Jan
14
Tswalu Kalahari News
New spa and gym:
This month Tswalu Kalahari opened its beautifully refurbished and renovated spa. The award-winning spa, which must surely be one of the most unique and unusual spas in Africa, now boasts a welcome lounge, two beautiful therapy suites with en-suite sensation showers, and an indoor gym looking out over the Kalahari savannah.
Cape Town flights:
Tswalu’s new flight service from the Signature hangar in Cape Town has been well received. In our efforts to continually improve on the guest experience from take-off, services offered at our new facility include:
- VIP passenger lounge
- Complimentary snacks and beverages
- Shower facilities
- WiFi & internet Courtesy shuttle to / from main terminal
- Rental car drop off facility
- Secure parking
- Aviation medical centre
- Onsite restaurant and bar
- VIP passenger transport (on request)
- VIP passenger protection (on request)
Winter pangolin sightings:
Pangolin sightings are on the increase! 2013 MUST SURELY BE THE YEAR OF THE PANGOLIN.
Pangolin are arguably the “Holy Grail” of safaris in Africa. These animals are extremely rare and their cryptic markings make them even more difficult to find. Tswalu is recognised as one of the best places to see these elusive animals. Tswalu staff are collecting data on the Tswalu population and making this data available for a national conservation drive to understand the status of the pangolin.
Species lists:
Tswalu is still proving its value as a hot spot for species diversity. Our new species lists are currently being printed because no less than 14 species of birds have been added to the list since it was compiled two years ago. Also, a small mammal known as the striped weasel (or snake weasel) was confirmed on Tswalu by researchers doing work on mole rats. This rare animal is way out of its known distribution and an exciting addition to the new lists.
School:
Tswalu’s preschool, Tshameka, located in our staff village, is going from strength to strength, thanks to Haley van Dyk. Haley has completed a course in Early Childhood Development and gained valuable experience teaching and running various education programmes for pre-schoolers in the nearby town of Kuruman.
The school offers excellent facilities in a wonderful environment, especially compared to many other preschools in rural areas. The Tswalu children are our priority. They are taught mainly in English, which is the third language for most of them after Tswana and Afrikaans, because they will have greater opportunities locally and internationally if they are fluent in English.
Hayley is also trying to instil an appreciation in the children for where they live and an awareness of the environment. There is no doubt that her involvement has had a major impact on the level of education offered to the children. They are being given the highest quality education in a world where many children simply do not have the opportunity to attend a preschool. They are not just learning to read and write but are also being exposed to the Tswalu ethos. They go on game drives to learn about wildlife conservation, and have even spent time with our colony of habituated meerkats!
Clinic:
Currently the clinic runs as a three-way partnership between the Tswalu Kalahari Reserve, the Northern Cape Provincial Health Services and Dr. Ludwig Föcking, a Vascular Specialist who owns a private Clinic in Velen, Germany. The Tswalu Healthcare Clinic is on the Tswalu property and available to all Tswalu residents, members of the neighbouring farming communities and guests visiting the reserve. The Provincial Government provides generic medicines and recently has been sending state eye and dental specialists to work at Tswalu. Tswalu provides the infrastructure, vehicle, the salaries of staff and any shortfalls in medicines and consumables. About 300 people visit Tswalu Clinic every month.
Yoga:
Surrounded by the great expanse and the endless skies that complete the unique environment of the Kalahari, join us as we stretch, strengthen and relax the body, offering you a sense of increased awareness, vitality and inner peace.