The ultimate luxury safari experience
The Motse at Tswalu is set amidst rolling savannah dunes in the southern Kalahari. It’s the main camp on Tswalu Kalahari Reserve, the biggest privately owned wildlife reserve in South Africa. At Tswalu, exclusive African safaris are the norm, with unusual and evocative offerings.
It you enjoy the extraordinary, Tswalu is the pinnacle or Shangri-la in luxury safari accommodation in South Africa. Not just for its super luxurious safari accommodation and seclusion, but for the unique game viewing too. We were tickled and mesmerized watching a small colony of meerkats scurrying about cleaning their burrow one morning. While one kept watch standing on a boulder, sentinel style, the others worked fast to finish their domestic chores before breakfast.
The Motse, means ‘the village’ in local Tswana, and the luxury safari lodge resembles just that. Suites are housed in nine individual ‘legae’ or dwellings, village style. They’re designed with sensitivity and empathy to place, environment and the guest experience, and reflect the space and energy of the surrounding Kalahari. Completely private too, each legae is blissful, decorated in muted sand tones and natural materials. Sweeping views are everywhere, even from your bed or outdoor shower.
Within The Motse is also a central guest area, comprising beautiful living and dining spaces, the bar, wine cellar, gallery, shop and spa for couples’ treatments. This is breathe-easy country, and a safari hideaway like no other.
Activities for a perfect safari
The Motse has a dedicated photographic studio with a canvas printer for images, and a trained guide to assist with image printing. With rare and unusual wildlife, the Kalahari is deeply photogenic. On a game drive you may see black-maned lion, black rhino, endangered pangolin, aardvark, aardwolf, cheetah, oryx, African wild cats and, of course, those comical meerkats. There is plenty for birders to see too, with five different habitats to explore.
Stretch your legs with a bush walk into the mountains to see ancient petroglyphs, go game viewing on horseback or by safari vehicle. All experiences are exactly according to your desire, so days can be relaxed or packed with activity – as you wish. But when you are out there in this ancient desert of endless space, you will be moved by the surreal beauty and tranquility of the place, it’s simply unforgettable and stills your mind and soul.
If you’d like to explore deeper, the Tswalu Foundation offers interactions with researchers, tracking pangolin or aardvark, sociable weavers or snakes for data collection. It’s authentic and informative and gives insight into natural life in the Kalahari.
Sleeping out under the stars at comfortable, tented Malori or rustic, open-air Naledi are also wow experiences to appreciate nature more intimately. Much more than five star, these are full-galaxy star experiences that are as enchanting as they are unique – much like everything you will experience when you visit Tswalu.
What we love!
- Dining at enchanting Klein JAN, you will taste the authentic flavours of the Kalahari in unique cuisine.
- The junior ranger programme enables kids to experience conservation in action.
- Guests can also meet visiting South African artists in residence.
- There is serene, pared down, nature-inspired décor throughout.
- The various and evocative dine-out and sleep-out options, with ablution facilities enable secluded romantic getaways for couples too.
What you need to know…
- Children under 12 years’ old stay free in their parents’ room.
- The pool is not covered.
- Since the safari lodge is not fenced, guests should not walk between lodges.
- There are air conditioners and fans for the summer heat.
- Tswalu Kalahari Reserve is malaria free.
- Please advise any special dietary requirements in advance of arrival.
- The private reserve is accessed by daily private charter flights from Johannesburg (90 minutes) and Cape Town (2 hours) directly into Tswalu Kalahari Reserve.
Reviewed and edited by Keri Harvey