Eswatini Lavumisa border crossing — the overlooked overlanding entry point explained

Back from 4 nights in the bush — here is the full report from Bloemfontein.

The spot: Walk-in only, no advance booking, and we had it to ourselves mid-week.

Facilities: Full ablutions with hot showers, braai stands, and a basic tuck shop.

Wildlife: The bird life alone is worth the trip — 47 species on my list for the weekend.

What worked: The National Luna fridge ran the full trip on 145Ah LiFePO4 topped up by 204W solar. Didn't need the generator once.

What to bring: Your own firewood (collecting prohibited in most reserves), minimum 20L water per person for 3 days, and a headlamp — the bush is seriously dark.

Would I go back: Immediately. This is exactly why we overland.
— boetie_botha

Did you see any large wildlife in camp? We had an elephant push over a tree about 16m from our rooftop tent at 02:00. Incredible to experience — absolutely terrifying in the moment.

The LiFePO4 and solar setup you describe is similar to mine. 118Ah battery with 236W solar keeps a Dometic CFX3 45 fridge running indefinitely in South African sun. Have not used a generator on any trip in the last 17 months.

Good tip on the firewood — this catches so many people out. I now carry a 37kg bag of hardwood in the back of the bakkie on every trip. Enough for 3 nights of evening fires without relying on anything available on site.

> Back from 4 nights in the bush — here is the full report from Bloemfontein.
>
> The spot: Walk-in only, no advance booking, and we had it to ourselves mid-week.
>
> Facilities: Full ablutions with hot showers, braai stands, and a basic tuck shop.
>
> Wildlife: The bird life alone is worth the trip — 47 species on my list for the weekend.
>
> What worked: The National Luna fridge ran the full trip on 145Ah LiFePO4 topped up by 204W solar. Didn't need the generator once.
>
> What to bring: Your own firewood (collecting prohibited in most reserves), minimum 20L water per person for 3 days, and a headlamp — the bush is seriously dark.
>
> Would I go back: Immediately. This is exactly why we overland.
> — boetie_botha

Did you see any large wildlife in camp? We had an elephant push over a tree about 16m from our rooftop tent at 02:00. Incredible to experience — absolutely terrifying in the moment.
— morne_du_toit

The LiFePO4 and solar setup you describe is similar to mine. 164Ah battery with 226W solar keeps a Dometic CFX3 45 fridge running indefinitely in South African sun. Have not used a generator on any trip in the last 19 months.

The campsite you mentioned matches what we found when we went. Definitely worth the effort to book early.