Top Places to Visit In Eswatini On Your Next Vacation

Top Places to Visit In Eswatini On Your Next Vacation

Mlilwane Wildlife Sanctuary

Mlilwane Wildlife Sanctuary is eSwatini’s oldest protected area, owned and managed by a non-profit trust

Hlane National Park

Hlane Royal National Park is a national park in Eswatini, roughly 67 km northeast of Manzini along the MR3 road. Prior to the park being public, it was a private royal hunting ground. Hlane, meaning ‘wilderness’, was named by King Sobhuza II. It is now held in trust for the Nation by His Majesty King Mswati III, and is managed by Big Game Parks, a privately owned body.

Mkhaya Game Reserve

Mkhaya Game Reserve is a protected area in Eswatini. It is located along the MR8 road.

Lebombo Mountains

The Lebombo Mountains, also called Lubombo Mountains, are an 800 km-long, narrow range of mountains in Southern Africa. They stretch from Hluhluwe in KwaZulu-Natal in the south to Punda Maria in the Limpopo Province in South Africa in the north. Parts of the mountain range are also found in Mozambique and Eswatini.

Ezulwini Valley

Ezulwini Valley is a valley of northwest Eswatini. Also known as “The Valley of Heaven”, the valley lasts for about 30 kilometres, and is bounded to the east by the Mdzimba hills. The historical capital of Swaziland Lobamba is located in the valley, also known as the Royal Valley, a place of many legends of Swazi history. The main highway is the MR3 road; some parts have four lanes. The valley extends as far down as Kwaluseni. The valley contains a number of notable wildlife sanctuaries and features including the 4,500-hectare Mlilwane Wildlife Sanctuary and the Royal Swazi Sun Hotel. The valley is undergoing significant development with the growth of Tourism in Eswatini, with the building of casinos, bars, hotels, shops such as the Gables Shopping Centre and urbanization. Also of note is the Ezulwini Handicrafts Centre and Swazi National Museum in Lobamba. Despite the urban developments in the valley, the landscape still has some “soft green hills and plains-game grazing in the lush lands below.”

Mbuluzi Game Reserve

Mbuluzi Game Reserve is a privately owned reserve in Eswatini, within the Lubombo Conservancy. There are 3 lodges privately situated on the Mlawula River, and a campsite, situated above some rapids in the Mbuluzi River.

Malolotja National Park

Mountainous hiking trails plus campsites

Maguga Dam

The Maguga Dam is a dam on the Komati River in Eswatini. It is 115 metres high and is located about 12 kilometres south of Piggs Peak. It was built as a joint project of the governments of South Africa and Eswatini. As of 2005, it was the largest public works project ever undertaken by Eswatini. The dam was completed in mid-2001. In 1992, the two countries signed a treaty covering the “design, construction, operation and maintenance” of the Driekoppies and Maguga Dams. As the former benefited South Africa exclusively, South Africa bore the entire cost for that dam. As for the latter, Eswatini was responsible for about 40% of the cost. The dam’s primary purpose is irrigation but a hydroelectric power station with a capacity of 20 MW was to be completed in October 2006. Maguga is a “clay-core rockfill embankment dam”. The dam embankment comprises approximately 800,000 cubic metres of clay, 2,800,000 cubic metres of granite rock and 43,000 cubic metres of filter material. It has an overall height of 115 metres, a crest length of 870 metres and a base width of 400 metres. It has a capacity of 332,000,000 cubic metres and a surface area of 10,420,000 cubic metres.

Phophonyane Falls Nature Reserve

The Phophonyane Falls Nature Reserve is a scenic, 600 ha large nature reserve and tourist destination near Piggs Peak, Eswatini. A network of footpaths through the Gobolondlo forest reaches meandering watercourses which lead to the main attraction of the reserve – the 80 m high Phophonyane Falls. This waterfall has formed on a steep section of exposed gneiss. The Phophonyane River in this area falls per some 240 m over the distance of 2 km. Some of the oldest rocks in the world, dated at 3.55 billion years, are exposed at the waterfall.

Mlawula Nature Reserve

The Mlawula Nature Reserve is a nature reserve situated in north-eastern Eswatini. It covers approximately 16,500 hectares and is adjacent to Mbuluzi Game Reserve, Simunye Nature Reserve, and Hlane Royal National Park. The Mlawula area was first proclaimed as a protected area in 1914 but was subsequently deproclaimed and subdivided into cattle ranches. The first part of Mlawula to be proclaimed as a conservation area was donated in 1978, to become Ndzindza Nature Reserve. Mlawula Estates were purchased soon after followed by the donation of Nyala Ranch. Mlawula has a high bird diversity and over 350 species have been recorded.

Mantenga Nature Reserve

Swazi cultural village & a waterfall

Sheba’s Breast Mountain

Manzini Main Market

Market

King Sobhuza II Memorial Park

Malolotja Canopy Tour

Treetop experience in nature reserve

Hawane Nature Reserve

Hawane Nature Reserve was first established in 1978 to protect an area of marsh along the Mbuluzi River in Eswatini. This area included the natural habitat of Kniphofia umbrina, a rare Swaziland endemic red hot poker. When the Hawane dam was built in 1988 to provide Mbabane’s water supply, the reserve was expanded to protect the surrounding wetlands. The reserve is managed by the Swaziland National Trust Commission. The reserve’s main attraction is its wealth of birdlife. A trail is provided for bird-watching. Bird species include lanner falcon, egyptian goose, pied kingfisher and white-faced whistling duck.

Sikhuphe International Airport

Mdimba

Mdzimba is a mountain and hill range in northwestern Eswatini. Mount Mdimba flanks the eastern side of the Ezulwini Valley. This valley was once the residence of the Swazi royal family and is shrouded in legends and mysteries. The Mdzimba hills historically have had strategical importance and contain many caves in which locals would hide during raids.The mountain is named after a tribe who lived in the mountains led by a chief by the name of “Dzimba”. It is said that as a token of gratitude, the then King Sobhuza married the Chief’s first daughter. In 1826, the Swazi people retreated into the hills during an attack by the Zulus. The Boers met with the locals of Mdzimba on 16 December 1889.

Sibebe Rock

Van Eck Dam

Van Eck Dam is an artificial reservoir within the Mhlosinga Nature Reserve, near Big Bend in the Lubombo District of Eswatini. Covering an area of 187 hectares, it is an important site for waterfowl and other waterbirds, as well as animals such as the Nile crocodile and hippopotamus. It has been recognised as a wetland of international importance under the Ramsar Convention.

The Sugarcane Museum

Lion Cavern Ngwenya

Mining

Nisela Nature Reserve

Game reserve and hunting

All Saints Cathedral

Bulembu Museum

Bhubesi Camp

Swaziland National Church

Church

Shewula Nature Reserve

Nature

Nkoyoyo next to the Palace

Nyonyane

Mountain

Swazi Village Home Stay

Malolotja Falls

Waterfall with a scenic panorama

Sand River Reservoir

Sand River Dam is an artificial reservoir found in the Lubombo District in Eswatini. Covering an area of 768 hectares, it is an important site for waterfowl and other waterbirds, and has been recognised as a wetland of international importance under the Ramsar Convention.

Mahamba Gorge

Swaziland National Museum

Hlane Royal National Park – Cultural Village

Ngwempisi Wilderness Area

Wilderness and camping

Nsangwini

Painting and art

Lozitha Palace

Hawane Reservoir

Reservoir

Mhlangampephe Falls

Emlembe

Emlembe is the highest mountain in Eswatini. It is located in the east uKhahlamba mountain range, on the border with South Africa. It is located in the South African province of Mpumalanga and the Swazi province of Hhohho.

Driekoppies

Ngwavuma

The Ngwavuma is a river in Eswatini and KwaZulu-Natal Province in southern Africa. It is also known as the Inguavuma, Ingwavuma, Ingwovuma, and Nggwavuma, and is one of the five major rivers in Eswatini. It arises in southwestern Eswatini and flows eastward. It is a tributary of the Pongola River. The principal towns in Eswatini along the Ngwavuma are Nhlangano and Nsoko.

Desclaimer – All images used in this article are property to the owners