Almost Halfway

For our last day at Mlilwane we had to move into a two person Rondavel - still very comfortable and the equivalent of the best Kruger can offer.

As a result we didn't start our hile along the Hippo trail until after 9.00. Great self-guided walking trail which takes 2-3 hours with a variety of habitats. Still adding to our collection of new bird species – amazed at the variety and colours of some of the birds here – even the grasshoppers are Elegant! 

Probably ready to move on again – one more night in Swaziland – at a lodge near Mbabane – then on to Johannesburg and a night or two with Sue.

If any of you are thinking about a holiday trip here, I would definitely include Swaziland and Mlilwane in particular. Paul's company runs small group tours which include Kruger, Mozambique and Swaziland.

Incredible thunder storm this evening which passed within 5 miles or so – great view of the lightning from our doorway – bit of rain as well but it didn't amount to anything.

Different Strokes

Must respond to a question posed by Linda's BMW driving, CC & coke drinking, Canadian banker cousin in a comment on a blog item about Praia do Sol. 

Sorry Jim, but while it suited us perfectly, I think it may be a little rustic for your tastes – distinct shortage of A/C and no young ladies providing bar service on the beach - great for the rest of us but not sure how you would cope!

Small world

This afternoon, as we cycled around the reserve -Linda's idea??? - we saw a crocodile getting stuck into a Wildebeest carcass which had been stored in his larder for a while with a couple of his mates waiting in the wings for any lapse in his attention.

As were watching we were joined by a SA drilling engineer – currently working offshore Western Australia – who had spent 9 years in Aberdeen and remembered our previous employers. Decided not to talk about people we might have known in common – therein lies a real minefield!

A few days more

Our guided walk this morning was very pleasant – two rangers for the price of one as we had a trainee along as well. Saw the same selection of mammals but added a couple of substantial Nile Crocodiles and 5 or 6 new bird species as well.

Think we have recorded 30 mammal/reptile species so far along with 55 new bird species after less than 3 weeks. 

Booked here now for our third night and would recommend this to anyone else coming this way. Swaziland and the game reserves should be included on any Southern Africa itinerary. It is a friendly welcoming place which is well worth the visit.  

Mlilwane Game Reserve

This is the first of Swaziland's State reserves established in 1961. It was already on our list but Daniel – our new lawyer friend – also recommended it to us.

Arrived without reservation – come on its Monday – to find that the only self catering accommodation they could offer was a 6 berth thatched bungalow – at the same price as the 2 berth! A lovely place to stay, well laid out, well equipped and comfortable – bathroom is a bit disappointing but otherwise it suits us well.

The reserve has a great feel to it and we saw Zebra, Wildebeest, Impala, Nyala, Blesbok and Warthog on the road in along with White throated Beeeaters, Fork tailed Drongos, nesting Grey Herons, flocks of Cattle Egrets and a huge crowd of Sacred Ibis.

Since there no are no predators here – apart from a few crocodiles – you can wander around the reserve during daylight with little or no restriction. The animals are all around and seem only mildly bothered by our presence. While we sat with sundowners this evening we were joined by 20 or 30 Impala, a family group of Warthogs and a couple of juvenile Nyala Antelopes with an adult female who all came to graze on the grass around the bungalow.

Have arranged a bush walk in the morning with one of the rangers, so looking forward to a bit of gentle exercise to start the day. Interestingly it is cheaper to hire the ranger for an hour than it is to hire one of their mountain bikes for a self-guided ride

Another road trip

Early start this morning (Monday) – packed and on the road by 7.00am - and the joys of Moz roads again - this time in the rain for the first couple of hours. Chased down the road by a couple of double articulated ore carriers – scary to see something that size overtake you in rain and spray at 100kph when I thought the limit was 60!

Guess we were too early for the speed traps or perhaps they were discouraged by the rain. Only one stop at a checkpoint on the way into Maputo by a soldier with an automatic rifle. However he was more interested in the weather up north and waved us on before I had managed to show my licence.

Spent an hour in traffic getting around Maputo and then a fairly simple dash up to the Swazi border at Lomahasha. Our new friend Paul had told us that it was a very friendly and easy crossing – none of the pressure of the main posts.

We – of course – as the only foreigners transiting, managed to come across a Customs officer who decided that the papers for the hire car were not in order – despite the fact that they were identical to those we had used on our way in! Perhaps adopting the Jimmy C approach immediately – you know the sort of thing – loud, aggressive, banging the counter etc – was a bit of a mistake. 100 Rand for him and 50 for his sidekick and an apology for my outburst worked better and we were on our way after a short delay. This was the only £12 that they managed to squeeze out of us so we got of quite lightly.

Swazi Immigration and Customs was very efficient and within minutes we were through the border and a couple of hours later arrived at Mlilwane without further incident. Nearly 7 hours on the road to cover 420km.

A new plan

Originally planned on a couple of days at Praia de Sol and then a couple in Maputo but enjoyed the resort and beach life so much that we decided to stay longer and leave Maputo until our next trip.

After 5 days on the beach – we only left the resort once - we are now ready to hit the road again and off to Swaziland in the morning. A couple of days at Mlilwane and then on to Phophonyane reserve before we are due back in Johannesburg on Friday.