The Motse - Tswalu Kalahari Luxury Private Game Reserve

My husband and I recently spent four nights at the Tswalu Loapi tented residences. It was one of the best experiences of our lives and we cannot wait to come back. The reserve itself is spectacular - more on that soon. But what really took the experience to the next level for us was the people. Our butler Mo was an absolute delight, incredibly friendly and warm and made us feel immediately at home, and our private chef Quentin was SO talented and lovely and just a wonderful guy. (Yes, every Loapi residence gets a butler and private chef!) We had the best time hanging out with them at the end of the day after our game drives, and they were incredibly good at their jobs. Also incredibly good at their jobs: our safari guide Kallie (“Kalamari”) and his tracker David. Oh my gosh, what a team. Kallie knows EVERYTHING. Every animal, every bush, every bird - he knows the English name, Afrikaans name, Setswana name and scientific name. He answered my one hundred million questions with not only patience but humour and enthusiasm. His nicknames for the animals are legendary: my husband and I still point at steenbok and shout “BUSH BISCUIT!” as Kallie calls them (because they are small and good snacks for the predators). When you’re in a safari vehicle with a guide for 8 hours a day, you want it to be someone you can connect with - and Kallie is one of the most brilliant, most fun, most interesting people I have ever encountered in my life. David, the tracker, we didn’t get to know quite as well, but he was really lovely and EXCELLENT at his job. We saw so many rare and interesting animals, including lion cubs, cheetah cubs, a zorilla, and the elusive pangolin! Tswalu itself is utterly stunning. The tented villas are luxe and perfect (though do bring very warm clothes if you go in winter). The park is a gorgeous landscape of red soil and silvery-blonde grasses and shepherd’s trees and thorn bushes, with more than a dozen types of antelopes and giraffes and rhinos and lions and wild dogs and just so very many animals. It gets into your soul, it really does. We also got to visit KleinJan (I’ll review it separately but it was super cool) and I went horseback riding with Warren, the chief instructor who is also a stunt person in films (!!). Horseback riding here is only for intermediate riders and up, and I highly recommend you follow this caution as their horses are NOT for beginners - but if you’re an experienced rider, there is nothing like it. Warren is awesome and the ride was incredible. If you’re considering a trip here, don’t hesitate any more. Just book it. And request Mo, Quentin, Kallie and David as your dream team. You can thank me later, once you’ve shaken the red dust from your shoes and vowed to return.

We stayed at Loapi Camp which was incredible. Our house was so comfortable, spacious and very relaxing. Each house comes with your own guide and tracker and personal butler and chef. Tswalu is a beautiful park, not full with the big 5 but with enough animals to satisfy. We came here not because of wanting the big 5 experience but because we were interested in their conservation program and the research they do as well as the luxury you get when staying here. This was the perfect place to end our trip in Africa. When staying here your dinner at KleinJan is included and what an absolutely incredible experience that was which I won’t review here because I don’t want to spoil the surprise that you get when going there. Our guide Kalie and tracker Ben were phenomenal, not only were they wonderful people but they were excellent at their job and did everything they could to get us to see what we wanted which was cheetah, the meerkat experience and fortunately for us a sighting of a pangolin. Kalie has a wealth of information which he shared with is, I only hope I can remember it all, he was just amazing. I generally don’t like returning to the same place when I travel as there are so many other places to visit, however, I will definitely return to Tswalu, it really is a wonderful place to go.

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.

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.