Swaziland, St. Lucia, & Durban
Days Four, Five, Six, & Seven - South Africa & Swaziland - 2017
We crossed into Swaziland, and rounded out our trip with stops in St. Lucia and Durban.
Map Credit: OpenStreetMap
Editorial Comment: Throughout this website -and primarily on this page- I use the name “Swaziland” to refer to the nation known since April 2018 as “Eswatini”. As the country was referred Swaziland during the time I traveled there, I have chosen to retain use of this term in this travelogue.
1. On the Road to Swaziland #1
Mpumalanga is the only South African province to border all four districts of Swaziland.
We left Hazyview early in the morning and made our way on the scenic road to Swaziland, passing Barterton and Nelshoogte Nature Reserves, arriving at the South Africa-Swaziland border around mid-day. Two additional photos of this route follow.
2. On the Road to Swaziland #2
3. On the Road to Swaziland #3
4. Swaziland Sunset
The sun sets over the Mlilwane Wildlife Sanctuary.
We hit a slight snag at the South Africa-Swaziland border as a member of our party didn’t have the right kind of visa to enter the country. After some hemming-and-hawing and a mad rush to the capital of Mbabane, we arrived at our overnight stop, Mlilwane Wildlife Sanctuary, in the late afternoon. I spent the remainder of the day mellowing out from a busy couple of days, followed by the obligatory beers and bonfire.
5. Umphakatsi Orphans #1
“Umphakatsi” is a term for an enclosed village underneath a Swazi chief.
The following morning, we visited a nearby Swazi umphakatsi for a Swazi cultural experience. After dancing with the villagers, we had a change to meet orphaned children, most of whose parents have died as a result of the AIDS epidemic in this part of the world (Swaziland has the world’s highest rate of AIDS at about 25% of the population). Two additional photographs follow.
6. Umphakatsi Orphans #2
7. Umphakatsi Orphans #3
8. Evening Bonfire
Fire is hot (sometimes I don’t have a good fact, sorry…just read the story below.)
After visiting the village, we had a free afternoon to do the activity of our choosing. I selected mountain biking, during which I was accompanied by two of my tour companions. We hit the trails around Mlilwane Wildlife Sanctuary…or, at least they did. I more floundered. The area where you rent your bicycle is generally flat, so when you “check ride” it, it is over level terrain. Apparently, my bicycle like to jump its chain after shifting. As a result, I only had 3-1 gearing the entire journey, meaning going uphill was an exercise in futility and going downhill was a mad dash. This somewhat detracted from the experience of my colleagues, who undoubtedly wore thin of me having to walk up the steepest hills.
However, about halfway through the ride, we turned a corner and came upon a group of zebras on the flat part of the trail. They took off running, and -naturally- we followed them, at full speed (not easy for me in 3-1!), until they took off into the brush. We probably followed them for 300 meters. It was an amazing experience, and it made the whole day worthwhile.
After struggling to make it back uphill to the bike rental lot, I felt terrible that I was holding up my colleagues so badly and turned my bicycle in and let them go on for the rest of their rental time (I was way too tired to even think about swapping the bike out….) After one of the longest and greediest showers I think I have ever taken, I withdrew for the day to the fire pit rest area to work on the flat of Castle Beer I purchased the day before. I definitely earned it!
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9. On the Road Back to South Africa #1
The Maputo River runs from South Africa, through Swaziland, and into Maputo Bay in Mozambique.
The morning of day six, we hit the road again to head back into South Africa. Border crossing problems avoided, we headed towards Hluhluwe–Imfolozi Park, a nature preserve in KwaZulu-Natal province. Probably as a result of our great success in animal spotting in Kruger National Park, we did not see one…single…animal…on our way to the Hilltop Camp, where we were to take a rest break. It was at Hilltop I learned about Hurricane Irma and the possibility it was going to hit my home (thankfully, in the end, it did not). It had already ripped through Florida as an extremely dangerous storm, and my thoughts were with those I knew there. Several frantic emails and texts later (so very thankful for free WiFi), I messaged some folks who were thankfully willing to prepare my home. This whole sequence of events put me in a bit of a funk, admittedly, and I didn’t take a picture at the Hilltop Camp’s amazing terrace. In fact, I didn’t take a single photograph in the park at all! We traveled on to St. Lucia, where I found out that Irma was increasingly likely to pass to the west of my home, which put me in a better mood. Anyway, back to Swaziland…another picture of the road to South Africa follows.
10. On the Road Back to South Africa #2
11. Hippopotamus #1
Hippos can’t swim or float - they walk along the riverbed.
The morning of day seven -our last of the journey- we traveled to iSimangaliso Wetland Park in St. Lucia to see hippopotamuses and other water animals in Lake St. Lucia. I had never really seen hippos up-close-and-personal before, so this was a completely new experience for me and gave me respect for their size and power. Four more hippo photographs follow.
12. Hippopotamus #2
Hippos will surface to breathe even while sleeping, generally once every three to five minutes.
13. Hippopotamus #3
Hippos are 25 to 50 kilograms (50 to 110 pounds) when born.
14. Hippopotamus #4
Hippos generally only go on land at night, when the sun can’t harm their skin. They can travel upwards of 10 kilometers (16 miles) a night searching for grassy food.
15. Hippopotamus #5
Hippos are among the most aggressive and dangerous animals, particularly due to their size and razor-sharp teeth.
16. Durban
Durban is South Africa’s third-largest city (behind Johannesburg and Cape Town), and is the country’s busiest port.
After leaving St. Lucia, we headed to Durban for some time to explore that city. The tour “officially” ended once the tour bus arrived at the tour group’s overnight hotel. It is worth noting that the majority of the group was continuing on through Lesotho and on to Cape Town; I, however, ended my journey here. As luck would have it, my hotel was down the street from the group’s, so I checked in to my (admittedly fancier) digs, took a much needed shower, and walked back to the hotel to rejoin the group for dinner and a nightcap (stopping at a liquor store for some Amarula along the way). After making a sketchy early morning walk back to my hotel, I crashed out in my mosquito-filled room (I accidentally left the bathroom window open from when I took my shower), waking early morning to take my flight back to Johannesburg, then back to the U.S. via Amsterdam.
All in all, this was an excellent trip. It was greatly enhanced by an amazing group of people, great guides, and (frankly) good luck in Kruger National Park. I certainly think an African safari is one of those things every travel photographer with the means should try at least once in their lives.
