A tiny landlocked kingdom,
Swaziland
lies in the spanner-like grip of
South Africa which surrounds it on
three sides, with Mozambique
providing its eastern border along
the Lubombo Mountains. Although
South Africa's influence
predominates, Swaziland was a
British protectorate from 1906 until
its full independence in 1968, and
today the country offers an
intriguing mix of colonial heritage
and homegrown confidence, giving the
place a friendlier, more relaxed and
often safer feeling than its larger
neighbor.
During the long years of
apartheid, white South Africans
regarded Swaziland as a decadent
playground, where sinful
opportunities (gambling, interracial
sex and porn movies), forbidden by
their Calvinist rulers, were freely
available. This image is fading
fast, and though Swaziland still
feels a lot more commercialized
than, say, Lesotho, its outstanding scenery
, along with its commitment to wildlife
conservation , makes it well
worth a visit. With a car and a bit
of time, you can explore some of the
less-trampled reserves, make
overnight stops in unspoilt,
out-of-the-way settlements and, if
you time your visit well, take in
something of Swaziland's
well-preserved cultural
traditions.
In recent years, Swaziland has
become something of a draw for backpackers
, with useful transport links to
different parts of South Africa as
well as Mozambique, some good
backpacker lodges and plenty of
adventure activities from
horse-riding to whitewater rafting.
Swaziland has six national
parks, between them
exemplifying the country's
geographical diversity, and all
offering good-value accommodation.
While not as efficiently run as
South African National Parks, the
Swazi reserves are less officious,
and many people warm to their
easy-going nature. The best-known
are those run by Swazi Big Game
Parks : Hlane Royal National
Park in the lowveld, Mlilwane
Wildlife Sanctuary near Mbabane, and
the upmarket Mkhaya Game Reserve
between Manzini and Big Bend. The
Swaziland National Trust Commission,
based in Lobamba, manages Malolotja
Nature Reserve in the northwest
highveld, Mlawula Nature Reserve in
the eastern lowveld and the tiny
Mantenga Nature Reserve in the
eZulwini Valley.
Despite encroaching political
dissent, Swaziland remains one of
the world's few absolute monarchies,
and King Mswati III ,
educated at Britain's elite
Sherbourne College, regularly
appears in the country's sacred
ceremonies, bedecked in the leopard
skins of his office, participating
in a ritual dance or assessing the
year's crop of eligible maidens as
they dance before him. He might even
choose to add a few to his
collection of wives, carefully drawn
from a wide selection of clans in
order to knit the nation more
closely together. If you can, plan
to come to Swaziland for Ncwala
(around the end of December or the
start of January) or Umhlanga
(August or September); both
ceremonies are as important to the
Swazis as New Year is to the
Chinese.
Laid-back Mbabane , the
country's tiny capital city, makes a
useful base from which to explore
the attractive central eZulwini
Valley , home to the royal
palace and the Mlilwane Wildlife
Sanctuary . With your own
transport, or a bit of determination
and public transport, you can
venture further afield, heading into
the highveld of the northwest, and
up to the fantastically beautiful Malolotja
Nature Reserve , with its
fabulous hiking country, soaring
valleys and cliffs.
If you are trying to get between
northern KwaZulu-Natal and the
Kruger National Park in South
Africa, Swaziland offers a good,
fully tarred through route
via the Matsamo border in the north
and the Lavumisa and Mahamba borders
in the south, passing by the Mkhaya
Game Reserve and Big Bend.
Approaching Kruger this way is a far
more attractive option than skirting
through the eastern parts of
Mpumalanga.
Summers are hot,
particularly in the eastern lowveld.
Winter is usually sunny, but
nights can be very chilly in the
western highveld around the
Malolotja Nature Reserve and Piggs
Peak. In summer, rainfall is usually
limited to short, drenching storms
that play havoc with the smaller
untarred roads. Note that
Swaziland's eastern lowveld,
including Hlane Royal National Park
and Mkhaya Nature Reserve, is malarial
during the summer months (November
to May).
