Mlilwane Wildlife Sanctuary
Encyclopedia
Mlilwane Wildlife Sanctuary is Swaziland
's oldest protected area
, owned and managed by a non-profit trust. It serves as a headquarters for the Big Game Parks including Mlilwane's sister reserves Hlane Royal National Park
and Mkhaya Game Reserve
. The Sanctuary covers 4,560 hectares in the Ezulwini Valley or "Valley of Heaven". Formerly a farming and tin mining area, the area has been rehabilitated and is now Swaziland's most frequently visited reserve. Abundant wildlife grace the plains. The southern section is predominately open grassland plains with middleveld vegetation, stretching up onto Nyonyane Mountain. Tourist activities are concentrated in the southern section which can be explored by foot, horseback, mountain bikes or vehicle. The northern section includes one of the highest points in the area at Luphohlo. Only guided trails enter this part of the sanctuary. Mlilwane means Little Fire, a reference to the many fires started by lightning strikes on Mlilwane Hill.
Swaziland
Swaziland, officially the Kingdom of Swaziland , and sometimes called Ngwane or Swatini, is a landlocked country in Southern Africa, bordered to the north, south and west by South Africa, and to the east by Mozambique...
's oldest protected area
Protected area
Protected areas are locations which receive protection because of their recognised natural, ecological and/or cultural values. There are several kinds of protected areas, which vary by level of protection depending on the enabling laws of each country or the regulations of the international...
, owned and managed by a non-profit trust. It serves as a headquarters for the Big Game Parks including Mlilwane's sister reserves Hlane Royal National Park
Hlane Royal National Park
Hlane Royal National Park is a park in Swaziland, roughly 67km northeast of Manzini. Prior to the park being public, it was a private royal hunting ground. Hlane, meaning 'wilderness', was named by King Sobhuza II...
and Mkhaya Game Reserve
Mkhaya Game Reserve
Mkhaya Game Reserve was established in 1979 to save Nguni cattle, which were close to extinction, and has gone on to include other endangered species such as black rhino, roan antelope, sable antelope, tsessebe, white rhino, elephant and other locally endangered species.]Mkhaya Game Reserve is...
. The Sanctuary covers 4,560 hectares in the Ezulwini Valley or "Valley of Heaven". Formerly a farming and tin mining area, the area has been rehabilitated and is now Swaziland's most frequently visited reserve. Abundant wildlife grace the plains. The southern section is predominately open grassland plains with middleveld vegetation, stretching up onto Nyonyane Mountain. Tourist activities are concentrated in the southern section which can be explored by foot, horseback, mountain bikes or vehicle. The northern section includes one of the highest points in the area at Luphohlo. Only guided trails enter this part of the sanctuary. Mlilwane means Little Fire, a reference to the many fires started by lightning strikes on Mlilwane Hill.