PHOTOGRAPHS: PETER GRUNERT, PHILIP LEE HARVEY, STEVE RYAN
Don’t be hard on yourself if you’ve never heard of eSwatini. This is the southern African nation that was, until quite recently, known as Swaziland. It’s a tiny kingdom of immense character, where a benchmark on a global scale is being set for conservation efforts. You’ll find eSwatini starring among the top countries in this year’s Best in Travel run-through (from p42), and featured in my write up of a recent trip there (p54). So many moments from my visit have whirled through my mind since: being allowed to creep close to white rhino that, due to decades of success here in the fight against poaching, have good reason to be less fearful of humans than their cousins elsewhere in Africa; riding out at dawn among wildebeest and zebra that calmly welcomed me, or at least my horse, into their herd; and wandering through a village community with Nomsa Mabila, who is taking a lead in spreading recognition to the likes of you and me of the remote place she grew up in. I’ll also tip my dusty safari hat in the direction of our feature’s photographer Philip Lee Harvey, who captured all of the atmosphere, charm and occasional drama of our memorable journey.
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