My story begins long before Tintswalo had a name.
As a child, I travelled alongside my father, Ernest Corbett, on journeys that were anything but ordinary. Our family holidays were spent under canvas, following elephant migratory paths through Botswana and standing at the source of the Nile. These early adventures quietly taught me that nature is not a backdrop to life, but a teacher. One that rewards patience, humility, and deep listening.
At the time, our family business focused on developing shopping centres in rural areas of South Africa. That work took us into communities far from familiar ground and, eventually, to the edge of the Manyeleti Nature Reserve. What began as property development would unknowingly become the first step in our journey into tourism.
We were campers, not hoteliers. Yet driven by curiosity and courage, my husband Warwick led the creation of Tintswalo Safari in Bushbuckridge. It was built as a true family endeavour, with our children and parents alongside us. Site meetings were often interrupted by playful baboons and curious buffalo, challenges that became stories, and stories that became the soul of Tintswalo. Those early years shaped not only our resilience, but our belief that hospitality should feel personal, honest, and deeply connected to place.
As the Tintswalo Collection grew, each property emerged organically, shaped by its surroundings rather than a formula.
Tintswalo Atlantic revealed itself quietly within the Table Mountain National Park, a hidden sanctuary where ocean and mountain meet. It became a place of love, gratitude, and reconnection, reminding guests of nature’s ability to restore the spirit. Tintswalo Boulders followed along the coast, intimate and playful, offering a close and joyful connection to the rhythms of the sea. In 2020, Tintswalo Waterberg opened as a multi-generational retreat, designed for families, reflection, and gentle reconnection with the land.
Throughout every chapter, my mother, Gaye, has been a defining creative force. Her instinctive eye, layered storytelling, and deep respect for heritage have shaped the interiors and soul of every Tintswalo property. In time, that love of design and interiors was quietly ignited in her granddaughter, Camlyn Johnston, passing from one generation to the next.
It was this shared sensibility that gave rise to Summer House.
A gracious old lady by the sea, lovingly restored yet proudly bearing her years, Summer House was imagined through the combined lens of memory, design, and family continuity. She embodies nostalgia, comfort, and the art of hosting. A place of long lunches, slow mornings, and rooms that whisper rather than shout. Through Summer House, Tintswalo found expression not only in wild landscapes, but in heritage, elegance, and the enduring beauty of spaces shaped by hands and hearts across generations.
Tintswalo has never been about geography alone. It is about connection. To land. To wildlife. To people. To family.
Our hope is that every guest leaves with more than beautiful memories. That they carry with them a deeper understanding of conservation, a renewed respect for nature, and the quiet sense that their stay was not just a holiday, but a gift that lingers long after departure.
Lisa Goosen
CEO
