got back from a week at Tarkuni with a small, Wildlife Worldwide group. Being the South African winter it was a case of thermals, gloves and bobble hats. The brilliant staff, superbly managed by Moyra and Dave, added hot water bottles, blankets, ponchos etc to ensure we were warm and happy. The building ensures a family atmosphere as do all the staff. Nothing is too much trouble and you only mention something once and it is acted upon. They even got me marmite for breakfast by day two! All the staff are proud to work at Tarkuni and contribute their all. The laundry team are the best I've ever come across in many safaris. The scenery is outstanding and we were blessed with blue skies and little wind. The light is superb and, as photographers, with a backcloth of red sandunes and corn coloured grasses we were in our element. Tarkuni is a place for safari fans who have done the big five and are looking for rare species which can be sighted with the help of exceptional drivers and trackers. Thanks to Kevin, Jonas and Fez. Unbelievably skilful at their jobs, they're nice people with great humour and are guaranteed to try and get you the best angle for shots and to supply you with endless interesting facts about the eco system. With all their skill, we hoped to see some rare sights, but there is always an element of luck in making sightings on any safari. We all worked hard and were rewarded with sights of a dozen wild dog pups at a den, four cheetah cubs of only eight weeks with their silvery manes, ardvark and porcupine on night explorations and the holy grail, a pangolin being studied by a young man for a masters degree. Other rare animals like Roan, Sable, White rhino and Mountain zebra were also seen and photographed. Tarkuni is expensive but wonderful value for money. That's probably why ordinary people like us save really hard to stay there for a few days. It's Africa at its best. You enjoy the scenery, solitude and lack of other tourists and a visit leaves you with memories that last a life time. We've been back three days and are already contemplating how we can save enough for another visit!

What an absolutely incredible experience. The private plane takes you right to the reserve and then you are driven to your lodge. We stayed at the Motse which was brilliant. Tswalu is set in a semi-arid desert paradise. It is a breathtaking unique environment - so beautiful with vast spaces, rolling hills and red sands making for comfortable drives. Your drives are private and you can decide how long you want to stay out. This is perfect because when you see that cheetah mom with three kids you want to stay and observe forever !! There are very few other jeeps and often you are alone with such a variety of splendid wildlife like the majestic Oryx, huge rhinos with great horns, lions, cheetahs, ostrich, giraffe. We had a fantastic ranger (Dave) and tracker (Jonathan). This is a place to go when you have seen the more traditional environments and want somewhere otherworldly. You really feel like you are on another planet with exceptional service ! And then there is the star feature of the included dinner at Klein Jan onsite restaurant. You have to stay several nights to receive an invitation and WOW what a treat that is. Words cannot describe the experience. Truly unique.

We stayed at numerous beautiful lodges in South Africa, including Singita Lebombo, Castleton Camp and Abu Camp. We needed a reset to take a break from our hectic schedules, and this was definitely the place to do it! From the ultimate luxurious lodging where attention is paid to every detail, amazing staff (shout out to Brandon and Amber!), the best trackers (William is #1!!!) unique wildlife (meerkat experience!), having plenty of peaceful and relaxing time to ourselves, delicious food prepared by our private chef, and the ultimate dining experience at the Michelin star Klein Jan restaurant. As others have said about the restaurant, don’t look it up and be blown away by the surprise and experience! My advice, though, is to moderate your expectations on wildlife viewing because you can’t and won’t see all the highlighted rare animals advertised (pangolin, aardvark) due to the reserve’s vastness and many other factors, or all of the Big Five. However, been there done that, and we were looking for something else more unique, and Tswalu nailed it! Two reserves with two different wildlife experiences, and the safari drive itself was positively exhilarating! Also, there were plenty of cheetahs, lions, many rare types of antelopes, giraffes, zebras, white and black horn rhinos, hyenas, wild dogs, etc. It’s a perfect getaway for honeymooners (very private and romantic), families, and those coming back to Africa who want a more authentic experience for 3-4 days. Conservation is the main reason for bringing tourism to Tswalu, and we are very thankful and grateful to the Oppenheimer family who are at the forefront of restoring the Kalahari desert back to its original pristine state!