DAY 1 - 3: UK - Johannesburg Foresters Arms

Day 1: Fly from to Johannesburg.

Check-in and orientation of the accommodation. An afternoon walk to stretch your legs after your flight. 

Day 2: Visit a local school, a local village, and have a tour around a traditional homestead made of mud and sticks. Listen to fables and discuss ways of life. Sit with the locals and exchange stories and let them tell you about their history and way of life. A genuine experience is waiting there for you.

Day 3: Spend the morning walking in Malolotja Reserve, which is the largest protected area in the kingdom. Learn about the highveld flora and fauna. Here we walk amongst the game and learn tracking techniques. Afterward, there is time spent at Ngwenya glass factory learning how this Emaswati venture started as well as spending time in the local shops, maybe getting souvenirs.

Ngwenya Glass grew from a Swedish aid project with Emaswati trainees sent to study at the celebrated Kosta Boda Glassworks. Today the factory’s figurines, vases, and tableware are
exported worldwide.

Journey time: group pick up from Jo’burg, driving time 5hrs 20mins (280 miles/450 km)

DAY 4 - 6: Beehive Huts, Mlilwane Wildlife Sanctuary

Day 4: On the way to Mlilwane we explore a host of craft markets selling traditional products including a trip to Swazi candles to experience elephants and other wildlife being sculpted out of wax. Feel the wax to learn how the locals sculpt the animals and learn the story behind this community-run venture. After lunch, we visit Gone Rural where basket weaving and creating mats are the art. Again, learn how this is done and experience this as well. A visit to where the ladies are working is a real treat.

Day 5: In the morning there is a nature walk to feel the environment and to hear the calls of the nearby animals such as zebra, wildebeest, hippo, and also a host of birds. In the late morning, we visit the nearby chief and see her homestead and the way of life here. In the afternoon there is a safari to learn about the conservation in Mlilwane and also about the reintroduction of species into Eswatini.

Day 6: There are fantastic trail horses throughout the reserve, and these are for both beginners to experienced horse riders. The wildlife is used to the horses so you can get up close and personal with much of the Plains game and riding through herds of zebra and something to remember. Specially designed for our guests, you will have the opportunity to groom and saddle your horses before going on your horse safari.

Being led through the reserve and feeling the wildlife and the scenery from a different perspective. In the afternoon this is followed by more wildlife experiences in Mlilwane.

Journey time: 1hr 30mins (58 miles/93 km)

DAY 7 - 9: Ndlovu Camp, Hlane Royal National Park

Day 7: On the way to Hlane, we’ll visit a blind and deaf school called St Joseph’s Mission. Here we can exchange ideas and thoughts and learn about how everyone lives. This is a special excursion as not many people get to visit here. We aim to spend around 2 hours with the school. Arrive in time at Hlane for lunch, time to explore the area, and end with a sunset safari.

Day 8: Learn about several animals and feel the skulls of many – try and guess which one each one is! Also, there will be a conservation talk about Eswatini conservation and also the chance to feel how a snare works and how the anti-poaching team deals with this. A visit to Mahlindza Waterhole is highly recommended. Here there is a bird hide overlooking the water where enormous herds of impala and other ungulates congregate. Hear the resident Maribu storks and Fish Eagles.

Day 9: A special day as we visit the Sangoma (traditional healer). The Sangoma is a very powerful person in the Emaswati culture who possesses healing powers as well as being able to read into the future. We have carefully organised this visit in a manner that is both respectful to the traditional Emaswati way of life as well as informative to our guests. This experience will certainly leave you wondering!

A walk around the community before enjoying a traditional lunch prepared by the ladies at Shewula. Shewula Mountain Camp is the first community eco-tourism project in Eswatini and one of the most successful in the whole of southern Africa. The camp is fully owned and run by the community, meaning that all profits are shared by the community to continually develop and improve this traditionally impoverished area.

The Shewula community is a friendly agricultural people, with traditional thatch and stone houses dotted neatly among fields of maize cotton, and vegetables. They encourage visitors to their area to enjoy the incredible view, gain an insight into traditional Emaswati lifestyles, and appreciate the natural splendor of the Lubombo Conservancy.

Have lunch on the escarpment looking over the Lubumbo Conservancy, the view here is incredible. This is a traditional lunch cooked by the ladies of the camp and you can taste delicious, genuine Emaswati food. Another safari to round off a brilliant day.

Journey time: 1hr 55mins (82 miles/131 km)

DAY 10 - 11: Johannesburg - Arrival to the UK airport

You will be taken to the airport in time for your return flight. 

Journey time: private road transfer to Jo’burg. Driving time 6hrs 30mins (234 miles/374 km)