Africa

[Visited: July 2024]

After an early rise we are on our way back to Johannesburg. First, we head towards Mbabane, and instead of continuing on the highway to the border, we take a side road towards Sibebe rock. It is a Sunday morning, and even the main streets of Mbabane are very quiet. If we see someone on the streets, they seem to be on their way to church. Almost immediately after leaving the city, we are driving the Pine Valley road. Although we were looking forward to seeing the second largest monolith of the world, we had not expected this picturesque road that meanders through a pine forest at the foot of the massive mountain on our right. We see a bus which stands at the roadside, and passengers try to wave us down. But we really don't have time to take anyone: unfortunately, we are in a rush.
After a while, we take a right turn, and the road immediately goes up steeply. Soon enough, we climb out of the pine forest and the splendid views begin. We stop every few minutes, get out of the car and take more pictures. Above us, clouds sail through the sky, and they make sure the landscape looks different almost every second. The road is not too good, but in a way that is a good match with the landscape we are driving through. To our surprise, there is no other traffic here. We stop a little higher up, again, at a lone house next to a couple of impressive boulders. We walk a little bit higher, and get a sweeping view over the enormous rocky landscape on the other side of a shallow valley. We see rocky balls lying on top. We are getting closer to the top, walk back to our car and continue driving up the narrow road.
We pass the resort and drive until the asphalt ends. Oh, how much would I like to get off here, and hike up the remainder of this gigantic rock! But this supposedly takes hours, and that's time we simply don't have. Sibebe rock is s volcanic slab that formed three billion years ago, and is the largest exposed granite pluton in the world. It is the second largest monolith only behind Ayers Rock in Australia, which is a more impressive sight as it rises straight up from a mostly flat landscape. Sibebe is huge, but there are other mountains in the vicinity. It is time to continue our journey. We drive down the same road, and cannot resist to stop frequently again to take in the landscape and take more pictures. I promise myself to be back, to hike up Sibebe rock. Then we descend into the pine forest, drive back to Mbabane, and straight to Johannesburh on our way to new adventures.

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Sibebe rock (Eswatini)

Sibebe rock > Eswatini > Africa

[Visited: July 2024]

Around the World in 80 Clicks