There are some travel trips that you instantly know are going to stand out among the rest. Our trip to Swaziland with Bumhi Safaris was one of those experiences. Not only was it one of the most exciting animal experiences we’ve ever had, but we also got to meet some of the most incredible people who are making a real life impact.
The Kingdom of Eswatini, formerly called Swaziland, is a small yet beautiful country that shares the border with South Africa and Mozambique. (Although it is officially called Eswatini, it is best known and still often referred to as Swaziland. So for this blog I’ll stick to the name Swaziland.) Being the last remaining absolute monarchy in Africa has caused Swaziland to preserve and celebrate many of its native traditions. It is an incredible and unique cultural experience that is definitely worth visiting.Â
Swaziland is an easy trip from South Africa. At less than a five hour drive from Kruger National Park, it is even possible to visit Swaziland as a day trip. Not wanting to miss out on this incredible country, we booked ourselves a day trip. In order to maximize our time in Swaziland we booked our visit with Bumhi Safaris to see as much of the country as we could within one day. However after spending the day and meeting the owners Tende and Ivana, we highly recommend spending much more time in this incredible country.
There are countless things to experience in Swaziland, but the main reason we initially decided to visit was to experience a rhino walking safari. Swaziland has long practiced conservation and has worked to protect its rhino population against poachers. Because of these efforts, the country has also gained a reputation for offering some of the most incredible walking safari experiences in Africa!
Our day started with a two hour drive to the border. The people at the border patrol were extremely kind and welcoming and it was a great way to be introduced to the country. Once we were in Swaziland, we met up with Tende and Ivana for a day full of adventure and surprises!
Our first stop was to Mlawula Nature Reserve for a game drive. Tende is an expert wildlife guide. He was spotting and identifying birds and antelope that we couldn’t even spot after he tried pointing it out to us. The park was beautiful and Tende taught us a lot about the local plant life and wildlife during the drive. Little did we know that we were in for our first incredible surprise of the day. Tende drove up to the edge of the river where Ivana had set up an entire breakfast feast for us. The picnic setting and view looked like something out of a movie! They had everything from fresh fruit to homemade campfire muffins! We sat by the river and watched Egyptian geese and other wildlife float down the river as we ate this incredible feast.
The breakfast alone made our entire trip to Swaziland worth it! However our day was just getting started. Our next stop was to Hlane National Park to do our first ever walking safari. A walking safari is exactly like it sounds. Instead of going on a game drive, we headed into the national park on foot. We were walking in the same territory as impalas, warthogs, crocodiles, giraffes, elephants and other big game. But our main goal was to see rhinos. Swaziland is home to some of the best walking safaris where you can actually come face to face with wild rhinos.
Our local safari guide told us that like all wildlife, there is no guarantee that we would see any rhinos. But walking through the bush with all of the wild animals was an experience enough. Usually it is impossible to get so close on foot to such massive animals for safety reasons. But the rangers of this area have spent years getting to know the wildlifes habits and know when it is or isn’t safe to see rhinos. We saw plenty of rhino tracks and droppings during our trek, but no rhinos. Then, all of a sudden, our guide crouched down and motioned for us to do the same. It was then that we saw them. Two massive white rhinos peering in our direction from behind some trees. The next thing I knew the rhinos we’re trotting out of the trees in our direction. They were headed straight for us! Still crouching, our guide remained perfectly calm and didn’t move. About 20 feet away from the guide, both rhinos stopped. My heart was racing a million miles a minute. The whole time I felt perfectly safe. But at the same time I wasn’t exactly used to a 2.5 ton armour clad unicorn running at us! We sat and watched as the white rhinos, who are mostly blind, tried to figure out who we were and what we were doing. Eventually, they decided we weren’t of interest and continued on their way. We walked a safe distance behind them for a little while before exiting the national park. This was by far one of the most incredible wildlife experiences we’ve ever experienced. It is a must do for anyone visiting Swaziland.
As amazing as the day was, we still had a lot left to see! In addition to Bumhi Safaris, Ivana and Tende also own and operate a non-profit called Charuma Conservation Initiative. Charuma’s goal is to promote ecological restoration through conservation agriculture in a way that provides opportunities for the local communities to support themselves. So Tende and Ivana took us next to a locally owned and operated lodge called Shewula Mountain Camp, which is part of Charuma’s current projects. One of the reasons why Charuma partners with Shewula Mountain Camp is because its profits are shared with the local community. The lodge’s managers, chefs, and staff are people who live in the local village. This is the first community eco-tourism project in all of Swaziland! Charuma and Shewula Mountain Camp are also very committed to hiring and training locals in order to provide more job opportunities for the local community. So by staying at Shewula, you are helping support that local community. You will also have the most incredible view! From where we ate lunch, we could see for miles below.
Right when we arrived to Shewula Mountain Camp, some of the local kids performed a few traditional songs and dances for us. We felt so honored and amazed by their talent and dedication to their performance. After a few songs, the girls took Em by the hand and led her in the next dance. I had a lot of fun laughing as Em did her best to mimic their dancing on the spot. But before I knew it, the boys were asking me to join them in the next dance! To say I can’t dance would be an under exaggeration. Em filmed a cute video of some of the kids laughing at my inability to even get one of the dance moves right. 😃
After the dancing, (or lack thereof on my part, 😋) the Shewula Mountain Camp team prepared an incredible feast of traditional Swaziland dishes. Everything tasted incredible and was made by all local ingredients from the nearby farms. Tende and Ivana gifted us a few bottles of the local chili sauce, which is grown and made by the village farmers. It is amazing all of the ways that Charuma is helping to create new opportunities for the locals around. They are teaching the community conservation agriculture and had just planted a garden the day before we arrived!
As amazing as our rhino walking safari was, our favorite parts of the day were getting to meet part of the Shewula community and getting to spend the day being inspired by all that Tende and Ivana are doing to make a difference. Together they know about 15 different languages and have lived all over the world helping others before moving to Swaziland! And now, in addition to all they are doing at the Shewula Mountain Camp and community, Charuma Conservation Initiative has undertaken other projects as well. The best part is that a portion of the Bumhi Safaris proceeds are contributed to Charuma, which means when you book a safari with Bumhi Safaris, you are helping contribute to the local community. I would highly recommend checking out both the Buhmi Safaris and Charuma Conservation Initiative websites to learn more about Swaziland and the difference that Tende and Ivana are making there. They create custom safaris and Swaziland experiences so that you can do game drives as well as spend time interacting with and making a difference in the community. We hope we can visit again someday, spend more time in this beautiful country, and most of all spend more time with the amazing people there!
