Sublime luxury in an awe-inspiring landscape, Motswe Lodge at Tswalu offers the ultimate Kalahari safari experience. The Oppenheimer family’s dedicated conservation efforts have restored Tswalu’s 100,000 hectare expanse of wilderness to pristine beauty, supporting a diverse range of wildlife from the famous Kalahari black-maned lion to the aardwolf and pangolin. In South Africa’s malaria-free Northern Cape, it’s an easy flight in Tswalu’s luxurious Pilatus PC12 from Cape Town or Johannesburg. Guests set their own pace, with own guide and vehicle allowing total flexibility, choosing from a wide range of activities, including horse-back safaris, meeting the meerkats, indulgent spa treatments, game drives and bush breakfasts.
Nestled at the foot of the Korannaberg mountains, nine gorgeous air-conditioned ‘legae’ or suites look out over the Kalahari grasslands. Three are set up for families with two double ensuite bedrooms and a large living room and shady private terrace. All are built from local stone, red clay and traditional thatch with fireplaces and an elegant barefoot luxury decor designed by Boyd Ferguson. Both indoor and outdoor shower and a large dressing room and study area complete an idyllic bush escape, along with wifi for those who want to stay connected. Get even closer to nature with a night sleeping out at the Malori, a raised platform right out in the wild, where guests sleep in comfort under the stars immersed in the sounds of the African night.
Game drives are tailored to each guest’s interests here in a vast landscape where no other vehicle is to be seen. While this is not a Big Five destination, (there are lions, buffalo and desert black rhino, but no elephants) there is so much more of interest in this unique and fragile eco-system, including many rare antelope and other endangered species. Explore on bush walks, visit bushman rock art, enjoy gourmet picnics in scenic locations or lie in with a champagne breakfast in bed, before indulging in a massage and dipping in the sparkling swimming pool, and savour a series of mouth-watering meals. Children are welcomed with their own exciting activities and guests of all ages are treated like royalty for the ultimate in wilderness luxury.
