Big Bend

Big Bend sits where the Great Usutu river swings through a wide loop in Eswatini's southeastern lowveld, and the town grew around the sugar estates that the water made possible, with cane running to the horizon in every direction and a mill working through the season. It is one of the hottest places in the country. Crocodiles and hippo live in the river below the town.

What you actually see

• The river loop - the wide bend in the Great Usutu the town is named for.
• The cane fields - sugar running to the horizon around the town.
• The mill - the works that processes the crop through the season.
• The river wildlife - crocodiles and hippo in the water below.

When to go

May to September is the dry winter and much more bearable. Summer temperatures here are among the highest in the country. The cane harvest runs from around April to December.

Honest expectations

Summer heat is genuinely severe and limits what can be done in the middle of the day. There is little in the town beyond the estates. The river should not be entered because of crocodiles.

Nearby

The Great Usutu is around it, and Nhlangano is west.