Third Safari at the Mkhaya Game Reserve in Swaziland

This morning we woke up in our stone and thatched cottage at the Stone Camp, inside the Mkhaya Game Reserve in Swaziland; it was great to sleep here, the cottage is spectacular but its peculiarity is that it does not have walls!

Although during the night the temperature goes down and it's cold, we had a great time and we woke up regenerated and energetic; it was an experience that we will definitely repeat!

It is very early, the sun has not yet risen; they brought us a thermos with coffee and biscuits; we drink hot coffee, get ready, take the backpack and our cameras and go.

At 7:00am we are already on the safari car ready to leave, we wait for the other guests to arrive and then we go.

While the sun has risen and starts to heat up a little bit the air, fortunately here it is less cold than at the Kruger otherwise with the car completely open we would have suffered a bit of cold.

The forest of the Mkhaya Game Reserve, even if it makes the sightings more difficult, is very beautiful, especially in the early morning, when the humidity of the night creates a sort of scenic mist.

We begin our exploration by entering the bush and meet different nyalas, impalas, zebras, wildebeests and many giraffes; we find two other males of nyala that, like yesterday, are facing for domination over the females, they are just fascinating.

We continue our safari and arrive at the small lagoon, here we see the hippos, some are immersed in water, others are still on the banks and are browsing; on the opposite bank, compared to where we are, we also see some herons and other waterbirds.

Even today, Richard, our guide, is looking for white rhinos and in the end we find them hidden behind a bush, there are two but we do not understand if one of them is Mbali, his friend who we caressed during our yesterday safari; in fact he comes to meet us and approaches the car but Richard does not come down and does not caress it, perhaps because today there are other guests in the car besides us and it would be less manageable to get off the car, or simply it is just another rhino, we'll never know as our guide does not tell us.

We take some photos and then continue our safari, the Mkhaya Game Reserve also lends itself to birdwatching, we spotted several hornbills, the brown snake eagle, the roller and more, as for example, the crested guineafowls, that are not easy to photograph because they live in the forest, where the light on the ground is never the best, and also tend to run away as soon as they hear a noise.

We pass again from the waterhole where yesterday we saw the Nile crocodile and here it is lying on the rocks trying to warm up in the sun; even the terrapin shows off on a stone: they are very photogenic in this light.

But it is already time to return to the Stone Camp, here we expect a rich brunch, in fact the safari has turned us hungry!

Soon after we check out, take our bags, greet our safari fellows and leave; the Mkhaya Game Reserve with its animals and its stone cottages has fascinated us, we will definitely come back sooner or later!