"Swaziland Regions | North West Swaziland"
The visitor to
Swaziland entering through the Jeppes Reef/Matsamo or the Bulembu/Josefsdal
border posts will have chosen the most spectacular scenic routes in the Kingdom
of Swaziland. The routes travel through the highveld of the Kingdom of Swaziland
with its undulating mountains covered in indigenous growth and timber forests
with breath taking views. The three highest peaks in the Kingdom of Swaziland,
the oldest Iron Ore Mine in the world, spectacular waterfalls and Bushman
Paintings are all located in this area.
The Protea Piggs Peak Hotel, with luxury rooms, is located high above the
valleys beneath the Makonjwa Mountains, with spectacular views from every
balcony. The sporting enthusiast, nature lover, gambling expert or night owl
visitor to Swaziland will find that the Protea Piggs Peak Hotel meets their
needs. The Protea Piggs Peak Hotel has a swimming pool, gymnasium, stables,
putt-putt golf, bowling green, tennis courts, squash courts, regular live
entertainment and the Casino.
Three kilometres from the Protea Piggs Peak Hotel is the turn off to Phophonyane
Lodge and Nature Reserve. Deep within the natural beauty of cascading water,
soaring mountains and forests lays the Phophonyane Lodge and Nature Reserve with
3 separate camps offering double storied thatch chalets. All units are self
catering but for those visitors to Swaziland who don’t wish to cook for
themselves, there is an a la carte, licensed restaurant. Within a relatively
small area, the visitor to Swaziland will find a variety of habitats containing
an exciting number of bird species, flora and small game. A number of trails
meander through the reserve to viewing points above and below the Phophonyane
Falls and to natural pools within the forest.
The town of Piggs Peak was named after William Pigg who was an early prospector
who found the gold reef here. Believe it or not but his son married a girl with
the surname Hogg. Gold was mined here from 1889 until 1954 but was never
considered a spectacular find. Piggs Peak is now reliant on timber from the
surrounding forests and their by-products.
Havelock is only 1km from the Bulembu/Josefsdal border and is an asbestos mining
area. This mining town has an excellent Sports Club with golf, squash, tennis
and bowls facilities. The aerial cableway linking the Havelock Asbestos Mine
(now called Bulembu Mine) with Barberton, in Mpumalanga, dominates the slopes of
Makhonjwa Mountain. The 20 kilometre long cableway is supported by 52 pylons,
with the longest span being some 1200 metres and the highest point 190 metres
above ground. The cableway was built in 1938 to carry asbestos to the railway
station in Barberton and coal back for the Bulembu power station.
There are many scenic drives in the area. One can imagine the spectacular views
that can be seen on these scenic drives as they wend their way up and down the
mountain slopes. Some of the scenic drives require a rugged 4x4 vehicle and are
impassable during the wet weather. The visitor to the Kingdom of Swaziland who
enjoys hiking will find many hiking trails on offer from the various hotels and
lodges as well as in the Game Parks/Reserves.
The Malolotja Nature Reserve, with the two highest mountains in the Kingdom of
Swaziland, is an ideal getaway for the visitor to Swaziland, with its broken
mountain peaks, lush valleys, plains and deep river gorges with their cascading
waterfalls. The Malolotja river begins in the east of the reserve at 1500 metres
and tumbles over numerous waterfalls, including the highest in the Kingdom of
Swaziland, the 100 metre high Malolotja Falls, to the Komati River some 900
metres below. The Malolotja Nature Reserve has fully equipped log cabins that
sleep six as well as camping facilities. There are scenic drives around the
reserve with picnic and braai areas at the numerous lookout points. This is a
bird watchers paradise and is the home of the rare Gurney’s sugar bird. The
visitor who is a hiking fanatic will find the Malolotja Nature Reserve exactly
suited to his needs. There are 200 kilometres of hiking trails ranging from one
to seven days duration. The Reserve also caters for the Fly-fisherman with its
many dams and streams.
In the South Western area of the Reserve is the Ngwenya Mountain, beneath which
is the oldest mine in the world, which dates back to 41 000 BC. Haematite and
Specularite were mined for ritual and cosmetic use. Haematite was also used by
the Bushman for their paint. A guide, requested from the Malolotja Nature
Reserve main office, will lead you to all the ancient workings, modern open cast
mine, Forbes Reef Gold Mine (both no longer in operation) and other areas of
interest at Ngwenya like the lion cave with its bushman paintings. Unfortunately
the “Ghost Town” at Forbes Reef has all but disappeared.
There are many other places in this region offering the visitor varied and
different activities.
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