We reached this major land border crossing between Eswatini and South Africa in the afternoon. Despite being quite busy, it was another refreshingly efficient border experience, with friendly officers on both sides who did their best to keep the process moving.
There were no unnecessary biometric scans or truck registrations. On the Eswatini side, the procedure was wonderfully simple: we received a gate pass, had our passports and gate pass stamped at the first window, and then had our CPD (Carnet de Passages en Douane) stamped at the second. The entire Eswatini procedure took barely two minutes. We then drove through to the South African side, where our passports and CPD were stamped in just a few minutes.
And the best part? There were no hidden fees, road taxes, carbon taxes or mandatory insurance to pay. After some of the complicated and expensive border crossings we have experienced on this trip, this was not only one of the fastest, but also the cheapest border crossing we had in the last few years of travelling around the globe.
After crossing the border, we withdrew cash from an ATM and bought local MTN SIM cards for 10 ZAR each. We also purchased internet packages: a 10 GB plus 10 GB bonus package for 150 ZAR, and a 100 GB plus 100 GB bonus package for 350 ZAR.
We decided to avoid the late afternoon drive to Johannesburg and stayed our first night near eMbangweni at Rocks & Roses Farm. There we enjoyed a lovely homemade dinner (100 ZAR) and breakfast (70 ZAR). The next morning, we continued toward Johannesburg with a refreshing stop at the famous Alzu Petroport to see the animals near the water and refuel at Total (⛽30,14 ZAR/ litre).
Parking location – Rocks & Roses Farm: 26.1580556S 30.7338057E (🚻,🚿,💦,🔌,🍽️,🅿️200 ZAR)