Kruger National Park
South Africa
South Africa
Trip Report: Camping in Kruger (again)
+ a bit of Eswatini
2019
+ a bit of Eswatini
2019
We exited the airport sometime after 1pm on Monday April 8, with a gray Toyota Fortuner, the 2WD SUV cousin of the venerable HiLux. I was shocked that it wasn’t white like 98% of all Fortuners in SA and I told the attendant that I was disappointed. He laughed and shook his head at the crazy Canadian tourist.
It was warm. Finally. After enduring months of really sucky Canadian winter, we had warm weather, with temps climbing to 30C. The sky was broken with sun, cloud and some rains spits but I was ready for the easy two hour drive. That's the maximum drive time that I will entertain after a long flight. And I had calculated that 2 hours would get us into the mountains of Eswatini – formally known as Swaziland. Last year, the King had decreed that he was changing the country’s name to make the final break from Western colonization. While one could argue that the money required to make this monumental change in a small impoverished country could well have been spent elsewhere, it was a point of pride to many I am sure. And for the record, the ‘e’ is soft; eh-swatini not E-Swatini.
The swaying sugarcane farms and banana plantations hinted at our exotic locale but it was the cattle wandering on the side of the road after we turned south towards the border that told us we were really back in Africa. The Jeppes Reef boarder crossing was a humble affair - certainly not one of those slick official make-work government projects. You do the SA exit process with their bored clerks. Drive through a hand lifted barrier. Park again and get your brand new Eswatini entrance stamp from their bored clerks after paying a pittance of a vehicle road tax. Then it is down the road and into a new country.
You share the road with cows, and goats, and potholes and people walking, always people walking and waiting. Farms and clusters of shacks in various states of disrepair whirred by as we twisted and climbed into this green landscape stained with red-brown dirt. The farms gave way to forest on both sides of the road as we neared our cut-off: a dirt track just past the Piggs Peak Casino which was just past the craft center . . . and yes, it was a dirt track.
It was warm. Finally. After enduring months of really sucky Canadian winter, we had warm weather, with temps climbing to 30C. The sky was broken with sun, cloud and some rains spits but I was ready for the easy two hour drive. That's the maximum drive time that I will entertain after a long flight. And I had calculated that 2 hours would get us into the mountains of Eswatini – formally known as Swaziland. Last year, the King had decreed that he was changing the country’s name to make the final break from Western colonization. While one could argue that the money required to make this monumental change in a small impoverished country could well have been spent elsewhere, it was a point of pride to many I am sure. And for the record, the ‘e’ is soft; eh-swatini not E-Swatini.
The swaying sugarcane farms and banana plantations hinted at our exotic locale but it was the cattle wandering on the side of the road after we turned south towards the border that told us we were really back in Africa. The Jeppes Reef boarder crossing was a humble affair - certainly not one of those slick official make-work government projects. You do the SA exit process with their bored clerks. Drive through a hand lifted barrier. Park again and get your brand new Eswatini entrance stamp from their bored clerks after paying a pittance of a vehicle road tax. Then it is down the road and into a new country.
You share the road with cows, and goats, and potholes and people walking, always people walking and waiting. Farms and clusters of shacks in various states of disrepair whirred by as we twisted and climbed into this green landscape stained with red-brown dirt. The farms gave way to forest on both sides of the road as we neared our cut-off: a dirt track just past the Piggs Peak Casino which was just past the craft center . . . and yes, it was a dirt track.
The road was mildly challenged with craters and ruts and steep hills and vales - not too steep for a car - just - but I was still happy to have the big SUV. After just over 2 hours of driving we pulled into the small parking area at Phophoyane and gladly shut off the engine. We had arrived after over 36 hours of travel.
Phophonyane Lodge - Piggs Peak, Esawtini
We had a pleasant surprise at check-in when they upgraded us to a full cabin - the best in the house! It was very nice, nestled in amongst the heavily treed manicured grounds with stone pathways to guide you around. A quick tour followed and we saw the main building - lounge and eating area. The house had a kitchen but we had decided to skip grocery shopping until we were entering the park in three days. The open lawn in front of the main patio was bordered with a wide variety of plantings, with a swimming pool down the hill. And not to forget the wonderful views of the mountains to the north.
This was all a whole lot better than expected I might add . . .
Phophonyane Lodge - Piggs Peak, Esawtini
We had a pleasant surprise at check-in when they upgraded us to a full cabin - the best in the house! It was very nice, nestled in amongst the heavily treed manicured grounds with stone pathways to guide you around. A quick tour followed and we saw the main building - lounge and eating area. The house had a kitchen but we had decided to skip grocery shopping until we were entering the park in three days. The open lawn in front of the main patio was bordered with a wide variety of plantings, with a swimming pool down the hill. And not to forget the wonderful views of the mountains to the north.
This was all a whole lot better than expected I might add . . .
Drink, dinner, wine, collapse. And it was a pretty decent dinner too. The owner came by and told us that he bought the place as a derelict coffee plantation in 1987 and he and his wife have been slowly building and planting and making this very special place. We were sorry that we didn't stay for another day just to relax. The falls is right beside the property but my wife's hobbling prevented her from going down to look. There are walking trails etc for the adventurous.
The next morning we had a mission. As much as we wanted to doddle, we had to hit the road for the drive to Swazi Candles. Yes, our destination was one of Swazi's Big Two tourist meccas. The other being the nearby Swazi Cultural Village which was 9kms away from the candle place.
No, I am not a changed man who now likes shopping for touristy crap. That is seriously far from the truth actually. As you may suspect, there is a story. You see, my wife bought two candles somewhere in SA on our last trip. They were octagons with animal caricatures and we suspected that they were from Swazi Candles. They were placed prominently in our master bath until a glass breakage incident and the subsequent cleanup. You might have noticed I am using the past tense. One was gone. As in disappeared. Vanished. And of course, I got the blame. I told her that we would make a special stop at Swazi Candles and we could time it so that all of the tour buses will be at the SCV for the 11;15 am dance performance. We could have lunch with no crowds and she could shop for replacement candles. It was a win-win. And thankfully, it wasn't that far off of our path to Mkhaya where we had a rigid 4 pm meeting time.
So we hit the road early. And a beautiful drive it was. Lush mountains with sweeping valleys, verdant fields, glistening lakes – this was one gorgeous country. Sustainable logging is a major industry here from the look of things. Enterprising people also set up roadside stalls selling tourist kick-knacks or fruits and vegetables or some steaming meat. Not to forget the multitude of car washes. They were everywhere –often two or three in a cluster. Obviously a society that values a clean car. The roads were good, twisting and winding their way up and down out of the mountains. Dodging potholes and cows and passing the odd truck inching up a hill. Fun driving. Well, I guess I was having too much fun because just a few kilometres after turning east on the two lane freeway, I was flagged down by a cop. Yes, I was speeding. 92 kmh in a 80 kmh zone. I was let go with an on-the-spot fine of 60 rand (about $6) and he waived the ticket because I was a tourist. Since this probably saved us hundreds in Avis processing fees, I was not upset. After that, I behaved myself a bit more.
The Swazi Candle store was a hit. Just a few small tourist groups in evidence and we easily refueled our bodies and shopped thoroughly as planned. Believe it or not, they had the same candle so we were able to replace the lost one. As well as buy numerous others . . . I picked up a bottle of craft rum a separate shop was selling and some Black Mamba hot sauce from the Black Mamba trailer. Unfortunately, the sauce disappeared at Heathrow security, due to a packing error. Oh well.
No, I am not a changed man who now likes shopping for touristy crap. That is seriously far from the truth actually. As you may suspect, there is a story. You see, my wife bought two candles somewhere in SA on our last trip. They were octagons with animal caricatures and we suspected that they were from Swazi Candles. They were placed prominently in our master bath until a glass breakage incident and the subsequent cleanup. You might have noticed I am using the past tense. One was gone. As in disappeared. Vanished. And of course, I got the blame. I told her that we would make a special stop at Swazi Candles and we could time it so that all of the tour buses will be at the SCV for the 11;15 am dance performance. We could have lunch with no crowds and she could shop for replacement candles. It was a win-win. And thankfully, it wasn't that far off of our path to Mkhaya where we had a rigid 4 pm meeting time.
So we hit the road early. And a beautiful drive it was. Lush mountains with sweeping valleys, verdant fields, glistening lakes – this was one gorgeous country. Sustainable logging is a major industry here from the look of things. Enterprising people also set up roadside stalls selling tourist kick-knacks or fruits and vegetables or some steaming meat. Not to forget the multitude of car washes. They were everywhere –often two or three in a cluster. Obviously a society that values a clean car. The roads were good, twisting and winding their way up and down out of the mountains. Dodging potholes and cows and passing the odd truck inching up a hill. Fun driving. Well, I guess I was having too much fun because just a few kilometres after turning east on the two lane freeway, I was flagged down by a cop. Yes, I was speeding. 92 kmh in a 80 kmh zone. I was let go with an on-the-spot fine of 60 rand (about $6) and he waived the ticket because I was a tourist. Since this probably saved us hundreds in Avis processing fees, I was not upset. After that, I behaved myself a bit more.
The Swazi Candle store was a hit. Just a few small tourist groups in evidence and we easily refueled our bodies and shopped thoroughly as planned. Believe it or not, they had the same candle so we were able to replace the lost one. As well as buy numerous others . . . I picked up a bottle of craft rum a separate shop was selling and some Black Mamba hot sauce from the Black Mamba trailer. Unfortunately, the sauce disappeared at Heathrow security, due to a packing error. Oh well.