Malolotja Nature
Reserve
Malolotja
Reserve
is the last unspoilt mountain wilderness in the kingdom of Swaziland
and it ranks as one of the highest reserves in Southern Africa when
altitude is taken into consideration.
Ngwenya
Mountain at 1829m (6000ft) is the second highest
peak in the country and the
Nkomati River Valley, also found in the reserve, is 640m above sea
level so there is a large range in altitude. The reserve is situated in
the north-west of Swaziland and extends for over 1800 hectares.
Although this
reserve is a lot more suited to day walks and backpacking there is a
small network of roads of about 30km (18.6 miles) in
total that can be self driven but it will only take you approximately
two and a half hours to cover them all and that includes stopping time
for looking at the animals and the magnificent scenery at the lookout
points.
All the roads
are gravel, in good enough condition to be driven by a normal sedan
vehicle and occur mostly in the southern and eastern portion of the
park. If you want to explore other areas you can do so on foot.
You will find
detailed booking, rates, trail and general Swaziland information in the
248 page guide
your own safari ebook that I have written to help you plan a
self drive in Swaziland.
Malolotja
Nature Reserve Map
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Time
To Visit
Game viewing is good here all year round but
the climate is more comfortable at certain times than others. Due to
the high altitude of the reserve, winters can be downright chilly with
the average daily temperature hovering around 11°C (52°F)
and below
freezing at night. If you don’t like the cold, midwinter
might not be the best time to enjoy a visit here.
In summer the average temperature is
18°C (64°F), still not hot by
African standards but with a high relative
humidity of about 85%. Summer is also the time when most of the rains
fall averaging about 1150mm (45") per annum. So if
you visit in summer you
will have to contend with some rainfall which might put a bit of a
damper on your trip. The very best time to visit, in light of the
climate, is towards the end of winter from September to December.
Malolotja
History
The southern part of the reserve was the
location of massive iron-ore mining operations in the 1960s and this is
where the oldest known mine is also situated. At the "Lion Cavern" on
Ngwenya Mountain there is evidence that indigenous tribes were mining
haematite and specularite over 40 000 years ago.
The Swaziland National Trust was formed in
the 1970s with the task of identifying natural areas in Swaziland
worthy of protection and the Malolotja region gained precedence. The
area was being extensively used for sheep grazing and there were some
families in residence but they were resettled on good agricultural
adjacent land to make way for the proclamation of the reseve.
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