During a recent conversation with a friend about travelling, we discussed all the places we had been and where we would still like to go. To my surprise, he had never been to Swaziland before, which was very odd for someone who had travelled the world. With the help of an experienced tour guide, we planned a four-day guided tour to Swaziland for our readers who, like my friend, have never been to this wondrous country before.
Counties visited: South Africa and Swaziland
Highlights: Mlilwane Wildlife Sanctuary, Hlane National Park, Swazi Candles, Ngwenya Glass, Swazi Cultural Village and Swazi dancing.
Day one: Johannesburg to Kruger National Park (KNP)
Leaving Johannesburg early morning, we made our way down to the KNP for the night. Once in the park, our guide made sure that we were ready for our sunset game drive. If you have ever experienced nature in its purest form while the South African sun sets on the horizon, you will know what a truly remarkable experience this is. Once we returned dinner was all set up and we were ready to dig in.
Camping tour: Tents
Accommodated tour: National Park Chalets
Day two: Swaziland
After a hearty breakfast, we packed up and headed for Swaziland. Once through the border, we made our way to Hlane National Park. Activities on offer for visitors include going on or staying in a houseboat, guided walks, ziplining, mountain biking and the Umphakatsi Cultural Experience, where you can become familiar with the rural Swazi way of living.
Camping tour: Tents
Accommodated tour: National Park Chalets
Day three: Swaziland
On this day we travelled to Mlilwane Wildlife Sanctuary. On our way there we visited Swazi Candles and stopped off in Matapa for some shopping before going through to Mlilwane. Our guide made bookings for us to experience a cultural village tour and traditional Swazi dancing. At the reserve, visitors can enjoy several activities such as mountain biking, horse riding, guided walks and self-guided walking trails, nature education, a splash in the swimming pool or the Esitjeni Village Walk.
Camping tour: Tents
Accommodated tour: National Park Chalets
Day four: Swaziland to South Africa
We left early morning to make our way back to the border, but not before stopping off at Ngwenya Glass for breakfast first. Here we had the opportunity to observe the guys at work as they created all kinds of products from recycled glass. This is the perfect place to get yourself a memento of your trip to Swaziland before crossing back into South Africa.
From the border, we headed for Johannesburg. We stopped for lunch, which was at our own cost, and after filling up our guide dropped us off at our place of accommodation.
There you have it! Now my dear friend and I can both tick off visiting the beautiful Kingdom of Eswatini off our bucket lists. If you would like to do a similar tour, contact us on bookings@ygo2.co.za or 061-902-5219.
