Swadini – Magical, Mystical Place of the Swazi

16 – 19 OCTOBER 2020

Between our visits to Letaba Rest Camp and Satara Rest Camp in the Kruger National Park, we ventured west. We left the park through the Orpen Gate on the R531 to visit the area around the Blyde River Canyon. After much contemplation, we made a booking at Swadini, A Forever Resort, close to Klaserie. https://www.foreverswadini.co.za/

SO MUCH MORE THAN A CAMPSITE

To say that we were blown away by the setting of this resort, in a basin surrounded by mountains, is putting it lightly. The natural beauty of this campsite is unparalleled by anything that we have seen or experienced so far. We set up camp in a remote area of the campsite whilst the kudus were grazing around us.

The biggest bargain of these inland resorts is that nearly each one of them has a warm water swimming pool. Nothing beats relaxing in the soothing warm water after a long drive and setting up camp. It is also the ideal place to meet new friends and get all the local news and insights about the tourist attractions in the area.

Swadini offers so many activities and amenities to its guests – putt-putt, games rooms, a restaurant and pub, a small shop, walking trails of various lengths, as well as a cold swimming pool. The African-inspired ablution facilities are well-maintained and cleaned throughout the day. For a small fee, the ladies working there will even do your dishes and your laundry.

We returned to our camping spot all wrinkly after our marathon swim. What we saw, filled us with trepidation: Miss Daisy was surrounded by a sea of blue two-man tents and young people chatting, laughing, and having fun. We contemplated moving to another spot, but in the end, we really did not feel like setting up camp all over again. We are lazy campers and decided to rather give the youngsters the benefit of the doubt for one night. Whilst Andre made an awesome brinner (breakfast for dinner), we could see warthogs sniffing out food on the small slope just below the ablution facilities. Luckily, silence fell over the tented village around midnight. What a relief that we did not have to move our camp!

Our weekend was a sensory overload. This area has so much to offer the tourist.

SWADINI WATERFALL – TARZAN’S PLAYGROUND

Swadini is landlocked by the Blyde River Canyon Nature Reserve and entry to the reserve is free if you stay at Swadini. http://www.mpumalanga.com/our-provincial-parks/blyde-river-canyon-nature-reserve

A visit to the Swadini Waterfall inside the reserve is a must. We walked through indigenous forest that felt like Tarzan’s jungle, complete with “ropes” that you can imagine him swinging on from tree to tree. On our walk, we passed the remnants of the set of the Australian reality TV show I’m a Celebrity…Get Me Out of Here, which had been filmed here for a few years before Covid-19 struck. Maybe it would be a good idea to remove these dilapidated structures now.

It took us about fifteen minutes to reach the beautiful waterfall cascading down into a large pool. In the early morning, the water was still a bit too cold for a swim, but on a warm day, it would be lovely to cool down here. For the more adventurous and fitter hikers, the trail continues higher up to two more waterfalls, but we successfully resisted that temptation.

RELAXING AT BLYDERIVIERPOORT DAM

If you have a high-clearance vehicle (or fancy a steep walk up a very bad, pretending to be tarred, approach road) you will be rewarded with incredible views over the Blyderivierpoort Dam from the lookout deck around the visitor’s centre. We enjoyed our coffee and rusks there. The visitor’s centre has informative displays on the history of the gravity-arch dam wall and the geology of the canyon. You can also relax on the lawns at the picnic site next to the parking area.

The Blyde Canyon Adventure Centre has an office on the grounds of Swadini which offers various options for the adrenaline junkies. You can also make a booking online, but we purchased our tickets for a boat cruise on the Blyderievierpoort Dam from the helpful agent at the office. https://blydecanyon.co.za/ You cannot ask for a more relaxing way to spend an hour and a half than cruising around on this dam at the foot of the third largest canyon in the world.

From the boat, we had an excellent view of the dam wall. We cruised past Mariepskop (or Moholoholo – the great one), one of the highest mountain peaks in the northern Drakensberg. To my shame, I did not even realise that the Drakenberg stretches this far north. Mariepskop is named after the local Bapedi chief, Maripi Mashile, who won a famous victory against the Swazis.  Another interesting revelation was that fynbos grows on the top of Mariepskop. From the dam, we also had a unique view of the Three Rondawels. Erosion had formed these impressive quartzite and shale hills into the shape of three thatched huts. It is only fitting that they are named after the three wives of Chief Maripe: Magabolie, Magoladikwe and Maseroto.

This green canyon is home to an abundance of wildlife and different plant species. We did not see any hippos, but our excellent guide, Simeon, showed us the bay where the hippo cows give birth and isolate their young bull calves to protect them from aggressive older males. We did see a large crocodile that swam by quite close to the boat. A rare sight was spotting a fish eagle with two nearly mature babies –they seldom succeed in raising more than one fledging to maturity.

I was still searching for a leopard inside a big cave on the side of the mountain when we approached one of the major attractions of this boat cruise. You can see Kadishi, the second highest tufa waterfall in the world, from up close. As Simeon explained, a tufa waterfall is formed when water running over dolomite rock absorbs calcium, and deposits rock formations more rapidly than they erode the surrounding rock. The waterfall continues to flow behind these deposits. The Kadishi Tufa waterfall is hauntingly beautiful because it resembles a weeping human face.

Thank you, Simeon, for an unforgettable experience!

We enjoyed our boat cruise so much that we never ate our snacks that we packed. Andre found a secluded spot close to the bridge over the river where we could have an impromptu picnic.

BLYDE RIVER CANYON VIEWPOINTS

For an unforgettable scenic day trip, you can hit the R531 towards Hoedspruit, driving through prime agricultural land covered with mangoes, citrus, avocados, and various nuts. The R527 linked us onto the scenic R532 which forms part of the Mpumalanga Panorama Route. http://www.mpumalanga.com/routes/panorama-route-rt102618

The beautiful vistas from the Abel Erasmus Pass was just a precursor for the breath-taking views over the Blyde River Canyon from the look-out point in the Blyde Canyon, A Forever Resort. https://www.foreverblydecanyon.co.za/

With his fear of heights, Andre was a bit spooked by the overhanging rocks from which you can look out over the dam below. He does not like being “in the air”. We drove through the resort to compare it with Swadini. Although both resorts have more or less the same amenities, the Blyde Canyon resort did not have a warm water pool. We decided that we made the right choice to camp at Swadini. It would also have been so much further to drive to the Blyde Canyon Resort with Miss Daisy.

Our next stop was the look-out point at the Three Rondavels, which we could see from Blyde Canyon Resort. For the first time in our lives, we were judged to be pensioners! This was a bit of a blow to our egos, but at least we saved some money. It was quite busy there, but we had an incredible view over the aptly named three peaks, as well as the gorge and the dam below. No description could ever do justice to the incredible natural beauty of this area. I hope that our photos and video will give you a tiny glimpse of the sheer magic that we experienced here. This must surely be one of the most beautiful places in South Africa.

SPECTACULAR POTHOLES

After all the bad roads that we drove in the northern part of our country, I could not believe that potholes could actually be spectacular. And I don’t mean spectacularly bad! Burke’s Luck Potholes blew us away – the destructive power of water could also create art. With his fear of heights, Andre walked over the bridges and walkways as fast as he could and missed many of the most impressive sights. But I was in awe! And luckily, I took many photos for him to see. We were also impressed by the world-class amenities which makes this natural wonder accessible to tourists.

THE CHUBBY PIG

Our biggest surprise of the day was an off-beat little eatery just after we turned onto the R532 again from Burke’s Luck in the direction of Graskop. The Chubby Pig (with friendly owner Melody) specialises in anything pork-related – real honest pub food with a twist. We shared a superb vetkoek with pulled pork on it, washed down with a welcome beer after the heat of the day. Our background music was the laughter of the children swinging into the water. The Treur River Lodge also offers accommodation here on their farm on the banks of the Treur River. https://thechubbypigeaterygiftshopnursaryaccomodation.business.site/ or find them on Facebook.

WONDERFUL VIEWS

Proceeding on the R532 after our late lunch, we enjoyed incredible vistas against the setting sun over grazing fields, forestry plantations and mountain ranges in the distance. Our last stop was at the Wonder View viewpoint, at 1 730m this is the highest viewpoint in the area. It offers a panoramic view of the Lowveld. Unfortunately, the view was hazy on this particular afternoon. (I suppose that is why the small town in the distance is called Hazyview.) We did not stop at God’s Window or Pinnacle Rock because it was getting late and we preferred not to drive in the dark.

BUSHBUCKRIDGE – A NIGHTMARE IN SLOW MOTION

After a hair-raising drive down the pothole infested Kowyn’s Pass, it took us more than two hours to drive the 100 kilometres through the never-ending, sprawling township of Bushbuckridge flowing into Acornhoek. Huge palaces stood side by side with small zinc huts, all on big erven, all with outhouse ablution facilities. Once again cheated by the earlier sunset in the eastern part of the country, the last hour of our trip was a scary drive in the dark on strange, bad roads. We arrived at Swadini just after 7pm – so tired but filled with wonder at the beauty of our beloved country.

A SAD FAREWELL TO A LITTLE PIECE OF PARADISE

Our last night at Swadini was sweltering hot. We slept with the windows open – a rare occurrence otherwise the mozzies chow me for a midnight snack. Armed with Tabbard and Peaceful Sleep, it was almost supernatural to lie in bed watching the kudus graze silently around us.

Andre was up before sunrise and surprised me with a wonderful cup of coffee a short walk from the campsite next to the river. After we packed up, I had a quick last swim in the warm pool. It really was not easy to say goodbye to Swadini.

ANDRE’S ADDENDUM:

Being a town planner by trade, I suppose I look at a town from a different angle than most people. Having never even heard of a place called Bushbuckridge, I could not believe the way this town was allowed to develop. Sprawling low density development is the arch enemy of cost-efficient housing. After our drive though this town, I looked on Google Earth to confirm my suspicion – in area, Bushbuckridge was the same size as the Cape Metropolitan area (Helderberg excluded). Just consider this for a moment: the area to be serviced with water, sewerage, electricity, and roadways is the same to accommodate 100 000 people as it is for 3 000 000 people. That is why all these basic services cannot be provided in such settlements.  Having a beautiful country is of no worth if we cannot afford to provide these basic services to all our citizens. Doing so can only be achieved by using all the knowledge that already exists to its fullest. Education, education, education. If that is not the mantra, what else will be?