Walking with Nyalas

I woke up grumpy after a night in a traditional Swazi beehive hut – a small rattan dome with no windows and, as if to add deliberate insult to injury in the blistering Eswatini* heat, a corrugated iron roof over the bathroom.  The only possible source of fresh air except the front door that required you to stoop to exit or enter, was the bathroom window.  But like the front door, the window was firmly shut to prevent squadrons of mosquitos from streaming in.

The unauthentic addition of a ceiling fan was as effective as a sneeze in a sandstorm.  Actually, a lone chicken flapping its’ wings as it ran past me would have created more of a breeze.

In the heat and humidity of late December, it was the equivalent of spending the night in a pizza oven with the door bolted shut.  I was perspiring within 5 minutes of getting out of the shower, windswept and sunburned from Kruger game drives, starving from the night before (a long story where I had to settle for grated cheese and beetroot for supper after being on the road until way after sunset).  I was two cups of coffee away from being totally fractious, so I skipped the group hike and set off, on foot, on my own.

And as I’ve come to learn throughout my years as a visual storyteller, sometimes when you least expect it, life gives you a gift …..

I spotted the male Nyala immediately in the middle of a clearing. He was absolutely magnificent and although fully aware of my presence, allowed me to get fairly close to photograph him.

 

Every now and then he would fuss and nudge his harem of females away from me, but for the most part he ambled past maintaining eye contact, a vision of grace and beauty.

Further on, I came across a lone wildebeest who stared at me from several metres away.

When I tried to pass him, he snorted then grunted.  After the night I’d had, I decided not to chance my luck and risk needing emergency evacuation to a hospital in Eswatini, having pissed off one of the Ugly Five.

Mlilwane Wildlife Sanctuary is situated in the Ezulwini Valley in central Eswatini, south of the Capital, Mbabane.  Predator free, you can hike, horse ride or mountain bike over grassy plains among zebra and antelope.  Birdlife abounds.

Mlilwane is beautiful and tranquil and I would go back, but those beehive huts won’t see my ass ever again. Next time I’m going all out for the self catering chalets overlooking the valley, complete with aircon and windows. And a fridge.

•  The Kingdom of Eswatini, previously Swaziland, is a small, landlocked monarchy in southern Africa.