Tswalu
Liesl visited Tswalu in the Kalahari and this is her feedback:
Flying on the PC12 with Execujet to Tswalu is an effortless journey with snacks from The Picnic Company and the local newspaper to keep you company helps make your journey there comfortable and entertaining, expecting someone to go to the loo on board is downright hilarious !
Our Ranger at Tswalu, Murray and Tracker Samuel collected us from the airstrip – its pretty windy (note to self : August is windy season) but clear blue skies, deep red earth and Acacia Trees is the perfect backdrop to our Kalahari stay.
We managed to see a fair amount of intriguing game en route to Tarkuni (our destination) and were looking forward to our more extensive evening drive with the boys.
Tarkuni is the perfect family hide-away, this is an exclusive use lodge at Tswalu with your own chef, ranger and tracker and housekeeping staff – my kind of holiday indeed. 4 double large bedrooms (or twins) fully equipped with air-con, electric blanket and down duvets to keep you warm on a cold Kalahari evening. The room is large, in fact big enough for another single bed if you need it. (kids only)
The kids room is quaint with 2 sets of bunk beds (Sleeps 4) and bathroom (with shower only). An ingenious design of Tarkuni is of course is the bedroom next door dedicated to the nanny (or additional crew).
All main bedrooms have an outside shower – my favorite !
The communal area consists of a dining / lounge area separated by a beautiful and cozy stone fireplace, upstairs is the games/TV room (apparently there is a floating laptop for those who cannot tear themselves away from the office or their outside world)
The outside area has a large assortment of lounge and deck chairs, a swimming pool and a private tsala for some quiet reading or thoughtful contemplation.
The outside area is stocked with drinks galore to make any barman weep and a gin n tonic set the mood and pace forward.
Just enough time to sit down and enjoy a light lunch (selection of salads and homemade chicken pie) with cakes for dessert.
Off on game drive where we saw a collection of interesting critters : porcupine, meerkat, sable antelope, springbuck, hare, running brown hyena in the distance, fox, eland, antelope, gemsbok, kudu, waterbuck – the list goes on (just for the record, we did ask Murray to show us the unusual Kalahari variety but they do have leopard, cheetah, lion, rhino and buffalo in the reserve – no elephant though)
The red wine sunset toast gave us the time to sit back and look at the sheer size of this property (well at least one part of it) the enormity of space and peacefulness collide into the perfect place to catch your breath, reconnect with yourself and loved ones. Tranquility Sublime !
Samuel has the best eyes in the Kalahari and quickly pointed out all sorts of things our city slicker variety eyes could never see and Murray added running commentary to everything you could see, hear or ask.
Evening dinner with Saskia was tasty with a camembert salad to start, Kingklip for mains and the chocolate to end all chocolate cravings for pud.
The entertaining evening was sealed with a particularly large splash of Amarula cream on ice before my bed called me to sleep.
The morning started with a luxurious bubble bath and followed by breakfast.
Then we packed up and headed out for the day, first stop was Motse the main lodge at Tswalu. There are 8 individual “chalets” 6 of which take 2 guests and 2 of them take families – these are 2 bedroom units with a lounge separating them.
Each chalet has inside and outside chalets, lounge areas lead onto a patio area overlooking the huge expanse, that is Tswalu.
The gardens are perfectly tailored to the environment with typical plant life you would find in the Kalahari (succulents, cacti, quiver trees etc) which are strategically placed all over the lodge for full impact ! Just beautiful.
The lodge has a curio shop (note to self : bring a FULL wallet next time), huge swimming pool, treatment room, kiddies playroom which comes standard with its own babysitter and an upstairs TV and computer room – so you can always stay in touch with your real world if you need to.
Then it was off to our horse riding excursion ( I confess, its been a while and I was slightly nervous - but eager) We were suited up to fit the part, they provided us with chaps (full or half – your choice), shoes (boots), gloves and hard hat.
I looked the part, now the big challenge was acting the part.
Horse riding through the reserve was a perfect way to breath in a little fresh air and be part of the whole system (a pleasant change to the usual open game vehicle and roaring of the engine)
My butt and thighs may not recover for a while, but I loved it !
Ending our journey at a beautiful lunch “Spot” with an aerial view over the Tswalu reserve is enough to take your breath away ! Sadly we didn’t have enough time to have a look at everything the reserve has to offer including the Bushman etchings … Note to self : I need more time at Tswalu.
Tswalu is truly a magical property offering great service and top class accommodation. It is a place so unique and special that you will want to go back for more – more red sand, more wide open spaces, stars you feel you can touch and unique wildlife to give you yet another dimension into this wonderland I call my country !
