Tswalu Kalahari Reserve has achieved remarkable recognition by securing top rankings in the prestigious Condé Nast Traveler’s Readers’ Choice Awards for 2024. The property has been named the #2 Resort in South Africa in the U.S. edition and the #4 Resort in South Africa in the UK edition. These accolades follow an exceptional year for Tswalu, which was previously honoured as one of the best new lodges in the wild at the Town & Country 2024 Awards, and won the 20th annual Hospitality Design Award for Best Sustainable Project, in addition to securing the March 2024 cover of Condé Nast Traveller UK.
As the largest privately protected area in South Africa, Tswalu offers a true wilderness experience on the southernmost edge of the Kalahari. With guaranteed access to a private safari vehicle, guests enjoy the freedom and flexibility to explore the remote reaches of the reserve at their own pace. Safari activities include privately guided game drives, habituated meerkat encounters, nature walks, tracking, stargazing, horse riding, and star-bed sleepouts.
Tswalu is primarily an ambitious conservation project, sustainably safeguarding vital habitats and restoring biodiversity. It provides a private and exclusive safari experience for a maximum of 40 guests across three luxury safari camps, ensuring one of the lowest guest-to-wilderness space ratios in South Africa. This low-impact, sustainable model of nature-based tourism is vital to supporting the conservation work at the heart of Tswalu’s mission: to leave the world better than it was found.
Tswalu is distinguished by its commitment to on-site research through a dedicated foundation that informs conservation decisions made on the property. Guests are encouraged to engage with scientists and doctoral students in the field.
Managed as a conservation initiative, Tswalu integrates nature-based tourism to support the socio-economic development of the region, creating a sustainable balance between environmental stewardship and community well-being. Every safari undertaken contributes to preserving the southern Kalahari’s rich biodiversity for future generations. With private game drives free of set schedules, the award-winning Klein JAN restaurant, and visits to historic rock art sites, Tswalu offers guests the chance to experience the magic of the southern Kalahari from every angle.
In addition to its various research accomplishments, the opening of Tswalu’s third camp, Loapi, has garnered attention for its sustainable design and innovative approach to low-impact lodging. Loapi, meaning the ‘space below the clouds’ in Setswana, is pioneering and nomadic in spirit.
Six individual safari homes are surrounded by open savannah grasslands and accommodate two to four guests for the ultimate private wilderness experience. Sustainably designed and environmentally sensitive, the architecture of each temperature-controlled home combines canvas, glass, timber and steel.
Set at least 50 metres (165 feet) apart to ensure privacy and solitude, the homes are tucked into the contours of a valley between the Korannaberg mountains. Personal service is provided by a dedicated house manager, and all meals are prepared by a private chef in an interactive kitchen.
Offering a unique safari destination in the remote southern Kalahari, Tswalu Kalahari Reserve is a visionary conservation project with sustainability at its core. As a member of The Long Run, Tswalu’s journey toward greater sustainability emphasises conservation, community, culture, and nature-based tourism. With only three luxury safari camps spread across 118,000 hectares (292,000 acres), Tswalu has one of the lowest guest-to-wilderness space ratios in South Africa.
The Motse and Tarkuni camps are complemented by Loapi, a light-footprint camp with six exclusive-use safari homes that provide the ultimate private wilderness experience. The Tswalu Foundation is dedicated to research that informs conservation decisions, encouraging guests to interact with scientists and postgraduate students in the field. Those who choose Tswalu become part of a bold, regenerative conservation vision aimed at protecting vital habitats and restoring biodiversity, positively impacting the planet and its people.
