We thoroughly enjoyed both places that we stayed at in Eswatini.  The copy of my permanent resident's permit was accepted at the border posts with nothing said about the Country of origin being incorrect - it states that I'm Irish rather than British.  The original copy was kept by the Visa Facilitation officer in Durban when I went to collect it and noticed the mistake. It now appears to have been lost so I've had to apply for Proof of Permanent Residence from Home Affairs which could take years so in 2023 I will probably have to get my temporary resident's visa renewed.

Mabuda Guest Farm

This farm is south of SIteki near the eastern border of Eswatini.  The farm produces a range of products including coffee, macadamia nuts and maize.  We did some of the walking trails around the farm and drove along a single track trail for several kilometres.

Some of the walking trails go around some of the dams on the farm. 

We'd been given a leaflet which showed the walking trails and also a track which could be driven along to a picnic site.  We decided to explore the track but never discovered the picnic site (probably due to the farm being closed during covid) and ended up on a narrow, overgrown track heading downhill and getting more and more overgrown.  We eventually found somewhere where we could turn around and returned to the campsite.  An interesting drive! 

Mlilwane Wildlife Sanctuary.

 This was originally a sucessful farm but in 1961 the owner, Ted Reilly – whose father had settled at the property in 1906 – first took action to save what remained of the kingdom’s wildlife, converting it into a sanctuary and rounding up animals from elsewhere around the country before they were hunted out.  It is now a popular place for locals to visit to see the wildlife, enjoy the walking trails, go horse riding or just use the braai and swimming pool facilities.  

A longer walk following one of the trails, which was well marked.  Lovely scenery and we saw quite a few animals and birds.

Last updated: December  2022