The forest around me is alive with birdsong. A Blue-mantled Crested Flycatcher flits through the canopy and a Purple Crested Turaco squawks in the background. After a coffee and rusk at dawn I walked out the back of the Lodge, through the gate and up the Sheba’s breast trail. It’s a clear path up a steep and varied route along a stream with some waterfalls up a grassy ridge and through a deep forest before skirting the base of a sheer granite wall then zig zagging up a gully to the summit ridge. The view from the top is incredible! I can see for miles in every direction looking north over the Ezulwini valley to the Mdzimba hills, east beyond Matsapha, south over the Mantenga waterfall and west over Mlilwane wildlife sanctuary. It’s taken about an hour and a half to get up to the top and will take about an hour back down. I’m looking forward to a hearty breakfast on the deck overlooking the pool.