Entering the Kingdom

Trip Start Jul 26, 2008
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Trip End Nov 27, 2008


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Where I stayed
sondzela backpackers

Flag of Swaziland  ,
Wednesday, August 27, 2008

We arrived in Swaziland late at night from the Baz Bus.  We stayed at Sondzela Backpackers inside Mlilwane Wildlife Sanctuary in a Rondavel (a round, private hut).  It was a great setting, very romantic and in the middle of nowhere.  The hostel was good, accommodation and dinners at the campfire with great food.  But the employees were loud, overbearing, unhelpful and not a good first impression of Swazi people.  And thankfully it ended up being a wrong impression b/c everyone else we met was super nice.

While staying there we would walk up the the main camp in the park passing herds of zebra, impala, and wildebeest.  Some of the animals would be 5 feet away from us and it was a little scary to pass by them at first.  But they were not interested in us as long as we walked past or they would run from us.  The hiking trails in the park are pretty nice and you feel like you are just out in the wildlife all alone.  The hikes pass by a hippo pond and one day we saw a giant croc lounging on a island in the pond and the next day we saw a family of hippos on the island. 

The main camp has a really nice lodge looking over a small pond with hippos and crocs.  So after hiking we would chill in the lounge with a sundowner and watch the sunset over the animals. 

Also the stars in Swaziland are gorgeous!
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