Tswalu Tarkuni

Available to be hired out for exclusive use, Tarkuni homestead contains 5 luxurious suites and can accommodate up to ten people – perfect for groups of friends or families travelling together. The suites are elegant and inviting, with an atmosphere of safari chic showcased in soft cream fabrics and exposed thatch ceilings.

All suites come complete with a comfortable king-size bed which is covered in crisp bed linen and draped with mosquito netting, an ensuite bathroom which includes a shower, bathtub and double hand basins, and a spacious private patio area which includes an outdoor shower and where guests can unwind after a long day surrounded by colourful indigenous gardens. Also in the homestead guests will find a large communal dining room and lounge areas, perfect for unwinding in after a long day.

Meals at Tswalu Tarkuni can be enjoyed in a variety of indoor or outdoor locations. Gourmet food prepared by a personal chef can be served in the main rustic dining room, outside on the pool decking, on your private patio, or around the boma. Lunch can be enjoyed as a picnic in the dunes, and guests can pair their meals with a fine South African wine that has been hand-selected. The resident chef can be made aware of any food preferences or needs before mealtimes.

Head out on a traditional safari activity by exploring the bushveld on a game drive. In a private 4×4 safari vehicle and with a professional and friendly guiding team travel through the wilderness and see if you can catch a glimpse of lounging cheetahs, lions, or a desert black rhino. This is also a perfect photo opportunity, so don’t forget your camera!

To truly immerse yourself in nature, take part in a guided walk from Tswalu. Heading out in the morning guests can experience being in the centre of the wild as the animals wake up and begin their day, and can find out all about the traditional usages of indigenous flora. Guests can also head out at nighttime and experience some of the nocturnal animals of the reserve.

Whilst on a guided walk ask your guide if you can head to see some of the historic rock art which can be found in the area. This rock art was created thousands of years ago and is an enlightening way to learn about the history of the Kalahari.

Guided walks can begin with a trip to see some habituated meerkats. Watching them wake up in the mornings or play in the afternoon; no matter what time of day you go, the tiny meerkats are bound to be entertaining.

A unique and exciting way to enjoy the reserve is on horseback. With horses suitable for every ability guests can saddle up and become a part of the spectacular surroundings whilst simultaneously exploring them. All equipment will be provided for this once-in-a-lifetime adventure.

Children will never be bored at Tswalu Tarkuni with a range of specialised activities. As part of the Junior Rangers Programme children will be given a backpack with guides and tools which will help them learn all about the Kalahari. They will take part in activities such as making their own bow and arrow, learning how to track game on foot, and can enjoy an afternoon in the stables with the horses.

Make your way to the spa as Tswalu to indulge in an afternoon of self-care. A range of treatments are available, which can be enjoyed in the unique outdoor spa area or indoor spa. Inspired by the natural surroundings treatments may use red Kalahari desert sand, desert mineral crystals, or plant-based aromatic oils. Guests can come here to enjoy a stress-relieving massage, feel all tensions and worries melt away under the hands of a trained and friendly professional.

Two sleep out options are available from Tswalu Tarkuni, the Malori Sleep Out or the Naledi Sleep Out. This is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to spend a romantic evening sleeping out underneath the wide starry sky of South Africa. Surrounded by pure wilderness guests can settle down for the evening on these purpose-built decks complete with star beds, and gaze over the endless horizons with nothing but a gentle lantern glow and thousands of stars above them.

Guests of Tswalu can spend time with some of the resident researchers working for The Tswalu Foundation. Spend a day shadowing them as they find out information about the Kalahari ecosystem and take part in conservation work.

Tswalu understands the impact which they make on their surroundings, and so strive to help conserve and protect the land on which they stand, to help re-establish the indigenous biodiversity, restore the natural environment and maintain current ecological processes. Protecting the local people as well as the land, Tswalu follows an ecotourism model which has created employment opportunities for members of the local community, as well as creating better healthcare and education services.

The Desert Black Rhino was introduced into the Tswalu Kalahari Reserve over 25 years ago, to help population growth and species protection – rhinos outside protected national parks and reserves are still faced with persistent poaching. Individual rhinos in the reserve are tracked and monitored, to help the researchers understand their behaviour and movement patterns. This monitoring helps Tswalu understand what is needed to be able to create a successful habitat for the rhinos; survival.

Another species that Tswalu works to conserve are White-Backed Vultures. Tswalu has gained the status of South Africa’s first Vulture Safe Zone, or VSZ, which helps vultures thrive here. The people within Tswalu Kalahari Reserve work together to ‘implement targeted conservation measures to address local threats, such as poisoning.’

The community of Tswalu consists of a diverse range of people. Tswalu staff members live in, and are from, the local area with their families, visiting researchers, artists, conservationists, visiting doctors to the healthcare centre, and many more people.

The Tswalu Health Care centre began over 20 years ago and provides healthcare to staff members of Tswalu as well as their families, and members of the local rural communities. As well as a range of healthcare options, the centre also runs health programmes, and eye and dental clinics.

Various education initiatives are in place in Tswalu Kalahari Reserve, the school – Tswalu School – provides basic education to staff members’ children, as well as more structured lessons and creative playtime. Local adults are supported too, those who may not have received a formal education in their childhood can join Adult Basic Education and Training programmes which helps to increase literacy skills and a formal qualification at the end.

Protecting the local culture is as important to Tswalu as protecting the land itself. Research teams are constantly working to unearth as much information as they can about how past humans were living on this land, so they can protect this history and learn from it.

Established in 2009, the Tswalu Foundation is currently a world leader in environmental research within Southern Kalahari. Funding for this foundation and the research it completes is received through stimulating interest in their goals and aims through staff and guests of Tswalu properties.

All the researchers working for Tswalu are accommodated in the Dedeben Research Centre, a repurposed building from the late nineteenth century which now acts as accommodation and research facilities for the researchers. Centrally located, researchers can reach a wide range of habitats throughout the reserve which encourages them to spend as much time in the field as possible, safe in the knowledge they have a safe base to return to.

The research undertaken by the Tswalu Foundation can be sorted out through three overarching themes.

Conservation Biology is one such theme, with researchers aiming to find out how important Tsawlu’s work is to the wider conservation in South Africa. This research also helps to work out which flora and fauna habitats are missing and/or endangered and how to best reintroduce numbers to the area, it monitors the spread of endemic and indigenous diseases, finds out what the balance between predator and prey currently is, and many more factors relating to the conservation of species and plant life in the reserve.

Another overarching theme is understanding the impact of climate change. The research carried out with this theme in mind focuses on the impact which rising temperatures are having on the land, the impact on biodiversity, aims to find out whether the animals can adapt to increasing temperatures, and when each species will reach its tipping point.

The last theme is anthropogenic factors, and researchers working on this theme document the impact which humans have had on the land, past and present. Researchers aim to understand the complicated relationships that man has had with the land as far back as the Bushmen. Tswalu knows that undoubtedly humans have had an impact on the land, they wish to find out how significant the impact is.

The artists in residence program began in 2015 and is one of the projects which is managed through the Tswalu Foundation. This program helps local people feel inspired by their surroundings, helps to raise funds for research, and provides local South African artists with an outlet to showcase their talent.