Tswalu in the Kalahari has added a new restaurant to its hospitality offering, with chef Luke Dale Roberts opening Boscia in August 2026.
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Built beneath a century-old farmhouse and designed around the surrounding landscape, the restaurant forms part of the Tswalu guest experience, with dinners included for guests staying two or more nights. From October, Boscia will also open to the public for Saturday lunches.
Dining beneath the Kalahari
Boscia takes its name from the shepherd's tree, Boscia albitrunca, which grows across Tswalu's semi-arid landscape.
The restaurant has been designed as an extension of the safari experience, with guests moving between the century-old Boscia House, a root cellar and the dining room overlooking the Kalahari.
The evening begins at Boscia House, where guests are welcomed with snacks and cocktails, before moving into the root cellar, which functions as a gallery, library and working larder.
The cellar houses fermented, pickled and preserved ingredients used by the kitchen.
Alwijn Burger, creative director, said: "The root cellar is a living, breathing beast. We hope only to keep feeding it with newness."
A gallery beyond the cellar features a life-size bronze sculpture of the shepherd's tree by artist Nic Bladen, before guests move into the dining room, where the kitchen is visible through an open pass and the surrounding landscape is framed through glass.
Burger said: "Restraint is its own kind of theatre. It encourages immersion in the environment without competing with it."
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Kalahari shapes the menu
The five-course menu is led by head chef Dillan Kannemeyer and his team, drawing on European and Asian influences alongside ingredients associated with the Kalahari.
These include venison, tsamma melons, Kalahari salt, local dates and wild rosemary, with preservation central to the kitchen's approach.
Meat is predominantly sourced from a butcher based in the Kalahari, with the restaurant estimating that as much as 90% comes from the local supplier.
South African wine pairings and non-alcoholic herbal infusion pairings are also available.
Art meets the dining room
The restaurant's tableware was commissioned specifically for individual dishes through collaborations between the chefs and South African artists and craftspeople.
Contributors include Conrad Hicks, Roché Muller, Wim Botha, Anton Kock and Hadley Craig.
At the end of the evening, guests are taken outside beneath a large boscia tree, with the restaurant receding into the background and the surrounding night landscape becoming part of the experience.
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Luke Dale Roberts said: "Tswalu got under my skin very quickly. There is enormous respect for the landscape, for conservation, for creating something meaningful rather than simply impressive. At this stage of my career, that matters to me."
Public lunches from October
A dinner at Boscia is included for guests staying two or more nights at Tswalu. From October 2026, the restaurant will open to the public for Saturday lunches.
Jonathan Oppenheimer said: "Tswalu has always been a place that rewards patience. Boscia is an expression of that same philosophy. Nothing about it is obvious. Everything about it, we hope, is worth the journey."
