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 Facts at a Glance
Full country name: Kingdom of Swaziland
Area: 17,363 sq km (10,766 sq mi)
Population: 1,031,000
Capital city: Mbabane (administrative); Lobamba (legislative)
People: Swazi, Zulu, Tsonga-Shangaan and European
Language: English, siSwati
Religion: Christian (60%), Indigenous beliefs (40%)
Government: Parliamentary Monarchy
Head of State: King Mswati III
 Environment
Swaziland is a little, landlocked kingdom, bounded on all sides by South Africa except for roughly 100km (60mi) of border with Mozambique in the east. Roughly rectangular, Swaziland is a little bigger than Connecticut but not as large as the diminutive nation states of Israel or El Salvador. The country supports a surprisingly wide range of ecological zones, from savannah scrub in the east to rainforest in the north-west, with patches of finbos, the `fine bush' so renowned in South Africa. The mountainous border country with Mozambique is harsh and dry, and sharp mountains poke out of the high veld in the west. Nearly three quarters of Swazis work in agriculture, mainly at subsistence level, although the nation is not self sufficient in food.
Swaziland's natural resources are extremely well managed, and despite the country's size it lays claim to some of the best game reserves and national parks in southern Africa. Elephant, lion and rhino have been reintroduced after being wiped out (rhino had been absent for 70 years), and after some bloody battles between rangers and poachers, populations of both black and white rhino are no longer critically endangered. The easiest game park to visit is Mlilwane Wildlife Sanctuary in the Ezulwini Valley, not far from the capital, Mbabane, and if you're lucky you'll see hippopotamus and crocodile there too. Game species are common in all the reserves, and the country has hundreds of bird species inhabiting relatively small pockets of bush, so bring your bird-spotting binoculars. In the east, sub-tropical woodland and swamps can get very steamy, and hardwood forests that the logging industry is chipping away at dominate the western highlands.
It can bucket down in the western mountains over summer, although the mountains will generally remain cooler than the low veld, which blisters as the mercury climbs past 40°C (104°F). October is the hottest month, and the rains begin in early December and continue through to April. The low veld tends to suffer extremes, with frosts and colder temperatures in winter (which falls over the northern hemisphere's summer). The eastern low veld is sub-tropical, mosquito ridden (watch out for malaria) and sticky, and can still be warm in mid-winter.
 History
In eastern Swaziland archaeologists have discovered human remains dating back 110,000 years, but the Swazi people arrived only relatively recently. During the great Bantu migration into southern Africa, one clan of the Nguni, moving down the east coast, settled around modern Maputo in Mozambique. Eventually the Dlamini family founded a dynasty there, but by the middle of the 18th century, pressure from the other clans forced a Dlamini king, Ngwane III, to lead his people south to what is now southern Swaziland, around the Pongola River. The Swazi now consider Ngwane III to be their first king.
Under pressure from the Zulu, the next king, Sobhuza I, withdrew to the Ezulwini Valley, which remains the centre of Swazi royalty and rituals today. King Mswazi, who ascended the throne next, was a gifted warrior and diplomat, and by the time he cashed his chips in 1868 the Swazi nation was secure.
The Zulus frequently clashed with the British and the Boers, which relieved pressure on the Swazis but created other problems. Swaziland attracted a ragtag bunch of great white hunters, inconsequential traders, fervent missionaries and land hungry farmers looking to feed their cattle. The kingdom's land was being gobbled up in leases granted to the Europeans, but in 1877 the British decided to run the place along their own lines and they annexed it lock, stock and barrel. The Swaziland Convention of 1881 guaranteed the nation's independence on paper, while considerably contracting its borders, and `independence' proved to be just a word. In practice the Brits and Boers pursued their own interests with chaotic results, and after the Boer War the victors took over the reigns of power. Swaziland joined the long list of countries administered by London.
During the 20th century, land ownership grew into an issue threatening the viability of Swazi culture, given that Swazi kings are considered to hold the kingdom in trust for their subjects. With a large proportion of the kingdom in foreign hands, King Labotsibeni encouraged Swazis to buy back the farm, and many emigrated to South Africa to raise money by working in the mines. Land was gradually returned to the kingdom, both by direct purchase and by the British government, and at independence in 1968 around two-thirds of the kingdom was back in Swazi control. Britain's 66-year rule was overturned peacefully, and many streets in Mbabane retain their colonial-era names, perhaps indicative of the good will the colonial administration left behind.
Swaziland inherited a constitution largely the work of the British, and in 1973 King Sobhuza II suspended it on the grounds that it did not reflect Swazi culture. Four years later parliament reconvened under a new constitution that vested all power in the king. Sobhuza was followed in 1986 by King Mswati, who continues to maintain and represent tradition. He runs the country with the Council of Ministers, a small core of advisers. There is a little dissent in the country, although most Swazis seem committed to maintaining their culture despite external pressures of modernisation.
Opposition parties remain illegal, and in 1995 the National Assembly and the homes of the deputy prime minister and the vice-chancellor of the University of Swaziland were burned in student riots. Following a general strike later that year there was an easing in the almost total power of the king, and in 1997 the heads of Mozambique and South Africa held talks with the king on further democratisation in Swaziland.
 Economic Profile
GDP: US$3.8 billion
GDP per head: US$3800
Annual growth: 2.9%
Inflation: 14.7%
Major industries: Sugar, mining (coal and asbestos), wood pulp, agriculture, soft drink concentrates
Major trading partners: South Africa, Japan, UK, US
 Culture
Dancing and singing are features of Swaziland's main cultural ceremonies, and traditional get-togethers can be brilliant celebrations, with men and women dancing in unison in spectacular traditional gear. Although the monarchy has been criticised as illiberal, the main cultural festivals revolve around sacred ceremonies drawing the people together and reminding them of their relationship to the king. Swazi national dress is striking and you'll see it worn frequently, especially at ceremonies. Shades of ochre, pink and red are common, as is wearing bright feathers in the hair.
SiSwati and English are the official languages, and English is the official written language. In most parts of the countryside you'll have little difficulty being understood. Although indigenous religions are not widely practiced, traditional Swazi culture remains strong, and important ceremonies, such as the Incwala, Umhlanga and the Umcwasho have religious overtones. One of the Incwala's most important elements involves a pilgrimage to the sea to skim foam from the waves of the Indian Ocean, harking back to the Swazis' homeland on the coast of Mozambique. You'll meet people with the surname Dlamini all over the country, most of whom claim some sort of lineage to the royal throne, and while some may put on unwarranted royal airs, others may be struggling local farmers. (In late 1998 confusion reigned supreme in parliament when two men who shared the name Peter Dlamini arrived to be sworn in as ministers.) Most of the population is Swazi, but there is a small number of Zulu, Tsonga-Shangaan and Europeans. Mozambican refugees, of both African and European descent, form a significant minority.
Maize is the staple grain, and most people eat it as a type of porridge, often served with a fatty stew. That may sound unappetising, but it is a poor country and it suffers from chronic insecurity of food supply in regions prone to drought. Historically, Swazis have been meat eaters, but the average Swazi's diet is today more likely to be limited to maize, milk and vegetables. African home-produced beer, often made from sorghum or maize, is usually worth drinking, although its quality varies from place to place and you should ask for the best local outlet and brew.
 Events
The Incwala (sometimes called Ncwala) or `first fruits' ceremony takes place in December or January and is the most important in the Swazi calendar. Groups of bemanti (learned men) trek over the country, bringing back plants, river water and foam from the Indian Ocean to the Royal Kraal at Lobamba. Finally the king breaks his retreat, dances before the people and eats a pumpkin, a sign that Swazis can eat the new year's crops. In the Umhlanga,held in August or September, marriageable young Swazi women journey from all over the kingdom to help repair the queen mother's home at Lobamba. The festival is a showcase of potential wives for the king and draws the nation together to remind people of their relationship and obligations to him.
 Facts for the Traveller
Visas: Most people don't require a visa, apart from citizens of Austria, France, Germany and Switzerland, who can get them free at the airport. Vaccination certificates are required if you have recently been in a yellow fever area.
Health risks: Bilharzia and malaria
Time: GMT/UTC plus 2 hours
Electricity: 220/230V, 50Hz
Weights & measures: Metric (see conversion table)
 Money & Costs
Currency: Swazi Lilangeni (pl: emilangeni) (SZL)
Relative costs:
- Budget room: US$6-15
- Moderate hotel: US$25-35
- Top-end hotel: US$55 and upwards
- Budget meal: US$3-5
- Moderate restaurant meal: US$10-15
- Top-end restaurant meal: US$15 and upwards
Swaziland is not as cheap as some of the poorer black African nations to the north, but it still offers good value. Travellers intent on sleeping in hostels or caravan parks, eating cheap, and skipping most safaris should get by on US$25-35 a day. But there's no point skipping the safaris, because Swaziland is one of the cheapest places in southern Africa to go looking for big game. If you're seeking a few more creature comforts, the privacy of your own, air conditioned hotel room and more to choose from in meals, expect to pay around US$75, and if you want to stay in the best hotels (although they tend to be depressingly bland), don't mind what you spend on food and like to have the odd flutter at the casino, expect to spend US$120 and upwards.
There's no black market in Swaziland, and the South African rand is accepted everywhere and is on a fixed, one-to-one exchange rate with the lilangeni. You should have no difficulties changing major currencies, and rand are accepted everywhere. There's no need to change rand if you're coming from South Africa, although you'll be given small change in shops in emilangeni. Several banks change travellers cheques, and ATMs have made an appearance and accept several, but not all, credit cards.
Tipping is as much the norm as it is in South Africa, and around 10-15% is usual. Bargaining isn't unknown but you won't find many situations where you can do it.
 When to Go
Winter, from June to August, is probably the best time, especially if you want to avoid those days when you could fry eggs on a tin hat. You'll get cooler temperatures (downright cold at night) in the eastern lowlands and warmer, drier weather in the highlands.If you want to see the two most important Swazi cultural ceremonies, go in August or September for the Umhlanga (Reed) Dance, or in late December or early January for the Incwala (the `first fruits') ceremony.
 Attractions
Mbabane
Mbabane lies at the northern end of the Ezulwini Valley amid the lush Dlangeni Hills, and apart from stocking up on information and supplies for trips farther afield, it doesn't offer much for the traveller. The main attractions in town are the Mall, the New Mall and Allister Miller, the main street, named after the first European to be born there. You can do your banking and get your supplies around here. Just to the west of the town centre is Swazi Plaza, a large, modern shopping complex that makes a good landmark and houses the Tourist Office and a further range of shops. The Mbabane Market, at the southern end of Allister Miller, is worth a visit for its authentic crafts and its prices, cheaper than those in South Africa.
Mbabane offers a good range of accommodation, from the caravan park 10km (6mi) away in the Ezulwini Valley through to church hostel accommodation and hotels and inns scattered around town.Several good restaurants serve Portuguese food and there are also excellent Italian and Indian restaurants in the city centre. You can get good and relatively cheap African food, and there are several steak houses, one of which even puts on a Mexican `fiesta' meal on Tuesday nights.
Lobamba
The heart of the Ezulwini Valley, Swaziland's royal valley, Lobamba is home to the royals' Embo State Palace. You can see the monarchy let loose during the Incwala ceremony and the Uhmlanga dance, which take place at the Royal Kraal in Lobamba. The National Museum is housed here, and it offers displays on Swazi culture and has a traditional beehive village beside it. Given the size of the Swazi family (King Sobhuza II had 600 children), Swazi kings now live at the Lothiza State House, about 10km (6mi) from Lobamba.
Next to the museum is the Parliament, which is sometimes open to the public, and across the road from the museum is the King Sobhuza II Memorial, the most revered (and arguably the most prolific breeder) of the Swazi kings. The Mantenga Falls are worth seeing, although you need to ask for local advice because there have been muggings and other nasty incidents there. Nearby is the Swazi Cultural Village with more authentic beehive huts and cultural displays. Lobamba is about 15km (9mi) south of Mbabane by road, and if you're not driving yourself take a bus or minibus taxi.
Mlilwane Wildlife Sanctuary
The Mlilwane was the first wildlife sanctuary established in Swaziland, and is privately run. It lies on the border of the high and middle veld and is an important transition zone for flora and fauna. Among the animal species are zebra, giraffe, white rhino, hippo and crocodile, the only predator. More than 200 species of bird occur there, including Swaziland's gorgeous national bird, the purple-crested lourie. The sanctuary is dominated by the jagged Nyonyane Peak, where you can complete several bracing walks. You can also rent horses and mountain bikes, or watch the hippos from the Hippo Haunt restaurant. If you're feeling energetic and don't mind getting a bit wet, white-water rafting is at its best near the reserve on the Great Usutu River. The Mlilwane Wildlife Sanctuary is only a few kilometres south of Mbabane, and you can get there by taxi or bus from Mbabane.
Manzini
Manzini is Swaziland's largest town and its industrial centre. Between 1890 and 1902 it was the combined administrative centre for the squabbling British and Boers, and during the Anglo-Boer War a renegade unit of Boers razed it to the ground. The market on Thursday and Friday mornings is worth a look, but otherwise Manzini has quite a different feeling from the rest of Swaziland. Reckless drivers are no doubt agitated by the city's confusing one-way street system (and the country's blood alcohol limit of 0.15%) and the crime rate makes it probably the roughest and baddest town in Swaziland, especially at night. Manzini is 30km south-east of Mbabane and is best reached by bus or car.
Mkhaya Game Reserve
This reserve is run by the same people who administer Mlilwane, and has the same energetic approach to wildlife conservation. Sited on former farms, the area had always been popular with hunters for its game, and herds of indigenous Nguni cattle make the reserve economically self-supporting today. The reserve's boast is that you are more likely to see wild black rhino here than anywhere else in Africa, but it also supports elephant, white rhino, and roan and sable antelope. You can take game-viewing drives and guided walking safaris, and the reserve is better value than many of the private reserves near Kruger in South Africa. Mkhaya Game Reserve is off the Manzini-Big Bend Road, about 65km (40mi) south-east by bus or car from Mbabane.
Off the Beaten Track
Siteki
Siteki is on the road to nowhere, but the town offers a cool respite in the Lebombo Mountains from the plains below. The former haunt of highwaymen and frontier troops, the town takes its name from Mbandzeni, great-grandfather of the present king, who gave his troops permission to marry here. The town's name means `marrying place', (and it's still sometimes known by its colonial era name of `Stegi'). Siteki is renowned for its Inyanga and Sangoma School, a government school to train healers and diviners. It's a fascinating mix of botany, spiritualism and natural science, and you can visit the school if you arrange it in advance through Swazi Tourism in Mbabane. Not far from Siteki is the Muti-Muti Nature Reserve used extensively by practitioners at the Inyanga and Sangoma School for the variety of herbs used in their work (muti means roughly `magic' and `folk medicine' in southern Africa). You can reach Siteki via a good paved road east from Manzini, a trip of about 60km (37mi) by car or bus.
Mlawula Nature Reserve
Bordering Mozambique in the far east of Swaziland, this 18,000 hectare (44,460 acre) reserve is undeveloped and little visited, although it offers beautiful, if harsh, country in the foothills of the Lebombo Mountains. Rare species of succulents, cycads and climbers grow among the ironwood forests, and shy spotted hyena and leopard reside here, as do hippo, samango monkey, waterbuck, wildebeest, crocodile, antelope, zebra and more than 350 species of bird. Nasties like the bilharzia parasite hang around the waterways among the crocs, and three species of deadly snakes also call the reserve home. Walking trails are still being established and archaeological trails are planned as stone age artefacts have been unearthed here. Accommodation is so far in campsites with basic ablution blocks. The Mlawula is reached via a good paved road east from Mbabane, about 10km (6mi) north of Siteki by bus or car.
The Grand Valley
It's probably best to take a Swazi guide through the Grand Valley, and do the journey as a scenic drive with some stops along the way rather than making any long stays anywhere. The Usutu Forest is 65,000 hectares (160,550 acres) of indigenous and plantation timber, harbouring ancient bushmen paintings, waterfalls and forest trails. It's easy to get physically lost in the forest and unless you speak a little siSwati you'll be verbally lost among the out-of-the-way villages. The Grand Valley is on a good road between Manzini and the border crossing of Mahamba in the south-west. Begin the drive through the Grand Valley at Hlathikulu, 50km (31mi) south of Manzini.
Malolotja Nature Reserve
In the hilly north-west, the Malolotja Reserve is a mix of high and middle veld, and is home to more than 280 bird species, some of them rare. Taking its name from Swaziland's highest waterfall, of which there are another 26 in the park, Malolotja protects 18,000 hectares (44,460 acres) of pristine wilderness. Wildflowers and rare plants, such as the woolly barberton and the kaapschehoop cycad, and protea forests around the numerous streams attract visitors, but you're likely to meet more wildlife than human life. The park harbours baboon, vervet monkey, warthog, leopard, lynx, jackal and numerous antelope species, as well as more than 280 species of birds. Zebra, hartebeest and wildebeest have been reintroduced. It's fantastic country for hiking, with numerous marked trails, spectacular peaks and conveniently placed camping grounds with facilities. Malolotja also has the oldest known mine in the world, which was in production more than 40,000 years ago. You can reach Malolotja, about 20km (12mi) north-west of Mbabane, by bus or car on a good sealed road..
 Activities
If time is on your side, the best way to see Swaziland is by trekking, and several of the national parks offer excellent trails that are often generations old. Horse riding is another way to explore inaccessible parts of the country, and at Mlilwane Wildlife Sanctuary, not far from Mbabane, you can watch wildlife doing its thing from the back of a horse. White-water rafting, mountain bike riding and abseiling are growing in the popularity stakes.
 Getting There & Away
Royal Swazi Airlines operates out of Matsapha International Airport, north of Manzini, and flies to Jo'burg, Maputo, Harare, Lusaka, Dar es Salaam and Nairobi. Schedules and tickets often refer to the airport as Manzini. Lesotho Airways flies to Maseru, and Comair flies to and from Jo'burg.
Swaziland has 11 border posts with South Africa and one with Mozambique, and the smallest posts close at 4 or 6 pm. There is a bus service from Mbabane to Maputo in Mozambique, and buses ply the roads between Mbabane, Durban and Capetown and Jo'burg to Mlilwane. Minibus taxis also run between Jo'burg and Mbabane, but for most other destinations in Swaziland you'll have to take a minibus taxi to the border and then another from there to the nearest town, then change again. This can take time. If you're entering by car, your vehicle must have a vehicle-breakdown warning triangle, seatbelts and official papers.
 Getting Around
Swaziland has a good system of buses running regular routes, and minibus taxis running shorter routes at slightly higher prices than the buses. Most roads are good but there are rough ones out bush. Driving down the Ezulwini Valley in heavy traffic can be slow and dangerous. Away from the main population centres the main dangers are people and animals on the road. With a legal blood alcohol limit of 0.15%, drunken drivers can be another danger!
 Recommended Reading
Books specifically on Swaziland are thin on the ground, unless you'd like to burrow into such erudite tomes as The economic impact of the adoption of hybrid maize in Swaziland. You could, however, try the following:
- Michael Brett and Alan Mountain's Touring Atlas of Southern Africa offers a short but colourful section on Swaziland.
- The Complete Guide to Walks & Trails in Southern Africa by Jaynee Levy covers all the trails and contains an extraordinary amount of information, although it is far too big and heavy to carry.
- Mammals of Southern Africa by Chris and Tilde Stuart includes a stack of information and excellent photographs.
- Kenneth Newman's Newman's Birds of Southern Africa is a comprehensive field guide with full-colour illustrations.
Published literature by black writers is in short supply, but that situation will change.
 Lonely Planet Guides
 Travellers' Reports
 On-line Info
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