Intimate South Africa

Discover the rich diversity of the Cape Floral Kingdom’s Fynbos on Table Mountain

The Cape Floral Kingdom is one of only six Floral Kingdoms in the world and is geographically by far the smallest, yet the richest, most diverse of these plant kingdoms.

It is widely recognised as one of the most special places for plants in the world in terms of the number of endemic species. Fynbos (fine bush), the indigenous mountain vegetation, forms a major part of this Cape Floral Kingdom. Mount Nelson offers guests a unique opportunity to discover the remarkable diversity of the Fynbos of the Cape Floral Kingdom on Table Mountain, one of the world’s Seven Wonders of Nature.

Enjoy a ramble along the lower slopes of Table Mountain with a dramatic outlook over Camps Bay and the Atlantic Ocean, with an expert mountain and Fynbos guide who will share interesting stories about the “Big Five of Fynbos”– the plant families of Proteas, Ericas, Restios, Bulbs (Irises and Lilies) and Daisies – and uncover many aspects of the natural and cultural history of the Cape and Table Mountain. There will also be plenty of opportunity to photograph plants and flowers encountered during the walk.

The Fynbos sunset walks will take place in the late afternoon so guests can enjoy sundowners from an elevated position on the mountainside, watching the sun sink below the horizon of the Atlantic Ocean, a typical Capetonian activity. The tour will last two and a half hours in total which gives guests the opportunity to enjoy a day out and about and still be back in time to appreciate this lovely early evening experience.

Booking is recommended when making a room reservation, alternatively, guests may book this tour with the hotel’s concierge department. Bookings are subject to availability and a 24-hour notice period is preferred.

For further queries on the Fynbos sunset walks or to make a booking, please contact:
Reservations on +27 21 483-1000 or reservations.mnh@belmond.com or contact concierge desk on +27 21 483-1000 or e-mail: concierge.mnh@belmond.com.

You can also reach out to the team, via the Hotel WhatsApp number: +1 857 256 5088

A zippy one-hour self-guided walking tour of ten trees that live in the hotels’ expansive gardens will reveal many fascinating threads of Cape Town’s history. Trees such as the 80 Canary Island Palms that line the driveway entrance or the nearly 200 year old wild Olive Tree have borne silent witness to the colourful ebb and flow of historic events at the Cape and indeed of this historical 116 year old hotel.

For more information contact the concierge team at:
concierge.mnh@belmond.com
T: +27 21 483 1000
Hotel WhatsApp: +1 857 256 5088

Booklets can be collected at concierge.

Resident pro tennis coach Barkie McKrea will teach you to improve your serve, volleys and all aspects of your game.

Barkie teaches beginner to advanced players, solo or in groups.

Equipment is available from the hotel.

For more information and to book directly please contact the concierge team at:
concierge.mnh@belmond.com
T: +27 21 483 1000
Hotel WhatsApp: +1 857 256 5088

Discover the extraordinary world that lives beyond Cape Town’s shores in the company of shark scientist Justin Blake. Embark on an ocean expedition through the Cape Kelp Forests, exploring the same octopus gardens made famous in the 2020 Oscar-winning documentary My Octopus Teacher. Snorkel with friendly sharks, explore fascinating sea caves and discover spectacular views of Cape Town, both above and below the surface.

INCLUDES:
Transport from the hotel, ocean safari on a rigid inflatable boat, an exclusive session with shark scientist Justin Blake as your guide, snorkel gear if desired, scientific shark tracking equipment and dry bags.

BRING YOUR OWN:
Sun screen
Towels
Change of clothing, warm layers
Water bottle

For more information and to book directly please contact the concierge team at:
concierge.mnh@belmond.com
T: +27 21 483 1000
Hotel WhatsApp: +1 857 256 5088

Veer off-piste on a wine tasting jeep trail. Plunging into the famed Constantia Winelands, the scenic tour visits three historic wine estates using private roads rarely open to visitors.

Highlights include tasting the “best Sauvignon Blanc in the world”, meeting the region’s youngest female winemaker and feasting on tapas with sparkling méthode cap classique refreshments.

For more information and to book directly please contact the concierge team at:
concierge.mnh@belmond.com
T: +27 21 483 1000
Hotel WhatsApp: +1 857 256 5088

Be chauffeured in a gleaming classic car to the majestic Cape Winelands for a tasting or lunch. Explore Constantia Valley, famed for its white wines, the picturesque Franschhoek Valley or the world-class estates of Stellenbosch.

For more information and to book directly please contact the concierge team at:
concierge.mnh@belmond.com
T: +27 21 483 1000
Hotel WhatsApp: +1 857 256 5088

Hop into a chauffeured vintage sidecar and explore Cape Town in timeless style. Head out along
Chapman’s Peak Drive and soak up the ocean views, or go west towards the beautiful beaches
of Bloubergstrand. Choose from a range of itineraries, from two-hour city tours to full-day excursions.
Riding leathers, helmets, goggles and complimentary bandanas supplied. Book 24 hours in advance, subject to availability.

For more information and to book directly please contact the concierge team at:
concierge.mnh@belmond.com
T: +27 21 483 1000
Hotel WhatsApp: +1 857 256 5088

With your own dedicated guide and vehicle, you can experience Tswalu exactly the way you want to. There are no fixed schedules or time limits at special sightings – during your stay, the dunes and grasslands are yours to explore the way you want to, and each wildlife encounter can unfold at its own pace.

Just like the sands of the Kalahari, we understand that your priorities can shift during your time at Tswalu. That’s why we’ll never try and shoehorn your experience into a fixed schedule.

Tswalu is unquestionably one of the best places in southern Africa to see cheetah in the wild – the vast open spaces and antelope herds of the Kalahari readily lend themselves to high-speed pursuits. Visiting Tswalu also gives you front-row seats for sightings of species that prove elusive elsewhere, from aardvark and pangolin to Hartmann’s Mountain Zebra.

Tswalu’s ecotourism ventures have a notably low ecological impact while also contributing significantly to the sustainability of the reserve and its achievement of its conservation and community upliftment goals. By remaining honest to our guiding principles, we can deliver a safari experience of startling authenticity.

Much of Tswalu’s beauty can be found in the smaller details: the ripples left by the wind on the crest a sand dune, a yellow flower opening to face the sun, or the tracks of a porcupine digging for roots. Walking at Tswalu gives you the opportunity to see these and other signs of the abundance of the southern Kalahari, as well as following the tracks of larger species.

Another exciting game viewing option at Tswalu is a horseback ride

Horseback safaris allow guests to explore the dunes and savannahs on our well-schooled and well-mannered horses, which are suitable for all ages and all levels of experience.

There is no better way to get close to nature and the wildlife. On a horse safari in at Tswalu, you become part of the landscape and many of the animals react differently to your presence. No-one who experiences this kind of closeness with wildlife ever forgets it.

Our equestrian guides are well trained in the Kalahari ecology, and will lead you on a true safari where you can ride alongside antelope, buffalo, zebra and giraffe, or watch them from a distance without detection.

Children are welcome on horseback safaris. Both trail and English saddles are available and every piece of necessary equipment is provided, in every imaginable size.

Children are welcome at Tswalu and the reserve is well equipped to cater for them. Tswalu believes that they too can be part of the conservation vision.

The youngsters will be introduced to the Junior Ranger programme and given a backpack with guides and tools to help them learn about the Kalahari. During their stay they will make their own bow and arrow for archery, learn how to identify spoor, and track game on foot.

In between game walks and drives there are activities at The Motse specially designed to occupy the kids while mom and dad relax. Tswalu’s stables will create a special “pony camp” for any child who shares their passion for horses. There is no malaria in this part of the Kalahari and the pool is a big attraction. They can chat to the rangers, decorate cup cakes and even cook their own bush dinner in the special children’s boma. A separate children’s menu caters for their individual tastes.

Babysitters can be arranged for younger children if parents want time alone.

The Spa and Gym at The Motse provide both relaxation and stimulation for body and mind, with inspiration coming from the savannah views and the use of organic materials both in the construction of this space, and in the spa treatments.

Join a group of habituated meerkats as they emerge from their burrows and warm themselves in the rising sun or meet up with them as they return home at the end of the day and groom and play at dusk.

Their gregarious nature and amusing antics (think early morning sunbathing and playing chicken with scorpions) have made meerkats extremely popular as subjects of wildlife documentaries. Our two habituated colonies have accepted the presence of humans without letting it disrupt the important business of grooming and foraging.

Meerkats are just one of the smaller predators which abound at Tswalu: aardwolf, African wild cat and caracal are also frequently seen.

Join your guide in trying to puzzle out the hidden meanings in millennia-old rock engravings of animals, birds and abstract shapes. Today, no one knows whether they were created as memories, prayers or maps, but their beauty and mystery endure.

Every moment of every meal at Tswalu reflects the culinary heritage of South Africa and is carefully designed to be as inclusive as possible. Sustainability is key: we forage for Kalahari ingredients and work with local suppliers who share our low-impact ethos.

We believe that luxury is found in contextual, relevant flavours rather than wasteful over-abundance. Our food offering helps tell the story of Tswalu – it’s inspired by and captures the essence of the Kalahari.

As well as being an incredible community of flora and fauna, Tswalu is also an extended human family of people from the Kalahari and beyond. We find strength in our diversity, and because we all share the same vision for the future of Tswalu, we can combine our energies and passion to make Tswalu’s vision a reality.

The Tswalu community consists of our staff members and their families, researchers, visiting doctors that support the healthcare centre, visiting artists in residence, and each of our guests, alongside a wider community of neighbours, conservationists and everyone who cares about the restoration of the Kalahari.

The Tswalu Foundation exists primarily to support ecological research at Tswalu. Through accumulating a growing body of quality output on the fauna, flora and the unique habitat of the southern Kalahari we have been able to make informed conservation management decisions to better support our shared vision.

This information has been made freely available to our neighbours and other interested parties so that, as we seek to add to our shared understanding of this rich and diverse landscape, they too can care for their land in the best long-term interests of the wildlife and people of the Kalahari.

During your stay at Tswalu, you’ll have the opportunity to interact with researchers studying both iconic and more obscure species and witness scientific conservation in progress.

Naledi, which means ‘star’ in the local Tswana language, is Tswalu’s back-to-nature star bed experience in the Korannaberg mountains. Elevated above a valley with wraparound views, Naledi is for the true adventurer who yearns to sleep beneath the southern Kalahari’s brilliant blanket of stars in safety and seclusion. Spending a night in a star bed, with nothing between you and the night sky, has become increasingly sought after as travellers search for authentic, unfiltered experiences immersed in nature. Naledi has purposely been kept very simple so as not to detract from its private and remote setting in the southern reaches of the reserve. Sleeping in the open, under the stars, is as old as time.

A balmy summer night is a perfect time to sleep under the stars in the middle of the Kalahari. The Malori is Tswalu’s under canvas experience with comfortable beds, an open-air bathroom and a spacious deck area for dining, dreaming and stargazing. ⁠
⁠
⁠Whether reserved for romance or for family bonding time, a Malori sleep-out is about tuning out so that you can soak up the solitude, tune into the silence and count shooting stars.⁠ With comfortable beds, an open-air bathroom and a spacious deck area for dining, dreaming and stargazing, the tent is perfect for two but spacious enough to invite the family. The Malori sleep-out is one of those once-in-a-lifetime experiences you will never forget.⁠

A night at Malori needs to be booked in advance, carries an additional cost, and is offered subject to availability and prevailing weather conditions.

Game drives, in open safari vehicles, head out at sunrise and again in the late afternoon. The reserve’s natural animal populations include all of the Big Five, and it is renowned for the quality of its leopard sightings – the most elusive of predators. With no more than 16 vehicles allowed on the reserve at any one time, Lions Sands assures you a truly personal safari, and the field guides are able to take you within close range of Africa’s most impressive species. Photo opportunities are spectacular! Also included is a hot beverage/sundowner stop to purely appreciate being in the bush and in the moment.

For those who wish to experience the bush, not just observe it, there is no better guided excursion. Feel the scrub crunch beneath your feet, touch a velvety acacia seed pod, hear the crack of a branch indicating you are not alone, and spot the game appear just metres off – exhilarating! This is also a wonderful opportunity to encounter the smaller creatures, often missed on safari vehicles, and to discover more about the reserve’s plants – many with fascinating medicinal properties and traditional uses.

Lion Sands together with More Community Trust assists our local Huntington and Justicia B villages, and you can get involved, too. Take a community tour (proceeds go to our development projects here), or roll up your sleeves with our Get Your Hands Dirty initiatives. These centre on education, infrastructure, health and environment, and you can choose the area best suited to your interest.

Between safaris you’ll have the luxury of free time and how better to indulge than in the spa? We favour Africology products, instilled with the belief that self-care brings balance. So with our range of therapies, we offer a wellness experience to rejuvenate your body, quiet your mind, and revitalise your spirit. If you must gym, there’s a fully kitted out facility with a view of the bush to take your mind off the burn.

From boma feasts to safari refreshment stops, dining promises to be a highlight – for all our guests, with any dietary requirement, including kosher, catered for. Our chefs transform local recipes into contemporary dishes, giving you a taste of Southern Africa. Paired with premium Cape wines, dining becomes an experience. Our wine tastings are also a favourite of connoisseurs and dabblers, alike.

Our Chalkley and Kingston Treehouses set you in the middle of big landscapes, globed by even bigger skies, their lights twinkling down to the horizon. Below, the stillness is punctuated by animals’ whistles, huffs, and growls… carried on the wind. Heaven for the hopeless romantic, the adventurer, the person who needs a complete disconnect and digital detox, and the wildlife enthusiast who prefers the bush au naturel.