Eswatini – a travel blog

Eswatini, formerly known as Swaziland, was the 90^th country I have visited. While it’s nowhere near the top of the list in terms of the travel experience, it’s not at the bottom either. 

You probably won’t find too many travel blogs on Eswatini as it’s not the most visited place on earth; in fact, I don’t know anyone else who has been there and having spent a lifetime in the airport industry, I know people who have travelled to almost everywhere on earth.

School children walk home near Mbabane

Eswatini is a very small country, about one fifth the size of Ireland, so almost exactly the size of Connacht, Ireland’s smallest province. It is landlocked and sandwiched between its large neighbour, South Africa on three sides and Mozambique to the east. 

It is a largely mountainous and forested country and naturally features some beautiful scenery. It is relatively underdeveloped but there are plenty of guesthouses, some hotels and many self-catering options so you won’t want for a place to stay. Restaurants are rare enough though. On our first night, we had a choice between a fairly down-at-heel café and KFC. We did ultimately find some nicer places though.  

I know I come back to this point consistently in Africa but I can say with emphasis, that Eswatini’s greatest resource is its charming, friendly, welcoming people. The country is a Kingdom, one of the few remaining, but apparently the royal family is benign and very popular. There are many royal residences and all are open to the public.

Piggs Peak nature Reserve

We had travelled through eastern South Africa to the Kruger National Park and as we had to return to Durban, we decided to drive through Eswatini. Had we had more time, we would have explored the Malolotja Nature Reserve and the Hlane National Park, neither as big as Kruger but also containing animals in their natural habitat. 

Eswatini is noted for its craftwork, including weaving and wood carvings and there are numerous roadside stalls selling these.

The cuisine is very similar to that in South Africa, although being land-locked, there is more of an emphasis on meat and vegetable dishes than on fish. 

Rural Eswatini is largely still traditional, but the capital, Mbabane, is a modern city, in stark contrast to the remainder of the country. While the country is not poor, it is still very much at the developmental level and is not prosperous. Many of the dwellings you will see in the countryside are very basic and you get the impression that much of the population lives at subsistence level. However, one of the striking features of the country, for me, was the way they dress their school children. Each day, we saw hundreds if not thousands of children going to and coming from school; each was immaculately dressed in crisp white shirts and school uniform. It appears to be a matter of pride with people that although they may not have much, their children are dressed beautifully and are as good as anywhere else in the world where school uniforms are worn. And, needless to say, all the children looked happy and cheerful, seemingly the default position for most Africans. 

Eswatini has a pleasant climate and is usually warm, but it is at a high enough altitude not to be oppressively hot. You can visit year-round although May to September (their autumn and winter) is recommended to avoid the hotter months. 

The currency is the Swazi lilangeni but don’t worry – it is exactly equal to the South African rand and they are interchangeable. In any event, Eswatini accepts credit cards everywhere so you won’t have a problem. 

As the country is small, travelling around is easy. We had a hired car which is probably the most convenient method although buses and taxis appear to be widely available. 

But back to the people: We could not have been made more welcome; from the lady who ran our guesthouse to the waitresses where we ate; the supermarket staff and the people at the tourist attractions and finally, the policeman who gave us perfect directions in English when we got lost. Each and every one made us know that we were welcome to their country. 

So, if you’re ever in the neighbourhood, give it a try. You can pack adventure, culture and history into a few days in a unique location.  In an age where mass tourism is often the norm, Eswatini stands out as an unspoiled destination, a place still finding its feet, but where you will be welcomed and each moment will be meaningful and personal. The Kingdom of Eswatini might be small but it’ll be worth it.

Interestingly, I noticed that eight of the last nine new countries I’ve visited have been in Africa. I haven’t been disappointed in any of them.