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.

TSWALU LOAPI REVIEW The Loapi lodges had not been added at the time of our previous visit, and they are a great improvement on the accommodation compared to The Motse. Whilst they command a premium, which is probably excessive to what is fair value, they certainly are nicer to stay in than The Motse. Each lodge is well spaced to the other lodges and most of them have very good privacy. Whilst The Motse have excellent views of the wildlife, at the watering holehole, The Loapi have good panoramic views and lovely sunrises. The isolated nature of The Loapi means that you have to have a dedicated Cook/Chef and Housekeeper. The lodges are beautiful, with floor to ceiling windows and excellent panoramic views. The outdoor facilities are ideal for the relaxing environment, in which you feel isolated from other properties and almost in the wilderness. The Chef we had was of an excellent standard and catered for every possible need, so I suspect this will be “pot luck” as none of the people concerned, who are hospitality “graduates”, wished to remain in the location for too long, but instead to add it to their CV. Even though there was a dedicated person responsible for the housekeeping and maintenance of the property, it was fair to say that it was not well maintained, and in fact dirty in some areas of the floors. Again as they are hospitality staff they probably feel cleaning is not part of the job description. That being said, the overall experience of Loapi was excellent, albeit overpriced when considering the lack of wildlife in that area. Tswalu is divided in to sections, and due to the location of Loapi it attracts a completely different set of wildlife which, relative to The Motse side, is even more spartan. This may change in time as they re-wild the area, but expectations should be even lower in terms of the sightings unless you go for a long drive initially back in to The Motse area. In short, whilst The Loapi is a lovely property, you would not choose it for a safari experience and, in that context, is very overpriced. If you are considering booking, I would suggest the less attractive and tired Motse, and just one night in Loapi for the experience. In closing, to give you an indication of the real image of Tswalu, both lodges have acrylic blankets.

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.

Tswalu - the name still sends shivers of excitement down my spine. Arriving at Fireblade and being cared for by Grace and Mpho was a real treat - they are both wonderful, and the food and wine were exquisite. We spent seven magical, incredible days at The Motse where the food and drink were outstanding, both in the lodge and atop the sand dunes! The guidance from Vuyani and tracking by Jackson were phenomenal, and the quality of the sightings was exceptional. We observed the meerkats from the Rockstars' first appearance of the day, before they warmed up and set off to forage, and we returned another evening as they went back to their burrow for the night. We followed cheetahs on a successful hunt, wild dogs returning to their playful pups, experienced the roar of lions, saw rhinos, and encountered an abundance of plains game, porcupines, bat-eared foxes, cape foxes, Damara mole-rats, and so much more. We learned a great deal about the incredible landscape and also abut the animal behaviour. Klein Jan was mind-blowing, but it's something you have to experience for yourself! You will certainly not be disappointed. We would love to return one day.

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.