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Blogs from Mlilwane Wildlife Sanctuary, Swaziland, Africa
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Mlilwane Wildlife Sanctuary & Mbabane
Published: November 25th 2012Africa » Swaziland » Mlilwane Wildlife Sanctuary
August 25th 2012
I got very lucky on the day I was leaving Sodwana Bay and South Africa. Curtis, from USA, who was also staying at Natural Moments, was leaving the same day I was for Johannesburg in his rented car. He kindly agreed to drop me close to the Swazi border, but in the end brought me all the way to the Onverwacht border post with Swaziland. At first, this didn’t look like it would be the best border to cross at. We had to follow a gravel road for a few kilometres before re-joining the tarred road to the border. There wasn’t a much signs of any other vehicles going through, which didn’t bode well for my hopes of getting a lift of some sort to the next town. The Swazi immigration official gave me some grief ... read more
Mlilwane Wildlife Sanctuary
Published: March 18th 2012Africa » Swaziland » Mlilwane Wildlife Sanctuary
March 18th 2012
We spent lunch and the afternoon and early evening at Mlilwane Wildlife Sanctuary. A few of us took an open air LandRover tour of the park to see ample zebra, impala, antelope, wildebeast, monkeys and a hippo. Amazing vistas of the hills and valleys here in Swaziland - strikingly beautiful. The weather was very pleasant so the animals were out in force and it was comfortable for us. Mostly pictures tell the story.... read more
February 28th 2012
After leaving Kruger Park, driving south, we entered yet another African country: Swaziland. First on the agenda was to clean the camper. The dirt roads in Kruger made a red dusty mess of both the inside and the outside of the camper. Frequently, on the roadside, you see CAR WASH- at some very unlikely spot. The first one we saw, we pulled in. There was a tap for water, with a hose, some buckets, and one guy who looked VERY ragged. The price- 50 Rand- (South American Currency) equivalent to about $6. Cdn. Mark commited to the deal. Immediately, about 4 other guys showed up- they all took buckets and rags- and proceeded to clean the camper like it had never been cleaned. They scrubbed- sprayed and dried it- even under the wheel wells- the tires- ... read more
Mlilwane Wildlife Sanctuary
Published: September 22nd 2011Africa » Swaziland » Mlilwane Wildlife Sanctuary
September 15th 2011
Our destination in Swaziland was the Mlilwane Wildlife Sanctuary – a beautiful retreat up in a valley in the mountains where you can sleep in traditional bee hive huts. We really had no idea what to expect in Swaziland as there was no real website for Mlilwane and it was not on trip advisor. So for me I was a bit nervous as I like to know what I am getting into ahead of time. Once again though, this place far exceeded anything we even imagined. Before reaching our destination, we first stopped at the Swazi Candle Factory – a little place very close to Mlilwane where they make candles by hand. It’s not really a factory like what we think of. It is more of a Candle shop. The man was sitting right there ... read more
How does a Rhino scratch an itch?
Published: November 3rd 2011Africa » Swaziland » Mlilwane Wildlife Sanctuary
September 7th 2011
M – Take a look at this series of photos and find out. This little scene came as a little light relief after this Rhino’s mates had finally finished starring me down (see previous blog) and decided to move on into the bush or sat back down in the mud.... read more
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Swaziland - In Africa, just because you can doesn’t mean you should …
Published: November 3rd 2011Africa » Swaziland » Mlilwane Wildlife Sanctuary
September 6th 2011
M – Swaziland is one of those exotic place names I can remember from my childhood. Perhaps I heard it on the news or maybe I saw it on a map but I suspect it is more likely that I saw it on a stamp - yes I did collect stamps as a kid! We needed to get to Durban from the Kruger to visit the Indian Consul and cutting through Swaziland is the quickest route. Swaziland is an odd place. Both it and Lesotho sit like islands within the North East of South Africa. Due to the need to deposit our passports at the Indian Consul in Durban for a week to get our Indian Visas we couldn’t actually go to Lesotho but I wasn’t going to miss out on Swaziland! Swaziland is a small ... read more
June 18th 2010
Around 7am the next morning I was picked up out the front of the Durban Hostel by a couple in a van who delivered me to the backpacker centre in St Lucia - the trip was quite pleasant and St Lucia appeared to be a nice little holiday town with a fast food restaurant just down the street. I left my bag in the hostel and went and got some lunch before returning to use the internet while I waited for the bus. Around 3pm we were on our way - soon after crossing the Swazi border we caught a glimpse of giraffe through the trees so the driver stopped to allow us to take some photos. Late in the day the Baz Bus delivered me to a drop off point just a few kilometres from ... read more
A session at the Sanctuary
Published: November 27th 2009Africa » Swaziland » Mlilwane Wildlife Sanctuary
September 16th 2009
The appeal of a hostel inside a game reserve is too much to resist so I make my way to Sondzela Backpackers inside Mlilwane National Park. Though the sign saying "For international guests only" smacks of an apartheid that seems wholly unnecessary, I see several warthog and an antelope on my short walk from the park gate to the accommodation, which proves to be only a taster for what's to come. The grounds are gorgeous, the main building and swimming pool being the hub of the hostel with rondavels a little further away. A resident ostrich rarely strays far, and a family of warthog put in regular appearances. The hostel is an adjunct to the main camp, a 15 minute walk away and home to more expensive accommodation as well as a shop and restaurant. Tame ... read more
Mlilwane Wildlife Sanctuary
Published: December 28th 2009Africa » Swaziland » Mlilwane Wildlife Sanctuary
August 23rd 2009
I awoke this morning to the woven arch of my ceiling and the early morning light filtering through the crack under the door. I squatted by the front door, grasped the antelope horn and slid the door sideways. The cool morning air hit me and I looked at the circle of beehive huts that are to be my home village for the next couple of days. I soon retreated into the warmth of my hut and wondered whether my companions were yet up for the day. I busied myself with making tea and taking a shower and dosing my now truly awful flu bug with the African equivalent of lemsips. I couldn't hear any noises coming from the neighbouring hut and pondered whether I could go for breakfast alone. I decided everyone here seems to speak ... read more
February 27th 2009
Nach der Safari ging es sofort weiter nach Swaziland. Dort wohnten wir mitten im Nationalpark. An unserem ersten Tag haben wir eine 4 stuendige Trekkingsafari unternommen. Puuhhh!!! Dafuer haben wir ein riesiges Krokodil gesehen, und ein paar Aeffchen und Zebras und und und... Obwohl gar keine Sonne da war und wir uns meistens durch den dichten Dschungel schlagen mussten haben wir beide etwas Sonnenbrand bekommen. Aber mittlerweile ist das schon braun :) Am naechsten Tag haben wir es dann etwas komfortabler versucht und sind auf Pferden durch den Nationalpark geritten. An unserem Hostel gab es direkt am Pool hin und wieder einen Strauss und Wildschweine. Am Abend gab es dann fuer den kulturellen Anteil noch einen Zulutanz, bevor es dann am naechsten Tag weiter ging nach Durban... ... read more
