How reliable are pangolin sightings at Tswalu?

Pangolins are rare wild animals and most at Tswalu no longer carry GPS tracking tags, but skilled human trackers there are highly effective at following pangolin tracks to their daytime burrows, offering a decent chance of a sighting with patience and some luck.

Is the Kalahari Desert good for photographing desert-adapted wildlife specifically?

Yes, most species at Tswalu, including oryx, meerkats, and springbok, are desert-adapted and not found in South Africa's non-desert eastern regions. Black rhino here have also adapted their behaviour to the harsher arid environment, though they remain the same species rather than a distinct sub-species.

What makes Tswalu different from other South African safari destinations like Sabi Sands?

Tswalu's desert setting brings very different wildlife than South Africa's non-desert reserves. The reserve was established through what became the largest man-made wildlife translocation anywhere, now allowing that wildlife to exist much as it would have before hunting, with good opportunities for on-foot experiences such as with meerkats.

Can you see black-maned lions anywhere else in Africa, or only in the Kalahari?

Black-maned lions are a Kalahari speciality, having developed notably larger and darker manes than their East African counterparts, though they are not a distinct species.

When is the best month to see pangolins at Tswalu?

Winter months, June through August, are recommended, since longer, cooler nights mean pangolins tend to emerge from their burrows earlier in the evening rather than in the middle of the night as in summer.

Why is it called the 'Green' Kalahari?

Tswalu sits in a transition zone between South Africa's savannah interior and the true Kalahari and Namibian deserts, where slightly higher summer rainfall turns the dunes' yellow grass and shrubs green, compared to the true Kalahari further west.

Kalahari Desert

Utterly unique and mesmerising in its raw beauty, the Kalahari Desert is an area for the adventurer, the explorer and those looking for an experience on the road less travelled.

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What to expect…

Rocky mountains and rolling red-sand dunes covered in yellow grasses that thicken up after summer rains and rustle as black-maned lions stride purposefully through it.

Meerkats scurry about in family groups in search of small insects and scorpions to feast on before disappearing down their burrows at night as the rarest-of-rare pangolins and aardvarks emerge under a blanket of stars the likes of which few people have seen in such quantities as the bustle of the day settles into a pristine quiet stillness at night.

Dawn finds cheetahs on top of the dunes scanning for springboks and wild dogs awake in chittering delight at the expectation of the hunt. Desert-adapted black rhinos chase off unwanted visitors in grumpy self-indulgence and sable and roan antelope move through the wilderness in nearly unparalleled numbers.

Read about an epic African Wild Dog and giraffe sighting on my Substack

Wild dogs play at sunset in the Kalahari's Tswalu Game Reserve

A mother cheat peers through the yellow and green grass of the Kalahari at Tswalu Game Reserve.

A meerkat keeps lookout at dusk in the Kalahari's Tswalu Game Reserve

Interesting destination:

Tswalu Reserve in the Kalahari is a fascinating destination. It was once the stage for the largest private translocation of animals in Africa in a bid to set up a reserve that featured some of the rarer finds in Southern Africa, and gave them space to breed and thrive. And that it has. It’s a massive area, full of vast open pans, grassy plains, rocky mountains and sand dunes and is home to a surprising number of rarities. From roan and sable antelope - really difficult to find elsewhere, to good numbers of cheetah, aardvark and even pangolin. The Green Kalahari sustains so much life - smaller creatures like the zorilla, the sociable weaver and Pygmy falcon, to oryx adorning every red dune, desert adapted black rhino - one of the more difficult-to-see creatures, are prolific here and wild dogs who den almost every year, providing very reliable and intimate viewing.

A visit in winter can be very cold, but the rewards in the form of rarities outweigh any chill in the air. Tswalu is in part a research reserve, with research into termites, other insects, cheetah and pangolin ongoing. There are a number of pangolin who can be tracked via telemetry, allowing natural viewing of wild pangolin to be a reasonable expectation for a visit. There are also a surprisingly high number of untracked pangolin spotted frequently, as the kalahari environment provides a perfect habitat for them, and the cold of winter means they’re much more likely to be seen in daylight hours, not just after dark. The same is true of aardvark, which are very difficult to find elsewhere but which a visit in winter can definitely target.

Tswalu isn’t a place to visit just for the cats, but for the desert adapted creatures and rarities on offer, and each drive is tailored to searching for a specific often rare subject. There are colonies of meerkat who are relaxed and allow close up viewing ws they go about their day. There is even horse riding available through the beautiful dunes, passing through herds of roan, sable and springbok. You are very likely to pick up a number of ‘new’ species in your list, and a visit to world famous ‘Klein Jan’ restaurant is included for guests staying at Tswalu. Come for something completely different, and immersion in the desert, millions of stars, and rare creatures.

When to Visit

As a photographer, you want to maximise the time and opportunity to photograph your desired subjects and nowhere is this more relevant than in the Kalahari Desert. During the dry, winter, months of May through August it gets cold early in the evening (down to below freezing in the mid-winter) and warm during the late morning and midday. This means that the wildlife is happy to be active during the day rather than in the summer months of November through March when the rains come and the daytime temperatures soar ensuring that activity really only takes place at night. During winter, even the nocturnal animals such as pangolin and aardvark come out earlier in the evening before it gets too cold so you can hope (fingers crossed) to get these subjects in good light. Of course, following the rains, the Kalahari has one of the most incredible transformations seen anywhere on Earth as the yellow dry grass turns green and the flowers bloom briefly in a stunning display of natural wonder.

APR

Good

MAY

Very Good

JUN

Excellent

JUL

Excellent

AUG

Excellent

SEP

Very Good

OCT

Very Good

NOV

Mixed

DEC

Mixed

FEB

Mixed

JAN

Mixed

MAR

Mixed

A meerkat standing upright among tall grass, backlit by warm sunlight, with a blurred background.

A group of meerkats standing upright on their hind legs in a desert landscape during golden hour.

Three African Wild Dogs playing together at sunset.

A meerkat standing upright on a mound during sunset, with tall grass and blurred warm background.

A close-up of a pangolin lying on dry grass and soil, showing its armored scales and elongated snout.

A cheetah resting among yellowish foliage, partially obscured by leaves and blurred foreground.

A cheetah lying on the ground with trees in the background.

An African Wild Dog standing in a field during sunset with the sun behind its head.

An African Wild Dog with large ears standing in a field of tall grass during sunset.

Two meerkats standing upright in warm, golden sunlight with blurred background.

A young African Wild Dog puppy standing on the ground with a blurred natural background at sunset in the Kalahari.

An African Wild Dog lying on the ground at sunset with another in the background, backlit.

Silhouette of a bird perched on a branch with the full moon in the background against a dark blue night sky.

An African Wild Dog walking on sandy ground with a blurred background of a dry, grassy landscape at sunset.

A baby meerkat peeking out from behind adult meerkats, with a sandy terrain and blurred meerkats in the background.

Group of meerkats sitting on the ground at sunset with a blurred orange and yellow background.

Your Questions, Answered

These are some of the most common questions I get asked about going on safari in the Green Kalahari at Tswalu.

On safari in the Green Kalahari at Tswalu

Pangolins are wild animals and incredibly rare at the best of times. Most of the pangolins at Tswalu no longer have GPS tracking tags. With that being said, there is nowhere I have been that is better for finding them (and I have been going since most of the GPS trackers were removed after the research project moved into a new phase). The human trackers there are very good at identifying and following pangolin tracks and can often track pangolins to wherever they have burrowed for the day. This means that with good patience and stillness, and a bit of luck, you will have a decent chance of seeing one emerge from its burrow.
Most species at Tswalu are ‘desert’ adapted such as the Oryx (Gemsbok in Afrikaans), meerkats and springbok which you won’t find on South Africas non-desert eastern areas (like Sabi Sands, Umfolozi and Kruger etc). The black rhino here are also desert adapted compared to their counterparts in more luscious environments. And while these rhino are the same species and are not a sub-species, they have learned over time to adapt their behaviours to the harsher arid environment (with a corresponding increase in general disagreeable moods it has to be said).
Tswalu is located in the Kalahari Desert meaning that you will get some very different wildlife compared to other non-desert areas of South Africa. And while wildlife has always been here, the idea for Tswalu started as a hunting area where large numbers of animals were physically brought in to the wilderness. Over time this has actually become the largest man-made migration of wildlife anywhere. Nowadays with hunting long in the past, the wildlife is probably as it was before hunters ever came into the area and you will see some amazing creatures that you just won’t see in many other places with good opportunities to be on foot with them (eg meerkats).
Black maned lions are a Kalahari speciality. While not a different species, the lions in the Kalahari have developed large and much darker manes than their East African cousins who would challenge for some of the largest lions around. Some of these boys are extremely impressive and it is a sight that few people will forget.
I would recommend going in the winter months (Jun-Aug) if you are wanting pangolins specifically. The longer nights and cooler evenings mean they tend to come out of their burrows earlier than in the summer months which could be in the middle of the night rather than more palatable evening hours.
Tswalu lies in a transition zone between South Africa’s savannah interior and the true Kalahari and Namibian deserts. With rolling red sand dunes that are hallmarks of the Kalahari Desert, these dunes and valleys are also covered in yellow grass and shrubs that turns green in the slightly higher rainfall relative to the true Kalahari which happens mostly in the summer months.

Photographing in the Green Kalahari at Tswalu

I prefer 400mm+ here. The landscape is vast and open and often subjects at the top of the dunes require getting a little closer in focal length. I also love being able to get close to the meerkats and get the dust and interaction between the family members. Having a 70-200mm also can come in handy for those wider shots where you may want the animal small in the frame (I use my 100-300 a lot as well).
For pangolins, bear in mind that they are nocturnal creatures generally so you will want good ISO performance and a faster 2.8 lens if possible.
Yes you can. Tswalu is privately owned and operated and guests are encouraged to get out early should they so choose and are usually back after dark under spotlight in the evenings. In winter, it will be very cold in the mornings and evenings so if going out early like I always do, wrap up warm!
Generally, yes off-road driving is permitted. The caveat, however, is that you may not off-road across dunes. So if you are tracking something and off-road and the tracks head over the crest of a dune, you will have to turn back and find the valley road around through the nearest pass through the dunes.

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