Tswalu falls within the arid savanna biome of southern Africa and has three main habitats – dunes, plains and Korannaberg mountains. The presence of these mountains form a huge basin which acts as a natural rainfall catchment. This provides a healthy water table and encourages a large, successful diversity of life - with about 80 species of mammals and 240 species of birds. The main focus of the Tswalu Kalahari tourism experience is to expose guests to the wonders of the Kalahari ecosystem. Our guides are encouraged to explore all aspects of this ecosystem including plant life, insects, birds, reptiles and the smaller mammals and to help our guests to understand the importance of conservation with particular reference to Tswalu’s vast and unique wilderness. Rare and endangered species. While Tswalu is home to most of the "charismatic" African big game species such as lion, cheetah, wild dog, desert black rhino and buffalo, Tswalu has developed into a vast area of unique biodiversity and natural beauty which offers safe haven to a number of rare and endangered species, including pangolin, aardvark, aardwolf, African wild dog, rare antelope such as roan, sable and tsessebe and endangered raptors.