Blogs from Swaziland, Africa

Dear All After overnighting again in my Johannesburg lodge, I flew to Swaziland on a beautiful Sunday morning in the southern hemisphere. I was seriously impressed by this country - it seemed to be the calmest, chillest African country I've ever been in, with good roads, solid buildings, plenty of shopping malls, and lots of happy people. While South Africa seemed a developed, westernised version of Africa, Swaziland appeared more of a developed yet African version of Africa, if that makes sense. I arrived in another 40-seater Airlink plane from Johannesburg - it was only around a third full, and I was clearly the only tourist, which is definitely my kind of travelling! I shall overlook the need to declare whether one has had a c-word vaccine or not, and the temperature check, at the airport, ... read more

After another early morning and breakfast we started our drive towards the border of Eswatini and South Africa again, towards Kruger National Park. Before long, we stopped to visit the Ngwenya glass factory, where we watched the talented glass blowers create a range of enchanting African animals, birds, and fish, as well as tableware, made from recycled glass that is collected by the children of eSwatini. Although I have watched glass blowers at work before, it was interesting to see how well this large operation synchronized their work. They produced some very nice objects, mostly depicting some of the animals we had just seen, but I was deterred from buying any because of the weight of any of the bigger pieces. It was a consideration while traveling, specially since most flights have a weight limit, and ... read more

Mlilwane Wildlife Sanctuary We woke up from our accommodation at Sondzela Backpackers to discover in our backyard warthogs grazing the grass. It finally dawned on us that we were in a sanctuary where animals had the right of way. The Mlilwane Wildlife Sanctuary is Swaziland's best known nature reserve. In 1961 Ted Reilly took action to save what remained of the kingdom of Swaziland's wildlife, converting his land into a sanctuary and rounding up animals from elsewhere around the country. In the sanctuary there are no large predatory animals like lions and cheetahs or leopards. Therefore, it is safe to walk around the sanctuary as long as you stay clear of the animals and let them mind there own business. After breakfast, Renata and I walked all the way up to the base camp where we ... read more

Today was our last full day in Bulembu. I can’t believe it has gone so fast. We spent our morning helping the Royal Rangers set up camp. I can’t believe the work the leaders put in to prepare for a week with the kids. They are so blessed to have these leaders planning and preparing for them. They will have such a great time. The afternoon was our last play day. We chose to do big team games instead of breaking into small groups. They had a great time. I’m glad we did it that way and both Nicole and I ended up with injuries and had to be cheerleaders. Nothing to serious and are feeling better but enough to side line us for the afternoon. We had a special guest join us today. Our Heartland ... read more

So today was a free day built into schedule. We had a couple options but we all chose the hardest one. Climbing the highest peak in eSwatini called Emlembe. It took us just about 2 hours to the top. Our guide, Benjamin, was very gracious and allowed us to stop as needed. Fortunately, it was cool and socked in the cloud to help us not over heat. Unfortunately, it did not clear at the top but did start to clear on the way down so we could see valley after valley. It’s so gorgeous! Despite feeling a little inadequate from being passed in the way down but locals carrying large logs and wearing crocs, we all made it safely but will see how everyone is feeling tomorrow. The afternoon was quiet and sunny. Cathie, Dean and ... read more