Africa

Important Advice When Visiting the Kingdom of Swaziland

Swaziland is one of those countries that most people have never heard of. It sounds like “Switzerland”, and strangely enough, there are some similarities because both countries are full of rolling hills.

Why should you visit Swaziland? There are many reasons why you should definitely check out this country while doing a South African road trip.

First of all, Swaziland is very safe. Much safer than South Africa, making security the least of your concerns. The country is also full of amazing landscapes. Often times I find myself distracted from lay driving simply because I am staring at the mountains and hills in awe.

The country is also an English speaking country making it easy to communicate with the locals.

Before entering Swaziland, here are 5 tips that are guaranteed to make your trip smoother.

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A Visit to A Malawian Witch Doctor

Visiting a witch doctor was never on my list when I set off for Africa.

I am a highly skeptical person in general and distrustful of all religions, conventional or otherwise. Yet time and again I find myself giving into whimsy and trying my hand at tarot cards or fortune tellers.

So far, I've gotten the same future prediction for both: married with three kids, two boys and a girl. Not a bad outlook, if only a bit creepy it's been confirmed twice.

So when it was rainy and quiet one afternoon in Malawi and the local guide asked if I wanted to go see the witch doctor in town and have my future told, I admit I was a bit curious to see what he could tell me. We set off in the rain through ankle-deep mud throughout the village in rural Malawi.

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5 Reasons to Take a Self-Driving Kruger National Park Safari

After completing my Middle Eastern segment, I was sick of being part of tours. Listening to a tour guide speak, taking a few pictures before heading to the next stop is not something I want to do again. I can’t stand it any longer!

That’s why when Karen and myself planned on going on a Kruger National Park safari, we knew we needed to take matters into our own hands and do a self-driven safari tour as oppose to having someone guide us.

This turned out to be one of the best decisions we have ever made, and has made my time in Kruger National Park my number one favourite during my entire time in South Africa.

Here are the reasons why doing your own self-driven safari in Kruger is the only way to go:

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Travel in Africa – My Great Southern Africa Itinerary

Since I was traveling to South Africa, I figured I might as well visit the neighbouring African countries to be efficient with my sight seeing, and to see more within a shorter period of time. I can honestly say, I don’t regret any of the travel destinations I have been to, and everything worked out in the end.

Before coming to South Africa, a friend of mine who has been to this country with his wife on their honeymoon, told me it is the single best country he has ever visited in his life. He raved about how safe it really is, and how the media blew the dangers out of proportion. He also told me the best way to get around, while being able to see the entire country is by doing a road trip.

With that information in mind, I planned meticulously how I was going to do a road trip in South Africa. Because we were only staying in the African continent for a month, I also wanted to visit countries such as Namibia, Zambia, Botswana, Lesotho and Swaziland. Is that possible? Can we do it?

After looking through my frequent flyer miles, and consulting with the hostel owner at Johannesburg’s Shoestring Backpacker, this is the itinerary I followed:

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