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+44 207 384 2332 Plan your trip
Luxury Safari Tented Camp
South Africa

Loapi Camp, Tswalu

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Highlights

  • Private Safari Experience: Loapi Camp provides a truly exclusive experience with private-use safari accommodations. Each of the six individually curated tents is set far apart, ensuring complete privacy and an intimate connection with the surrounding wilderness.
  • Luxury Tented Design: The camp’s tents are a masterful blend of contemporary design and traditional safari aesthetics. Each tent features spacious interiors, en-suite bathrooms with outdoor showers, and expansive decks with panoramic views of the Kalahari landscape.
  • Tailored Activities: Guests at Loapi Camp can customise their safari experiences with a variety of activities. Enjoy bespoke game drives to spot Kalahari wildlife, guided bush walks to learn about the unique flora and fauna, and special experiences like star gazing under the clear desert skies or exploring the terrain on horseback.
  • Exceptional Dining: Culinary experiences at Loapi Camp are tailored to each guest’s preferences. Enjoy gourmet meals prepared by world-class chefs, using fresh, locally-sourced ingredients. Private dining options include al fresco meals under the stars and intimate dinners on your private deck.
  • Wellness Facilities: Each tent at Loapi Camp is equipped with its own private plunge pool, perfect for cooling off in the heat of the day. Guests can also enjoy in-tent spa treatments, offering a range of therapies designed to relax and rejuvenate in the tranquillity of the Kalahari.
  • Conservation Focus: Staying at Loapi Camp supports Tswalu’s significant conservation efforts. The camp is committed to sustainable tourism and works to protect and preserve the unique Kalahari ecosystem and its wildlife, including endangered species like the pangolin and the black-maned Kalahari lion.

Good to know

How to get there

Located in the southern Kalahari Tswalu is accessible by air and road. Cape Town is a 2 hour flight and Johannesburg a shorter at 1.5 hours. It is also ideally suited to helicopter transfers, please ask for details.

Are children welcome?

Tswalu is a malaria-free area and children of all ages are welcome.

Giving back

Tswalu, which is part of the Long Run, is dedicated to sustainability and conservation. The reserve’s commitment includes restoring natural habitats, protecting endangered species, and supporting local communities. Initiatives such as rewilding landscapes, implementing water-saving technologies, and using solar energy reduce environmental impact. Tswalu’s research programme collaborates with scientists to understand and preserve the unique Kalahari ecosystem. The reserve also focuses on community upliftment through education, healthcare, and employment opportunities. By integrating luxury with sustainability, Tswalu offers guests an eco-friendly safari experience that contributes to the long-term preservation of the region’s natural and cultural heritage.

Wildlife you are likely to see

Tswalu Kalahari Reserve, South Africa’s largest private game reserve, offers an extraordinary wildlife experience with a focus on rare and unique species that thrive in the semi-arid savannah. Wildlife you are likely to see includes:

Big Cats:

  • Lions: Specifically the Kalahari black-maned lions, known for their striking appearance.
  • Cheetahs: Frequently spotted due to the open landscapes, making Tswalu one of the best places to see them.
  • Leopards: Rare but occasionally seen in the rocky outcrops.

Iconic Herbivores:

  • Black and White Rhinos: Both species are conserved in the reserve, with opportunities for up-close viewing.
  • Giraffes: Towering over the bush as they graze on acacia trees.
  • Buffalo and Antelope: Includes kudu, eland, gemsbok (oryx), springbok, and red hartebeest.

Unique and Rare Species:

  • Meerkats: A guest favourite, observed up close at habituated colonies.
  • Aardvarks and Pangolins: Tswalu is one of the few places where these elusive animals are regularly seen, especially during winter nights.
  • Bat-Eared Foxes: Frequently spotted in the grasslands.

Birds:

  • Raptors: Martial eagles, secretary birds, and pale chanting goshawks.
  • Desert Birds: Sociable weavers, crimson-breasted shrikes, and Kalahari sandgrouse.

Other Predators:

  • Wild Dogs: Occasionally reintroduced and monitored in the reserve.
  • Hyenas: Brown hyenas are a highlight, thriving in this unique environment.
  • Jackals: Commonly seen scavenging or hunting.

Reptiles:

  • Desert-Adapted Reptiles: Includes geckos, lizards, and snakes such as the Kalahari sand snake.

Why we love Loapi Camp, Tswalu

These six tents offer such an incredibly private experience, with your own guide you have all the benefits of an exclusive use property but with the community feeling you get by having others nearby. And the food is second to none that we’ve tasted in the Kalahari!

Aisha Gross

Specialises in

Africa and the Indian Ocean

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UK: +44 207 384 2332
US: +1 800 409 4233
Aisha Gross
Terry Moohan
Melissa Kirby