Drumbeat Winter 20/21

3 www.aardvarksafaris.com | Just two hours from Cape Town, Tswalu’s smart private jet whisks you from city sophistication to the remote southern Kalahari. Initial impressions of a barren scrubland with just a few oryx and springbok were dismantled over four days as our guide peeled back the layers to reveal endless fascinating delights. My husband and I have been on many safaris over the last 22 years but a safari at Tswalu is a completelynewexperience. The service is amazing and the accommodation top notch, but what really shines is the incredible wilderness where there is so much more than meets the eye. Everyone has a private vehicle and guide, and with only 28 guests in 100,000 hectares you rarely see another soul. Each drive you head out to find one thing in particular. It can take a while to find your quarry but in doing so you learn about its habits, how it moves, when it sleeps, how fast it is going, and what it is chasing. We saw wild dog bring down a kudu and hunting buffalo, and we just missed a warthog meet his maker. We spent a day with lions watching hilarious interactions with cubs and magnificent black-maned adult males. We tracked three cheetah on foot and spent a few hours with them while they chilled out. We drove out to the far reaches to track black rhino and were rewarded with three adults and a couple of tiny, day-old babies. Sitting with them as the sun set will be a lasting memory of Tswalu. Rusty Steel, an old friend from Zimbabwe, has taken on the stables and, with a wealth of experience from his days with Wait a Little, he has exciting plans. Our ride over the dunes, alongside giraffe and past the cheetah we had tracked the day before, was fast and fun on willing, spirited horses. Tswalu’s sleep out was our final stop, with a wonderful South African wine tasting preceding a night under the stars listening to a storm rumbling in the distance. TSWALU TEAR UP THE R U L E BOOK Alice Gully If Alice’s article has piqued your interest we’re delighted to be able to offer seven nights for the price of five, or three nights for the price of two between 1st November 2020 and 28th February 2021. Ask us for more details.