Tom's Top Travel Pix
Swaziland + Lesotho
Swaziland and Lesotho are two tiny countries that are embedded into South Africa. I only spent a couple of days in each one and since there weren't a large amount of photos the two countries are combined on this page.
Lobamba, Swaziland. A traditional dancer gears up for a performance at the Mantenga Cultural Village.
Lobamba, Swaziland. The view from the right boob of Sheba's Breast, a mountain with (surprise!) two peaks. It was probably named by the King, who currently has 15 wives and usually adds another one each year at the Festival of the Virgins. It's good to be the king! Swaziland is a tiny country and you can see a pretty large part of it from this peak.
Swaziland is mostly rural and there are a lot of great hikes here. Including this hike out to the Mantenga Waterfall, near Lobamba.
A traditional group song & dance, Swazi-style. The origin of the boy-band perhaps?
Scenes from around the Swazi Village.
Left : Traditional Swazi lodging.
Right : I think it's time to clean out the cow pen.
Swaziland
Lesotho
Here are some fun facts that may help you win a game of Trivial Pursuit (if anyone plays it anymore).
Lesotho :
Is a tiny kingdom embedded entirely within the country of South Africa, one of only 3 such "enclaved" countries in the world.
It is the largest of the 3 enclaved countries in the world.
It's very mountainous - and is the only country in the world that lies entirely above 1,000 meters.
That also makes it the country with the highest "low-point" in the world.
It's also the southernmost landlocked country in the world.
A lot of superlatives for a country no one has ever heard of, right?
Another superlative is how crappy the roads can be, especially after a little rain.
Top right : At least the locals have a sense of humor about it.
Bottom right : A "school bus" so packed that a half-dozen kids have to hang out the windows. In the cold rain. Think this would work in the US?
Tsehlanyane National Park, Lesotho. One of the nicer places I stayed during this 4-week trip was the Maliba Mountain Lodge, nestled way up in a high mountain valley in Lesotho. It features 5-star service, some awesome mod-African architecture, great hikes and great food. And some special visitors in your room! The top spider was a fist-sized hairy beast that looked like a tarantula, found lurking behind my curtains. Just as I was recovering from that discovery I found this smaller (which usually means more deadly) spider - under my pillow !!! (this is still a great place though...)
Morjica, Lesotho. On the other side of the country (only a 2-hour drive) is the town of Morjica. Here you'll find more mountains, nice lakes, and big dinosaur tracks. And some very hobbit-ish B&B lodging.
Swaziland & Lesotho are so embedded into South Africa that it's easy to forget that all 3 are separate, sovereign nations. Border crossings and the inevitable hassles of paperwork, security checks, (and of course fee$) are required.