Home » Swaziland » Overlanding across Afica in our Land Rover Defender: Swaziland

16th - 18th february

Overlanding across Afica in our Land Rover Defender: Swaziland

Andy Lees
2006-05-16 14:03:37

Displayed times (last time: )

mlilwane nature reserve - 16th february

we entered swaziland with ease at jeeps reef. there was little traffic on the road as we slowly wound our way up to piggs peak. it didn't seem too different to south africa with the exception of the grazing cattle at the side of the road. the roads were fine but we found ourselves getting stuck behind slow vehicles on the steep incline and on the winding road they were not too easy to pass. it made for slow progress. swaziland is a small country so we didn't have to travel too far before reaching mlilwane nature reserve. this reserve is unique in that you are free to walk, cycle, and horseride amongst the game as there are no real predators to speak of. there was one potential problem. signs at the entrance gate read that we were not allowed to take our own alcohol into the park. we had just stocked up on wine and beer and we weren't about to hand these over to the rangers so we hoped they wouldn't check the landy and smuggled our drinks in.

we camped with a stunning view over forested hills and with nyala, kudu and monkeys passing through the campsite. in the evening we left our dinner cooking on the braai whilst we watched some traditional swazi dancers. this took quite a bit longer than we expected and by the time we returned our jacket potatoes were indistinguishable from the charcol brickettes. the following morning we went horseriding amongst antelope, zebras and wilderbeest. the ride nearly ended in disaster when my (claire's) horse bolted from a snake in the grass. i knew i was going to fall and prepared myself for the knock. but somehow my bum landed back in the saddle, and i managed to stay on.

the park held an even bigger surprise for us. a 4x4 mountain trail. we didn't see any game but it did test andy's off-road driving skills. the trail twisted over the steep mountain passes, offering dramatic views. the narrow track was overgrown and we often disappeared into long grass, other times we descended steep, rocky inclines, stopping the land rover to roll boulders out of our path or clear obstructing foliage with the axe. there was even a mud bath to cross. it was exhilarating and when we emerged from the bushes at the end we felt a real sense of achievement. perhaps more so than when we crossed the nubian desert in sudan!

royal hlane national park - 18th february

from mlilwane we drove to royal hlane park where you can game drive in a lion enclosure and we were certain we would see the big cats. but no, no such luck. we drove and drove - the enclosure was large but not that large; we didn't even see so much as a paw print. but we thought we could smell fresh blood, perhaps there was a kill hidden amongst the dense vegetation. what we lacked in cat sightings was compensated by superb rhino viewing. first we saw a female with her calf resting in the shade and then around the corner there were seven rhinos wallowing in the mud. it was an incredible sight. a mozambiquan guy in his white saloon pulled up next to us. "do you think we're safe?", he asked with genuine concern. "i think we'll be ok", i said looking down from the landy, "but you might be in real trouble." he didn't get the joke, and was off before i had a chance to reassure him. i felt a bit bad.

it was only a short stay in swaziland. enough to get a flavour of the country and its traditions which are slowly dying out. to us it seemed not so different from the parts of south africa we had seen. however the swazi's are proud of their independece and are trying hard to keep their heritage alive and not only for the tourists benefit.