Tswalu Tarkuni

Tswalu Tarkuni was once the Oppenheimer family home and now it offers a natural, home away from home bush camp feel with understated elegance and, a sense of luxury, relaxation and tranquillity. Guests are catered for with a private chef and guide and can experience comfort and an incredible sense of space in their own secluded piece of the Kalahari.

This magnificent homestead is set amid two rolling mountain ranges and is ideal for smaller groups, from family parties to close friends, this home can accommodate up to 10 guests in 5 luxurious bedrooms. With a vast open-plan lounge, dining room, a cosy library and game room, this truly is a home away from home. The main deck leads to a private salah and swimming pool where guests can just unwind. Tarkuni comes complete with a private vehicle, dedicated guide and tracker.

The private suites include a spacious bedroom with king-size or twin beds, a luxurious bathroom with a bath and outdoor shower, and comfortable seating and study areas. The suites embrace the natural outdoor experience with organic-shaped flowing outdoor decks off the bedrooms and the addition of natural Kalahari stone walls to add privacy and seclusion to each deck space. The sunny decks lead onto private terraces with day-beds which can be made up as evening star-beds for guests who would like to experience the thrill of sleeping under the vast Kalahari skies.

Tswalu is a wonderful place for children and unlike most lodges, families need not worry that their children will be missing out on the adventure as younger children are welcome on game drives. The camp offers child-friendly swimming pools and there are flexible dining times for families. The camp also offers complimentary babysitting to allow parents to enjoy formal or private evenings. Each child will always have something to do and on arrival, they will receive a Tswalu Junior Ranger guide.

The Malori Sleep-out Deck

Guests staying at Tswalu have the option of booking a classic safari sleep-out at the Malori where you can spend the night surrounded by the calls of nature with nothing between you and the brilliant views of the Kalahari night sky.

The Malori Sleep-Out Deck boasts a king-size bed with Aldona linen, luxury towelling robes and slippers. There is an adjacent outdoor toilet, basin and shower which are a short distance away along a lighted walkway. Upon arrival guests can enjoy drinks and snacks set up by a guide and take in the spectacular views, followed by a delicious meal. There are children’s camping beds available, making it an enjoyable experience for families.

Activities at Tswalu Tarkuni

Experience brilliant game drives in open-sided canopied safari vehicles led by experienced guides and trackers who have been trained in the unique Kalahari ecology. Spend time with the enchanting meerkat colonies at a close range. Enjoy star-gazing under the Kalahari stars or take a moment to relax and unwind at the Tswalu Kalahari Spa.

About the Kalahari Nature Reserve

The Tswalu Kalahari Reserve is a privately owned game reserve in the Northern Cape, South Africa. It is South Africa's largest private game reserve, covering an area of over 111,000 hectares.

There are countless San Engraving sites at Tswalu that testify to the importance of earlier inhabitants that regarded the green Kalahari. During the 20^th century, the link between people and their surroundings were disrupted by attempts at cattle farming and hunting.

Tswalu is a labour of love for the Oppenheimer family, who took responsibility for this remarkable reserve in 1998 – continuing the vision of the late Stephen Boler, from Manchester in the United Kingdom, whose dream it was to return this land which had been farmed, to its former state. Since then, their commitment to conservation has seen indigenous species re-introduced, and real strides made towards the restoration of the Kalahari, and the undoing of years of neglect.

In its new incarnation as a private nature reserve and conservation success story, Tswalu is bringing this ultimate ambition a little closer each day: To leave the world better than how it was found it. One of the very few mountain ranges in the southern Kalahari – the Korannaberg – casts a benevolent shadow over the rolling dunes and expansive grasslands of Tswalu. Tswalu also receives more rainfall than many other parts of the Kalahari.

In the shelter of the mountains, you can encounter Tswalu’s 240 bird and 80 mammal species, including Hartmann’s mountain zebra and wild dog. To date, more butterfly species have been recorded here than in the entire British Isles. By way of confounding stereotypes, Tswalu is even home to three species of amphibian.