Tswalu Kalahari Northern Cape, South Africa
With its undulated and expansive landscape, Tswalu encompasses barefoot luxury at its finest. Stretching over 271,816 acres of vast Kalahari terrain, you will want to kick off your shoes and stay here forever.
You know it?s a hot day when the warthogs not only come to lap up the precious water at the watering hole, but have a roll-around in it as a cooling off attempt. Even the wildebeest are gathering at the same hydration point to try and quench their thirst.

Hot summers and cool winters form an integral part of one of the last Eden?s in South Africa?s largest private game reserve. They form the backdrop for a green Kalahari when the summer rains descend on the unique red earth, springing about a transfusion of life-sustaining greenery for the preservation of existence in this otherwise barren wilderness.
My visit to Tswalu Kalahari is fraught with firsts ? first time in a Pilatus PC-12, first time to the Kalahari, first time with a private safari guide and tracker, first time seeing Kalahari black-maned lions; the list goes on and on; making it an exceptional experience from the get-go.
The red earth stretches as far as the eye can see, with greenery dotted like a Claude Monet masterpiece. As Captain Antonie Froneman starts the descent into the sprawling topography, it soon makes me realise that in spite of the sweltering heat, the Kalahari is one of the most beautiful and diverse panoramas in the world.

I am welcomed at the...