Swaziland Safari Tour Package

Day 1: Arrive at the Kingdom of Swaziland

Arriving at the airport you will be greeted by your local guide and road transferred to the beautiful Ezulwini Valley in Swaziland. Bordering Mantenga Nature Reserve and tucked beneath Sheba's Breast Mountain, you will spend your first night in style at Mogi Boutique Hotel where you'll enjoy mountain and valley views and have time to relax.

Overnight: Mogi Boutique Hotel, Ezulwini

Day 2: Morning Walk to Mlilwane Wildlife Sanctuary in the Ezulwini Valley and optional afternoon Walk along the Machobane Trail - 6 hours.

After a delicious breakfast, your guide will drive you a short distance to the boundary of the famous Mlilwane Wildlife Sanctuary. Mlilwane is best known for being the birthplace of nature conservation in Swaziland, however, it is also renowned for its unique walking trails and beautiful setting in Swaziland's Ezulwini Valley - the Valley of Heaven.

The sanctuary itself is quite small yet it is home to a wide variety of animals and birds. During your walk, it is common to see animals such as impala, nyala, zebra, warthogs, blesbok, kudu, and roan antelope. The walking trails in Mlilwane are popular and the animals have become used to humans, meaning that you are able to get close to most of the wildlife. This makes for a unique, intimate, and rewarding wildlife experience.

The morning trail starts out on the southern boundary of the park and works its way down into the shallow Mhlambanyatsi River Valley, across the river, and up to a hippo pool. This is a great spot for finding wallowing hippos and basking crocodiles. The trail then leads to the sanctuary's main camp where you can stop for a rest and visit a mini-museum that presents an interesting history of the formation of the sanctuary and key personalities and pioneers of conservation in Swaziland.

From the camp, the trail cuts across the plains and marshlands of the western sector of the sanctuary before following the beautiful Mhlambanyatsi River upstream towards the base of the Mlilwane Hill where a short climb leads through a shaded forest to the famous Reilly's Rock Hilltop Lodge. Here you will be reunited with your bags, shown to your cozy rooms, and treated to lunch on the verandah.

After lunch, you have two options. The first option is to relax at Reilly's Rock and enjoy the beautiful gardens filled with aloe plants and succulents that attract many different birds. Alternatively, you can choose to join an afternoon guided walk along the base of an impressive mountain peak to the north of the lodge called Execution Rock. The route is called the Machobane Trail; a 5km circular route that rises gently up the base of the peak and then follows a contour (an old aqueduct) along the base of the rocky peak.

The trail itself is interesting with many bridges, ladders, and platforms making it fun and interactive. There are amazing views across the Ezulwini Valley along the whole route but perhaps the highlight is the ancient cave that houses the feint remains of bushman paintings on its rock facades. This cave would have been a prime location for people living in this bountiful valley many thousands of years ago.

In the evening, dinner is served inside the Reilly's Rock dining room next to a roaring fire.

Overnight: Lodge, Mlilwane

Day 3: Transfer to North-Western Swaziland - 1.5 hours. Guided day Walk in the Malolotja Nature Reserve - 3 hours.

You'll wake up at Reilly's Rock and start the day with breakfast on the verandah with great views out over the eastern plains of Mlilwane onto the Royal Mdzimba Mountains, the sacred burial grounds of the Swazi Kings. While enjoying breakfast it's common for birds to be attracted to the nearby bird tables and often one can catch a glimpse of small, rare antelope such as Klipspringer that is also attracted by the bird's activities.

Across the plains, it's not only wildlife that can be spotted, the Swazi King's traditional royal residence of Ludzidzini, in the old village of Lobamba, is also within view.

After breakfast, you'll pack up and drive out of Mlilwane up the escarpment and northwards towards the beautiful Malolotja Nature Reserve in Swaziland's north western highlands. Malolotja provides protected wetland, woodland, highveld grassland, and mist belt forest habitats for a wide variety of plant and animal life.

The reserve's hiking trails rank among Southern Africa's finest as they offer not only a sense of true wilderness with their magnificent rugged country but also a fascinating variety of fauna and flora. Malolotja has also been recognized as one of southern Africa's important bird areas due to the significant number of threatened species recorded here.

The reserve is particularly important for breeding groups of endangered species such as blue swallow, blue crane, bald ibis, and Stanley's bustard. Mammals to look out for include eland, black wildebeest, blesbok, rhybok, rock hyrax, baboons, and the rare and elusive aardwolf.

On arrival at Malolotja, you will have the choice of two guided trails. Both trail options are scenic walks as opposed to walking wildlife safaris and the focus is on experiencing the breathtaking scenery of the reserve. One option is the Majolomba Trail, a 5km loop route starting from the Malolotja picnic site following the beautiful and gently sloping grasslands of the Majolomba Valley.

This is a relatively easy trail that descends gently down the valley crossing the Majolomba stream six times as it weaves through beautiful grassland and vleis. At the trail's midpoint some magnificent views of the majestic Malolotja Valley open up to the north and there is ample opportunity for some classic scenic photography. The second half of the trail climbs back up the opposite side of the Majolomba Valley and is relatively steep in places before it joins the road head which leads back to the picnic site.

The second option has the Malolotja Waterfalls as its focus and is a short 3 km out-and-back trail that begins from the Logwadja start point and descends steeply into the main Malolotja River Valley. The trail is short but strenuous as it is relatively steep on the way in and out. The efforts are worth it, however, as the views across the entire Malolotja Valley and beyond are very impressive and rewarding. The Malolotja Falls themselves are the highest waterfalls in Swaziland (90m) and although it is only a small river the setting for the falls is quite spectacular.

After the trail, you will leave Malolotja and drive for just 45 minutes to the secluded Phophonyane Eco-Lodge where you will settle into your rooms and prepare for dinner in the spacious dining area.

Overnight: Eco Lodge

Day 4: Day at Leisure at Phophonyane Eco Lodge with Optional Guided Day Walk.

Today is one of relaxation at Phophonyane Eco Lodge with an optional guided day walk in the mountains of Phophonyane Nature Reserve. The reserve protects the immense biodiversity of the increasingly threatened habitat and is rich in botanical diversity.

It is home to a remarkable 240 species of birds and some of the world's most interesting geological features. You can walk along the magical forested trails and hear the mysterious hoot of the scarlet and emerald feathered Narina trogon, the curious whistle of the red duiker, and the bark of the elusive bushbuck. Rest and breathe the revitalizing air and enjoy the sight of the famous Phophonyane waterfalls and cascades which tumble over several kilometers of beautifully exposed ancient gneiss, the world's oldest rock, formed over 3.6 billion years ago.

Dinner will be enjoyed in the lodge's comfortable dining room.

Overnight: Eco Lodge

Day 5: Departure

After breakfast depart for Airport

Including in the Tour:

- Driver/guide services

- Tours

- Vehicle for transfers and tours

- Meals as stipulated

- Entry fees on tours

- Community Donations on tours

- Bottled Water in the vehicle (2 per day)

- Accommodation

Excluding:

- Meals not specified

- All drinks and Snacks

- Porterage

- Gratuities

- Flights

- Visas for entry to Swaziland and South Africa (if necessary)