位于南非北开普省的茨瓦卢卡拉哈里保护区占地约11.4万公顷,这片由奥本海默家族经营的私人领地是目前南非境内面积最大的私人自然保护区。相比植被茂密的克鲁格国家公园,这里展现的是半干旱沙漠与草原交织的开阔景观。整片保护区在同一时间最多仅接待不超过40位住客,这意味着平均每位客人都独享近3000公顷的荒野空间,极大地规避了传统游猎中多辆越野车围堵一只动物的尴尬场面。
1995年史蒂芬·奥本海默接手这片土地之前,这里曾分布着数十个过度放牧的农场。经过近三十年的围栏拆除与植被恢复,茨瓦卢已经回归到原始的卡拉哈里生态系统。这片土地上海拔大多在1000米以上,库鲁曼山脉横跨其间,形成了独特的微气候。这里的降雨量每年仅为300毫米左右,干旱塑造了顽强的生命形态,也让视野变得极其开阔,对于习惯了丛林游猎的旅行者来说,这种一望无际的橘红色沙丘视觉冲击力非常强。
在茨瓦卢旅行没有固定的作息表。这里的每一组宾客都会配备专属的向导和追踪员,车辆的使用权完全归你所有。这意味着你可以早上六点出发寻找黑鬃狮,也可以在正午时分待在空调房里,或者在深夜出发去寻找神秘的夜行生物。这种定制化服务的深度在于追踪员的专业度,他们能够通过细微的足迹辨别出几个小时前经过的动物种类和行进方向。这种不设限的时间安排在南非大部分高端私人保护区中也属于顶级配置。
虽然这里也有狮子、豹子和犀牛,但真正让资深自然爱好者痴迷的是那些在非洲其他地方极难见到的奇特生物。南非地表最难遇见的“神秘五小”中,大土豚、穿山甲和土狼在茨瓦卢有着相对稳定的目击记录。想要看到非洲穿山甲,建议选择在南半球的冬季也就是5月至9月前往。由于冬季夜晚气温会降至零度以下,这些原本在夜间活动的食蚁类动物被迫在白天白照强烈时出来觅食,这让在日光下观察它们成为可能。
茨瓦卢有两个已经习惯了人类存在的猫鼬群落。清晨时分,当阳光洒向红砂岩,你可以下车步行靠近这些小精灵。它们会把你当作这片荒漠中的移动瞭望塔,甚至可能跳到你的肩膀上观察敌情。这种近距离的互动并非投喂结果,而是基于长期的科研观察与相互信任。你可以观察到它们如何分配警戒任务,如何教导幼崽捕捉蝎子,这种充满生活气息的画面比单纯的猎杀场景更动人。
这里的下榻点主要分为Motse营地和新建的Loapi帐篷别墅。Motse由9座岩石垒砌的小屋组成,适合家庭或寻求社交氛围的住客。而Loapi则采取了“微型营地”的概念,每座别墅之间相隔至少50米,完全隐没在沙丘褶皱之中。每个房间都配有私人厨师和全套备餐区,你在露台上喝咖啡时,可能就有大羚羊从下方经过。室内设计使用了大量的天然石材与亚麻织物,以此平衡室外荒漠的灼热感。
前往茨瓦卢最便捷的方式是搭乘保护区自有的飞联机服务。保护区在约翰内斯堡和开普敦都有私人航站楼,搭乘PC-12私人飞机大约需要90到120分钟即可降落在红土地跑道上。由于温差巨大,即便是夏季出行也必须带上一件防风厚外套。清晨六点半出发时冷到需要抱着热水杯,而到了中午阳光下的紫外线又极强。此外,这里属于非疟疾区,不需要提前服用抗疟药,这对于带小孩旅行的家庭来说是一个重要的加分项。
5月至9月是观察穿山甲和土豚的黄金季节。这段时间南非处于冬季,气温较低导致这些夜行性食蚁兽需要在日间出来觅食以维持体温,目击概率远高于其他季节。
最通用的方式是搭乘茨瓦卢专属的包机。每天都有固定航班往返于约翰内斯堡火石机场(Fireblade Aviation)和保护区跑道,单程飞行时间大约为1.5小时,需要提前随住房订单一起预订。
这里非常欢迎儿童,且没有严格的最低年龄限制。保护区设有“青少年护林员”项目,向导会带孩子们识别脚印、制作简单的工具,让家庭旅行极具教育意义。
在茨瓦卢预订住宿即包含私人用车服务。每组客人都会分配一台专属越野车以及一位专业向导和一位追踪员,不需要与其他游客拼车,出发和返回时间完全随心所欲。
保护区平均海拔在1000米至1200米之间。由于地处内陆高海拔沙漠边缘,空气非常干燥且透明度极高,这里被认为是南非最适合观星的地方之一。
Wayne Langford The road to Tswalu is more than R70k down a terrible dirt road. We drove about 20km in our Land Rover and then decided to turn back.
Jessica Langer Kapalka 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.
AM RISK Fire ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ Tswalu Kalahari is truly the best place on Earth, and my recent experience there was nothing short of extraordinary! From the moment I arrived, I was immersed in the breathtaking beauty of the Kalahari landscape, and Tswalu's commitment to service excellence only added to the magic of my stay. The level of service at Tswalu is unparalleled. The staff goes above and beyond to ensure every guest feels like royalty. Their warm hospitality and attention to detail made me feel right at home. The guides are incredibly knowledgeable, passionate, and dedicated to providing a unique and educational safari experience. Every game drive felt like a personalized adventure, with sightings of incredible wildlife and insights into the Kalahari's delicate ecosystem. The accommodations were luxurious, blending seamlessly with the natural surroundings. The attention to eco-friendly practices is commendable, showcasing Tswalu's commitment to conservation and sustainability. I can't express enough how much I enjoyed my time at Tswalu Kalahari. It's not just a destination; it's an experience that lingers in your heart. I am already planning my return because, without a doubt, this is a place I will come back to again and again. If you're looking for an unparalleled safari experience with top-notch service, Tswalu Kalahari is the ultimate choice. Thank you, Tswalu, for creating memories that will last a lifetime!
Christopher Lewis We have stayed at Tswalu on five separate occasions for a total of twenty five nights. In the photos you can see the highlights of this our last and final trip in September 2022. On this last trip we did enjoy picnics on the dunes and seeing meerkats, brown hyena, cheetah along with visits with researchers. We also saw lions, white rhinos and skittish black rhinos at a distance. We had a wonderful guide who had trained at Kirkmans in the Sabi Sands. Our travel agent had highly recommended Tswalu a number of years ago. She was right, so much so, that we visited twice in our first year. Our subsequent trips provided us with amazing sightings of pangolins, aardvarks and other nocturnal animals. One year we tracked wild dogs all day and witnessed a pack devour a baby oryx in front of her mother, as twenty jackals tried to get their share; the dogs returned to the den, regurgitated the baby oryx and fed their youngsters. An awesome day in Africa. On several occasions we tracked pangolins - a rare treat. On our latest trip in September, 2022, we saw no pangolins and were told that tracking pangolins after dark is no longer permitted. We were told that Tswalu’s pangolin specialist has been transferred to a new position. We saw no wild dogs and were told there were only three left. We saw very few Springbok and found out after we returned home that it was because the cheetah population had grown out of control. We read later that 34 cheetah were exported to Assam in India in order to correct this problem. Tswalu is a managed reserve like the San Diego Safari Park in California but with more acreage. Unlike the Kruger and the Sabi Sands, a managed reserve is unnatural. Animals are not free to come and go. At Tswalu the lions are kept on one side of the reserve. As a result there is no top predator on the other side of the reserve. The consequences of this are apparent - an overpopulation of cheetah and a radical reduction in prey animals like springbok. We can see that Tswalu would be fun for newbies to safaris: nice Motse accommodations and nice grub at the Klein Jan restaurant. However, we feel It is no longer a place for serious, experienced Safari goers. Our visit in September 2022 suggests It no longer can offer the unique draw of prior times. In Addition, Tswalu has implemented a huge price increase and no longer represents good value especially when you consider that you can visit the 1800 acre San Diego Safari Park for $70 and see many more animals. After 25 safaris in Southern and East Africa we have reached the conclusion that MalaMala offers the best and most authentic Safari experience in Africa. Please read my MalaMala review for further information.
Nakkiran Sunassee Tswalu is one of those places that you visit and instantly feel at home and keep wanting to go back - despite the hefty price! After many years of wanting to visit, we finally got a chance in late Oct 2020 - and it worked out really nicely as we got to experience a few Kalahari thunderstorms and rains during our stay. The staff are great, and tailor your safari experience according to what you want to see, length of stay, etc., We could not have had a better team of ranger & tracker than the highly experienced, friendly, and funny Obakeng and Pete. Everyday they found something very interesting for us, and the game drives were just amazing - we even got to track some cheetas on foot! We highly recommend the horseback safari as well. The chalets are more than comfortable, have everything you could want, and the food was simply incredible (despite the remote location). Be careful, the staff try to feed all the time, and it's very hard to resist when the food is so delicious!!! One very minor disappointment is that the minibar was stocked with Bains whiskey and Castle lager . I get that Tswalu wants to support local, but they are way better local whiskeys & beers , especially when considering how much one pays to stay there. Despite the expensive prices, we would definitely go back!