According to Acting Principal Secretary in the Swaziland Ministry of Home Affairs, Andrew Masilela, the border posts that will have their hours extended this Easter are: Ngwenya-Oshoek border, Mahamba border, Matsamo-Jeppes Reef border and the Mananga-Border Gate crossing.

Only Oshoek-Ngwenya will be open 24 hours and only for one night -  Thursday the 5th April, whilst the others have had extensions in their operating hours as follows.

Ngwenya-Oshoek border

• Thursday 5th – 24 hours
• Friday 6th – until midnight
• Saturday 7th, Sunday 8th, Monday 9th – 07h00 to 22h00 (normal hours)

Mahamba border

• Thursday 5th – 07h00 to midnight
• Friday 6th – 06h00 to 22h00
• Saturday 7th, Sunday 8th, Monday 9th – 06h00 to 22h00

Matsamo-Jeppes Reef Border

• Thursday 5th – 07h00 to 22h00
• Friday 6th – 07h00 to 22h00
• Saturday 7th, Sunday 8th, Monday 9th – 07h00 to 22h00

Mananga-Border Gate Border

• Thursday 5th – 07h00 to 20h00
• Friday 6th – 07h00 to 20h00
• Saturday 7th, Sunday 8th, Monday 9th – 07h00 to 20h00

All other border post hours will remain the same.

Note: the only permanently 24 hour border crossing to Swaziland is the Mhlumeni-Goba border between Swaziland and Mozambique.

From the Swazi Trails Team: “Please travel safety this Easter – take regular breaks, don’t speed… but rather get into the chilled holiday mood from the minute you get in the car – take it slow and enjoy the scenery!”

Swazi Trail Managing Director, Darron Raw, was very pleased with the development: ” Our initial involvement with this project was purely as consultants. As white-water rafting operators on the Great Usutu River for the past 20 years we have developed intimate knowledge of this river and were able to provide precise guidance on route choice and the avoidance of hazards. However, we are also now Swaziland’s leading supplier of online booking services, through our involvement with the global group whl.travel, so we made a pitch for the appointment as local booking agents for the project, which we were successful in securing.”

Raw was in fact the first person to do a Source-to-Sea descent of the Great Usutu River in 1997, when he and Johan Radcliffe paddled the river from its source near Ermelo in South Africa, right to Maputo in 11 days.

“And no – unfortunately this ferry won’t be able to reach Ermelo,” comments Raw, ” the ferry will dock at Sidvokodvo, just outside Manzini, as this is the last point that is accessible by a vessel of this nature. Further upstream the gradients become too steep.”

The good news is that the trip will be a lot faster than paddling downstream by kayak. The hovercraft will connect Manzini with Maputo in a little under 4 hours, travelling at an average speed of 80km/h. Passengers will be shuttled from the new Sidvokodvo dock to the international terminus in Manzini by local coach operators Intamakuphile Coach.

Wandile Dlamini, a director of Intamakuphile added his enthusiasm for the project. ” The recent trial trip, although very hush-hush, was an eye-opener. This hovercraft, which seats over 120 passengers just flies over water, sand and even rocks.  It can go upstream and downstream equally easily. As Swazis we are not much used to travelling by water, we I think it won’t be long before this is accepted… maybe even Bemanti will give it a try…” he mused.

Whilst the project has remained a guarded secret for commercial reasons it is clear that certain businessmen were privy to the opportunities that this new transport route presents.

The hovercraft at its depature terminal in Maputo Harbour

Tums du Pont, whose recently built Tum’s Waterworld overlooks the ferry docking site, and Nkonyeni Golf Estate, which already has 80 top quality hotel beds available, are two venues that are sure to cash in.

“We will be offering residents of Maputo special golfing packages,” confirmed Resort Manager Julius Steyn, ” and we predict that this will become a major attraction to Southern Africa. The whole journey is magnificent, passing through Bay of Maputo and up the Rio Maputo, across the flood plains near Salamanga and then between the sheer cliffs of the Usutu Gorge to Big Bend, Siphofaneni and beyond.”

Due to Customs and Immigration reasons the ferry will not stop anywhere en route, with officials being based at the existing Maputo harbour offices and a new facility at Sidvokodvo. This was not a popular decision however and it is believed that the matter will be raised shortly in Parliament.

Siphofaneni Member of Parliament, the Honourable Gundwane Gamedze was reported to be particularly upset. “Why Sidvokodvo and not Siphofaneni?” he complained. “We have magnificent natural hot springs here, that are just waiting to be developed, and Hilton Hotels have long been interested in developing this site,” he said, ” Siphofaneni is much more central as a transport hub and we are sick and tired of the Lubombo region always being bypassed by development, I am going to raise it in the House tomorrow – with no disrespect to the Mozambique developers of this project, but something smells very fishy about how this decision was made.”

For more information, visit: www.swazi.travel

Why? Because its something we believe in. This covers both our concern for the environment and our belief that people can make a positive impact. Earth Hour is a great opportunity to reflect on where we are and what we’re doing to make a difference.

As is our style here at Swazi Trails – ” fun with conscience” we’re organising a little get together… outdoors of course. For those that are keen to join us we’re meeting at Khazimula’s Pizza at Mantenga Craft & Lifestyle Centre.  We’ll kick off by fuelling ourselves  with a round of pizzas (they are undisputedly the best in Swaziland) by candle light.  Khazimula’s are joining the spirit by putting vegetarian pizzas on special for the evening.  A vegetarian diet carries a lower environmental impact, so we’ll place a positive tick next to that.

Then we’re going to grab some bicycles from our fleet of rental bikes and head off through the Ezulwini Valley to the Cuddle Puddle. It goes without saying that riding a bicycle is a whole lot better for the environment than driving a car, but we’ll take another environmental “tick” for that too. We’ll be using rechargeable batteries for our lamps to light the way. Whilst rechargeable batteries do require power to charge them, they’re a damn sight better than tossing away batteries into a toxic waste dump. The best would be if we had a solar panel to charge them…. mmm something to put on the Wish List.

Our evening will reach a highlight at the Cuddle Puddle – a thermal hot spring that is kept at a constant 42degreesC by Mother Earth herself. Plenty fun – we can’t wait!

We hope you’re inspired to do something different tonight too! Enjoy!

“Power is in the hands of those who hold hands!”

Darron Raw – Swazi Trails, Swaziland
31st March 2012

Real smiles... go for miles!

We recently got to bring some pleasure to a remote community in rural Swaziland. The occasion was the distribution of donated school bags and equipment to pupils of Mphaphati Primary School. Whilst we at Swazi Trails can’t claim to have been responsible for anything other than helping to distribute this thoughtful donation, we certainly got to witness the hundred’s of smiles that the day generated.  It was a great day, and we’re somewhat glad to be able to share the story.

Mphaphati is an area within the Shiselweni region of Swaziland. Its one of hundreds of small rural communities dotted across the landscape, identifiable only by its school – the only real public infrastructure to speak of. Like many rural areas it is scenic and peaceful, but plagued by the economics of modern development which sees jobs, money and opportunities clustered around the cities or large agricultural estates. Those who live here live a subsistence lifestyle that is hard at best and desperate more often that not – especially in those years when too little or too much rain destroys household crops. There is a constant “brain-drain” to the cities where opportunities for employment hold more promise. Homes in the rural areas are mostly left to the elderly, the uneducated and in many cases the despondent. Its in this environment that hundred’s of kids start out their lives. Success in achieving a better quality of life is closely tied to education, but despondency can often set in here too, as rural schools struggle to attract quality teachers, equipment and teaching aids. Families also fail often to finance even the most basic of necessities – pens and pencils. Forget iPads and Smartboards… the reality here is much less glossy.

A well-stocked school bag

So against this background our short story starts: ” We’ve had a relationship with this particular community for more than 20 years,” explains Swazi Trails Managing Director Darron Raw,” as they are our host community on the Great Usutu River and the people amongst whom we’ve run our white-water rafting business for the past two decades”.

“We been able to make a number of contributions to community development at different points in time, but in this instance it was just a case of spotting an opportunity… and helping to join the dots.”

Swazi Trails, through its Managing Director, is involved with Swaziland’s annual Bushfire Festival where a chance discussion with Toby Allison, another committee member, led to the start of this exchange.

“Toby is a local legend,” says Darron, ” he’s a super-busy guy – I mean you’ve really got to visit him at his massive workshop at Steel & Wire International to appreciate this – but he’s always got a hand in one charitable activity or another.”

On this particular day Toby was looking to identify suitable recipients for a large consignment of donated school bags which had not yet been fully distributed. They originated from the global do-gooders Piers Simon Appeal (PSA) a charity borne from the tragic loss of Piers aged 33 who died in the Indian Ocean Tsunami on the island of Koh Phi Phi in Thailand on December 26th 2004. The charity is run by his brother Luke and their parents in the UK.  It has to say something about the tenacity of the human spirit that something so good can evolve out of an experience so dire.  One of the PSA initiatives is the School in a Bag  project – which held hands with another UK-based charity Shelterbox, to provide a response to Swaziland’s HIV-Aids epidemic and its impact on vulnerable sectors of society, especially children.

“These bags need to go to kids who really need them,” said Toby, to which Darron raised his hand and offered to help.

It was like Christmas...

Two weeks later rafting guides Marius Gerryts and Bongani Dlamini together with Swazi Trails senior tour guide Sandile Mashaba, unloaded over 260 bags in the dusty yard of Mphaphati Primary School. Teachers maintained disciplined lines of pupils and the process went really smoothly. The only thing that couldn’t be controlled were the smiles, they were infectious.

When I was at school...

Joked Bongani, “This was my primary school, I grew up here… maybe if I’d been lucky enough to get such nice things when I was studying I’d be the boss of the company today and not just a worker!”

Postscript: The Head Teacher at Mphaphati Primary, Mrs Lukhele, specifically tasked us with  conveying their thanks to the people “whoever they are”, and “wherever they are”, who were responsible for the donation.  When Swazi Trails refused to take any real credit for it she was worried about who to thank, “because for something as great as this we really have to say a big THANK YOU”.

So “thanks”, if you’ve made a contribution to the Piers Simon Appeal, School in a Bag or  Shelterbox at some point in time, give yourself a pat on the back – you’ve made some kids at the end of a long line of dots very happy.

Post-postscript: … and in fact with all those pens and pencils thate line of dots isn’t going to end any time soon. No doubt more lines will be drawn, more dots circled… and these kids themselves will grow up to be a vital linkage to this Swaziland community and its ongoing quest for development.

See our post on Easter 2012 border hours extension

The Oshoek-Ngwenya Border Post into Swaziland will be extending its operating hours from the 1^st April.  The  border will now be closing at 24h00 on a daily basis. This is an extension for the original 22h00 closing time and is believed to be the last step before the border finally switches to a 24-hour format.

The extra two hours were increased due to the volume of traffic through the Oshoek-Ngwenya border. This time extension will give travellers and transporters the chance to hopefully cross the border with less stress particularly during busy periods.

The Ngwenya Border is the main border post between South Africa and Swaziland in terms of traffic flow. This is largely due to the fact that it sits on the shortest route between Johannesburg or Mbombela (Nelspruit) and the Swazui capital of Mbabane.

Although it is the quickest route to Swaziland from Johannesburg it remains infamous for its winding route and the fact that often in the evenings a thick mist settles on the section of road from Carolina to the border. This reduces traffic speed to 40-60km/h at times and causes much stress for those travellers who had not left much time to spare in reaching Swaziland. The extra two hours will no doubt go a long way to increasing road safety on this stretch of road.

The new operating hours at Ngwenya border post (as of 1^st April 2012) will be:   Mon- Sun    07h00- 24h00

Some other useful information to take into consideration before visiting Swaziland is Swaziland visa requirements and General info on Swaziland.

Have a safe journey!

Curious? Like to know more? Fortunately two travellers, Chris and Courtney kindly provided us with a a great blow-by-blow or should we say splash-by-splash account of what it is to rent and sleep on a houseboat in Swaziland. Read on…

“Hi – this experience combines luxury accommodation with the adventure of having (and driving!) your own boat. Chris and I like to stay at unique places full of character, and thought the Maguga Dam Houseboat would fit the bill. The houseboat certainly did not disappoint; in fact, it went above and beyond our expectations.

We booked and paid for our stay online via Swazi Trail’s site www.swazi.travel.  This was ideal as we could then simply arrive straight at the dam without worrying to visit the boats owners who are based 40min away at Hawane.   Upon arrival, we were first directed down to the waters edge by a security guard at the Maguga Dam public parking. After unloading our groceries, we then drove our vehicle back up to the secure parking. The boat itself was introduced to us by a very helpful young man named ‘Kingdom’. He showed us how the boat is operated, what all the features are and of course, where to moor our boat for the night. A note for those eager to venture off by themselves straight away: expect Kingdom to stick around for about 45 minutes to an hour. He makes sure that everything on the boat is good to go and that guests fully understand how to operate it. This way guests are ensured they can enjoy their houseboat experience to the fullest. Once Kingdom’s certain of this, he will depart from the houseboat on the dingy that he tied onto it.

We asked Kingdom lots of questions like how the fish finder worked, what to do about extra fuel, and if we could use a fishing pole. He was patient, polite, and full of information. By the time he waved us good-bye, we felt very comfortable and excited to get our adventure fully under way! We found the ‘Fish Eagle’ houseboat easy to operate, and really enjoyed cruising around the dam. It comes equipped with two full petrol tanks. One is included in the rental price, while the other is for optional use. If you drive the boat at its top speed you will use more fuel than at an easy-going speed. We found that the latter option is more desirable, even more so since we could enjoy the quiet environment nature of the dam with a less noisy engine.

Maguga Dam is a massive lake created by a hydrodam. At some places it’s over a 100 meters deep, but notably towards the shore it can get quite shallow. One of our favorite features of the houseboat was a sonar device called a ‘Fishfinder’. This handy gadget gives you a depth reading every few seconds, so we always knew where it was deep enough to cruise. Unsurprisingly, it is also capable of finding fish which is helpful for those who want to reel something in for on the braai! While we really enjoyed watching fish appear on the screen, and then looking for them below, our fishing skills were clearly not up to standard in terms of hooking and landing them.

But the boat comes  equipped with other features as well, of course. We especially enjoyed the boat’s sundeck, which is accessible by a short ladder. From this elevated position you have an even better view of Maguga’s majesty especially once the sun is setting. First we enjoyed a chilled bottle of champagne, and later brought some wine, olives and cheese up there to enjoy the dam from a fantastic sundowner spot. The boat came with both wine and champagne glasses, which made the experience feel even more authentic. That sundowner was definitely one of our highlights!

Kingdom told us that before darkness sets in, it’s a good idea to find out where the nearest mooring spots are. Since there are only a few designated places on the dam where you can tie up your boat for the night, it’s best to do this with some daylight. Mooring spots are indicated on the dam’s map which is right next to the Fishfinder. We found a nice secluded spot (which wasn’t hard, as we were the only boat on the entire dam!) and with the boat secure for the night we ducked down into the galley. Here we discovered the near-endless possibilities of the kitchen. It comes with a fridge, an oven, a gas stove (2 burners) and all the crockery and cutlery you will ever need. We decided to make Indian Curry for our dinner. This always involves a lot of cutting and chopping, so we were quite pleased to find sharp knives and a cutting board as well. We were also surprised to see that the boat even came with an oven, and considered all the dishes we could make next time such as chicken lasagne or fresh warm brownies for dessert. On top of the features inside the kitchen, there’s also a braai for those who were lucky enough with angling (sadly, not us). The only thing we found that the kitchen does lack is a power point. In fact, the boat doesn’t have any at all so make sure you bring your electronic devices fully charged.  For for emergency matters, the boat does come with its own mobile phone and local SIM card!

After you’ve prepared your gourmet meal, you can enjoy your dinner on the sundeck if the weather allows it (it can be a bit tricky though, getting everything up that small ladder!). We decided to seat ourselves at the cosy kitchen table, since the cushions were quite comfortable to sit on. Which is good since, with this table folded away, they create the mattress of the second double bed (the main bed being at the front of the boat). Since there were only 2 of us, we kept the kitchen table up and found it was well-suited for playing card or boardgames into the small hours of the night. We had some great laughs while challenging each other in Trivial Pursuit, which was one of the board games included with the boat. We also played some cards, but for this we had to use our own set. We didn’t feel like watching a movie, but if the weather turns on you or if you want another way to relax in the evening, using the boat’s tv/dvd set can cater for that as well. Before we finally turned in for the night, we took a peek outside and we were amazed at how many stars we could see. Though it was a bit chilly, we grabbed one of the extra blankets and laid on the top sundeck to check out the skies. It was well worth another gaze!

Waking up on a boat is quite a pleasant surprise for those who haven’t experienced it before. The crisp morning air at Maguga Dam soon woke us up from a very peaceful sleep. At first we didn’t even realize where we were, but a quick glance out the 360 degree view windows gave us a beautiful reminder. For those who wish to wake up a little bit more, you can enjoy a hot-water shower in the combined toilet-shower cabin: it’s a bit confined, but it works. As we meandered outside on the deck, we found ourselves instantly rewarded with lovely views while being surrounded by the lush hills of neighbouring Malolotja Nature Reserve. Morning birds swarmed over the dam, and the only disturbance in the pristine waters was from the gentle rocking of our own boat. The rest of our day was filled with lazing around on the deck, reading our books, attempting to fish and splashing around in the chilly but refreshing water. Sadly since we only booked for one night, this was time to lift the anchor and head back. However, we can confidently look back on our Maguga Dam Houseboat experience as a very special kind of luxury stay indeed. Next time, we’ll stay even longer!”

To book a stay on the Fish Eagle House Boat on Maguga Dam visit: Maguga Houseboat online bookings

However, with as much pomp and ceremony as could be mustered on this auspicious occasion, we opened a brand new chapter in the Kingdom’s water-based travel history when the bottle swung against the bow and the first of our new 8-man rafts slide down the launch ramp and parted the river waters.

OK – admittedly the launch ramp was only a muddy river bank and the traditional champagne bottle was substituted by a bottle of of still water, but we have to work with what we’ve got, you know! Certainly breaking a glass bottle in the very water that we step into every day with our bare toes wouldn’t have been smart. And given the superstitions that that gave rise to this ancient custom, the fact that our still water wasn’t just any old still water, but a bottle of the finest Bulembu Water must have carried some weight. Bottled by Bulembu Ministries as an income-generating project to support their mission to provide orphans with a better start to life, Bulembu Water is our regular brand of choice for all the right feel-good reasons. It was even suggested by one of the witnesses to this ceremony, that their water could be considered somewhat “holy”, given its impeccable credentials and source. But raft guides have their own superstitions and the word “holy” (no matter how you spell it) should never be used in the same context as an inflatable raft, so that suggestion was cautiously rejected.

So… splash – the rafts hit the water amidst as much solemnity as can be mustered from a group of people pysch’ed to the eyeballs with the prospect of white-water action and off we went.

It was only a few minutes later that we realised that we hadn’t named the blessed boats – HMS What and what… were they going to be? Fortunately a bit of Swazi tradition and culture came to our rescue.

“Places or people are not named straight-away in Swaziland,” pointed out raft guide Bongani Dlamini,” we need to observe their characteristics and personality first. We need a defining event to guide us in the naming.” So with reverence to our local tradition of never rushing anything in Swaziland… we proceeded downstream.

Maybe you the reader will be on a rafting trip in the not-to-distant future that gives rise to a naming event… an adventure awaits! Join us!

For some more background to the rationale of why we’ve added these bigger rafts to our existing fleet of 2-man rafts – see our earlier news posting – new rafts.

The three border posts that will have their hours extended during the festive season are the Ngwenya-Oshoek, Mahamba and Mananga-Border Gate borders.

The scheduled extension hours are:

• From the 12^th to the 19^th December 2011:  Ngwenya/Oshoek will run from 0700hrs to 1200hrs midnight.

• From the 20^th to the 24^th December 2011:  Ngwenya/Oshoek will run for 24 hours.

• From the 22^nd to the 24^th December 2011: Mahamba border post will run from 0600hrs to 1200hrs midnight.

• From the 20^th December 2011 to the 2^nd of January 2012: Mananga border will run from 0700hrs to 2000hrs.

All other border posts leading into Swaziland will not be affected by the extension and will operate as usual.

The Swazi Trails team wishes a safe journey.

In some ways this is a returning to our roots, as when we opened white-water rafting here in Swaziland in 1991, we only used these larger rafts. Back in those early days we had a good reason for it too, because during our initial trial trips we came to appreciate that the Great Usutu was packed full of crocodiles – BIG crocodiles.

On average we’d see three large crocodiles on every trip and on one day when we had someone on board who had really sharp eyesight (Mickey “Jubela” Reilly – if I recall right) we saw a record of eleven monsters. In fact, anything under 3 metres in length wasn’t even counted as a crocodile, and was dismissed merely as a “lizard”.

So the moral of the story was that we didn’t want to fall out the rafts too often and when we did capsize on occasion, it was an adrenaline-fuelled rush to climb back on board. The problem was however, that these big rafts were only suitable for high-water season, and weren’t much fun in lower water conditions.

Then in 1992 and 1993, a combination of drought and some heavy poaching by an unidentified individual from Manzini resulted in most of the big crocodiles either moving downstream or being shot out.  Sad though this was environmentally, it did make rafting that much safer.

So we invested in a few 2-man rafts – popularly known as “croc rafts” in Southern Africa (for entirely unrelated reasons!)  These rafts are paddled like canoes with two-bladed paddles, rather than with single-bladed paddles used on bigger rafts.  The smaller rafts are much more responsive and a lot of fun for participants. For a while we ran them side-by-side and on many occasions the large rafts were left unused whilst the 2-man crocs were raved about. In the end when the big rafts got to the end of their lifespan and perished, we decided not to replace them.

So from about 1994 to date we have only offered the 2-man rafts. What this did allow was a longer season and in fact for most years we have been able to raft throughout the year, and we remain one of the few rivers in Southern Africa where this is possible.

However, some market research has indicated that not everyone is confident enough to want to raft on the smaller rafts, where you are largely on your own and responsible for your own action or lack of action, as the case may be. Under this format, river guides lead the trips in their own kayaks and tend to act as “shepherds” gently coaxing their “flock” or should we say “flotilla” downstream.  The larger rafts however, provide an additional measure of safety or peace of mind, in that each raft is manned by a river guide, who issues instructions and who is close at hand to take charge of any situations that may arise. To many persons this added comfort is the difference between participating or not participating – especially during high-water months.

Our aim at Swazi Trails has always been to offer adventures that are far from “soft”, but that are still accessible to any Tom, Dick or Sipho, who has the spirit of adventure, if not the experience or skills to match it . This is particularly relevant with the corporate team-building groups that we regularly have on-river. So we’ve decided to go back to our original plan of offering a choice. Rafters on the Great Usutu River will now be able to choose paddling on a two-man croc raft or a 9-man large raft.  It is however likely that the larger rafts will be tucked away during the low-water winter months and conversely that during “stonking” high-water that we will restrict participation to just the big boats for control purposes.

If you’re curious – all our rafts are manufactured in Cape Town by African River Kraft or ARK Inflatables as they are now better known. Our new rafts are part of their NILE KN series and we opted for the larger KN430 model. These rafts are famous for having been the boat of choice for the Camel White-Water Rafting World Champs, during the hey-day of this event.

ARK claim that they make “unsinkable inflatables”. If that appeals to you, please join us on the Great Usutu River. Our new larger rafts are ideal for family rafting, corporate group rafting, and those for whom paddling a boat all on your own for the first time may be a bit daunting. Come join the adventure!

*and to answer the inevitable question about crocodiles in today’s times: well, what can we say? They are still there, but they’re only lizards!

Being in business now for over 24 years now, we’ve  learnt that disciplined and strict controls are essential to maintain high standards of operation.  But on the other hand, passion and genuine enthusiasm are the key ingredients for  delivering a memorable service. Sometimes it is difficult to combine both personality traits in one person.

We’ve seen many faces come and go… and just a few stay and grow.   Being a successful tour guide takes a lot of energy and understanding.  It is easy to slip into a mechanical process of  pick-up, drop-off, say this, say that without any connection being formed with those you are guiding.  One person who has consistently managed the balance of being disciplined, yet enthusiastic is Sandile Mashaba.

Sandile is enjoying his second stint with Swazi Trails now and has been with us for a collective period of 8 years.   He is a particularly valuable member of our team.   Whilst he is not what we’d call a chatterbox and one who has the “gift of the gab”, Sandile delivers local information and assistance in measured and well-thought out English.  He is also able to draw a lot from his many years as a game ranger and his rural upbringing. He is also a problem-solver par excellence. It is extremely rare that his supply of services is not followed by a letter of appreciation, just like below.

7th November 2011

Dear Swazi Trails,

Our journey through the High, the Middle and the Low Veld is over now and after our one week trip with Sandile we would like to share our feedback with you.

Maren and I and the whole travel group have been absolutely happy and satisfied with Sandile as our driver and guide. He has been friendly, open, reliable and always in time – and we know that especially the last feature is not common in Swaziland. And, last but not least, he is a hard working and absolutely skilled driver.

As our trip wasn’t a normal tourist event it has been of great importance that we had such a good and caring partner. It was a pleasure to spend all that time with him. Please tell him that we all have had a good and happy time with him!!!

All the best

Lutz Sonius

Ökumenische Diakonie

Referent Stiftung “Brot für die Welt”

Öffentlichkeitsarbeit und Werbung

Stuttgart

So we’d like to take our hat off to Sandile for “guiding the extra mile” and consistently making Swazi Trails proud.