South-Africa

Golela, border between South Africa & Swaziland

Wiki, here

Exit South Africa, ZA. Enter Swaziland, SZ

Monday, November 12 I presented myself at 10:30 at the border post of Swaziland at the office of immigration of South Africa; my passport accepted the exit stamp. I took again my vehicle to make 100 meters and at the immigration of the entry in Swaziland I found a queue of approximately 45,   French from Toulon, Var! A tourist lady took me by the hand to put to me at the top of the queue by apostrophizing her colleagues. Then I paid the entry tax at R 50. After the continued exchanges of kindness I my way in territory of Swaziland.

Mahamba Gorge Lodge

Of course the landscapes are not very different from those in South Africa. On the other hand the habitat, the organization of agriculture as well as the sparse road traffic attest the difference in standard of living. I had thrown my reserved on the camp-site at Mahamba Gorge Lodge at the end of a jolty track whose obsolete buildings indicate a rare frequentation, not hot water for the shower. But the landscape is splendid; I don't undertaken the excursion in the gorge.

click on the pic for opening the gallery

Hlane Royal National Park

Tuesday, November 13 I arrived at the end in the morning at Hlane Royal National Park after a jam as well at Manzini as afterwards due to building work of a highway. At once formalities of admission filled I left on a tour in the park and always in search of predatory large deer, without success. Back to the campground I was going to inform me at the reception where I learned that there was “Wild Drives” paying during 2:30 in part of the park enclosed, padlocked and, inaccessible in particular vehicle, in which are lions, elephants, giraffes and other animals. Of course I bought a place for the tour as of 5:30 in the morning to have all the opportunities of seeing these predatory. I was rewarded for my obstinacy, sounding and stumbling. The map below watch two circuits, in blue that of approximately 16 km authorized and in red that of 20 km, GPS eTrek, in the car with guide and coffee break. I was not disappointed, quite to the contrary. On the other hand the view of lions, male and female, in front of the fence challenged me: Would the militants “antispeciesism” preaching the equality of the species in front of the pain, in particular, implying the lack of differentiation of the species be right? The question, apart from any consideration well-wisher, is worth to be posed.

click on the pic for opening the gallery

click on the pic for opening the gallery

Lidwala Backpacker Lodge

Thursday, November 15 on the way I stopped after Manzini to visit Mantenga Cultural Village in Ezulwini Valley. This Swazi Cultural Village made up of beehive huts inhabited is traversed in guided visit. It is at the bottom of Mantenga Falls. Then I arrived at Lidwala Backpacker Lodge on the slopes of the hill in a luxuriant garden dominating Ezulwinni valley. I remained two nights.

click on the pic for opening the gallery

Maguga Dam

Saturday, November 17 I left the paradisiac garden of Lidwala Lodge to go to bivouac at the edge of Maguga Dam with an outside temperature of +40°C under my truck at the altitude of 621 meters GPS.

Border between Matsamo in Swaziland and Jeppes Reef in l'Afrique du Sud

Exit Swaziland, SZ. Enter Afrique du Sud, ZA

Sunday, November 18 I left Maguga Dam to cross the symbolic border between Swaziland and South Africa. Of course at Matsamo I got out of my car to go to receive the exit stamp of Swaziland and 50 meters further away at Jeppes Reef new descent to receive the entry stamp in South Africa.

Malalane

Then I sought vainly a bivouac at the edge of Jeppes Reef Dam. In cause of despair I continued my way to Malalane, village close to the entry in Kruger Park. I found a wild bivouac in a short dead end in a residential allotment in becoming. I remained two nights there. Indeed I had booked my camp-sites in Kruger from November 20th to December 4th by changing site every two days from the south to the north within the park in order to maximize my luck to see the predatory big cats. Then on December 6th I will enter Mozambique.