Tiny Swaziland suffers from the shadow of it’s big-5 neighbour, South Africa but it’s long conservation heritage has left a legacy of impressive yet intimate game reserves.

Bumping along through the dense bush on dirt tracks, the open sided truck gives the feeling that the black rhino and her baby are almost in touching distance. Getting this close to a wild black rhino so quickly after entering the Mkaya Game Reserve was unexpected. Critically endangered, there are only just over 5000 of them left in the wild. Driving through Mkhaya’s densely populated bush provides somewhat intimate encounters with the most infamous of the African wildlife. Giraffes munch happily on leaves and Kudu’s bounce from tree to tree. In movie terms its Bambi meets Madagascar, but it hasn’t always been like this for Swaziland. Mkhaya Game Reserve, one of Swaziland’s 3 reserves, forms an important part of this tiny country’s rich conservation heritage.