Mantenga Cultural Village & Nature Reserve
The entrance fee to this tranquil, thickly forested reserve covers a guided tour of the Swazi Cultural Village, a ‘living’ cultural village with authentic beehive huts and cultural displays, plus a sibhaca dance (performed daily at 11.30am and 3.15pm) and a visit to the impressive Mantenga Falls. The reserve is also great for hiking. Although it's not a big wildlife park, it offers a chance to see vervet monkeys, baboons, warthogs, nyalas and duikers.
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Lobamba
Welcome to Swaziland's spiritual, cultural and political heart. Within the Ezulwini Valley lies Lobamba, an area that has played host to Swaziland's monarchy for over two centuries. It's home to some of the most notable buildings in the country. Despite its importance, Lobamba feels surprisingly quiet – except during the spectacular Incwala and Umhlanga ceremonies, when the nation gathers on the surrounding plains for several days of intense revelry.
**Incwala** (also known as Ncwala) is the most sacred ceremony of the Swazi people. It is a ‘first fruits’ ceremony, where the king gives permission for his people to eat the first crops of the new year. It takes place in late December/early January and lasts one week: dates are announced shortly before the event. It's a fiercely traditional celebration and visitors should take note of strict rules, including restrictions on dress and photography.
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Mlilwane Wildlife Sanctuary
While it doesn’t have the drama or vastness of some of the bigger South African parks, the tranquil Mlilwane Wildlife Sanctuary near Lobamba is well worth a visit: it’s beautiful, tranquil and easily accessible. The landscape is another highlight; its terrain is dominated by the Nyonyane Mountain, whose exposed granite peak is known as Execution Rock (1110m). Small wonder that the reserve is an outdoor-lover's paradise, with a wide range of activities available.
With easy access from Mbabane and Ezulwini Valley, Mlilwane offers rewarding year-round wildlife-watching and birding, with the chance to see zebras, warthogs, wildebeest, numerous species of antelope (including the rare blue duiker), crocodiles, hippos and rare bird species.
The reserve supports a large diversity of fauna (mostly large herbivores and birds) and flora, and has no dangerous wildlife to worry about (except hippos). The best wildlife and birdwatching areas are the waterhole at the main camp and the main dam to the north. The enclosed area near Reilly's Rock shelters some rare species of antelope and is accessible only on a guided drive.
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Manzini
Swaziland’s largest town, Manzini is a chaotic commercial and industrial hub whose small centre is dominated by office blocks and a couple of shopping malls running down two main streets. With the exception of the market, Manzini itself has limited appeal for the tourist. That said, it’s a key transport hub, so you’re likely to pass through if you’re getting around on public transport.
Manzini’s main drawcard is its colourful market, whose upper section is packed with handicrafts from Swaziland and elsewhere in Africa. Thursday morning is a good time to see the rural vendors and Mozambican traders bringing in their handicrafts and textiles to sell to the retailers.
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Hlane Royal National Park
The country’s largest protected area, well-organised Hlane Royal National Park (www.biggameparks.org/hlane) is home to elephants, lions, leopards, white rhinos and many antelope species, and offers wonderfully low-key wildlife and bird-life watching. And it's so easy to enjoy it: hippos and elephants are found around Ndlovu Camp just metres from your cottage. There's plenty to keep you occupied, including bush walking, wildlife drives, mountain biking and cultural tours. Go year-round.
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Mlawula Nature Reserve
The low-key Mlawula Nature Reserve, where the lowveld plains meet the Lubombo Mountains, boasts antelope species and a few spotted hyenas, among others, plus rewarding birdwatching. Keep your expectations in check, though; wildlife is more elusive here than anywhere else in the country and visitor infrastructure is fairly limited. The park's real highlight is its network of walking trails amid beautifully scenic landscapes.
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Mkhaya Game Reserve
The crowning glory of Swaziland's parks, the top-notch and stunning Mkhaya Game Reserve ( www.mkhaya.org) is famous for its black and white rhino populations. Its other animals include roan and sable antelope, giraffes, tsessebe, buffaloes and elephants, along with a rich diversity of birds. If you’re lucky, you might spot the elusive narina trogon and other rare bird species. Note that children under 10 are not allowed in the park.

Mbabane
Swaziland’s capital and second-largest city, Mbabane is a relaxed and functional place perched in the cool highveld. There’s a handful of good restaurants and places to stay, but for the traveller the nearby Ezulwini and Malkerns Valleys have most of the attractions and, on the whole, a better choice of accommodation.
- About 8km northeast of Mbabane is **Sibebe Rock**, a massive granite dome hulking over the surrounding countryside. It's the world's second-largest monolith, after Australia's Uluru, but is considerably less visited. Much of the rock is completely sheer, and dangerous if you should fall, but climbing it is a good adrenaline charge if you’re reasonably fit and relish looking down steep rock faces. Community guides operate guided hikes – ask at the visitor centre.
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Malolotja Nature Reserve
One of Swaziland's premier natural attractions, the beautiful **Malolotja Nature Reserve** (www.sntc.org.sz/reserves/malolotja.asp) is a true wilderness area that’s rugged and, for the most part, unspoilt. The reserve is laced by streams and cut by three rivers, including the Komati, which flows east through a gorge in a series of falls and rapids until it meets the lowveld. No prizes for guessing that this spectacular area is a fantastic playground for nature-lovers and ornithologists, with more than 280 species of bird. Don't expect to see plenty of large mammals, though. It's the scenery that's the pull here, rather than the wildlife.
Malolotja offers some of the most inspirational hiking trails in Swaziland, so pack your sturdy shoes. Walking options range from short walks to multiday hikes. Well-known and much enjoyed walks include the 11.5km Malolotja Falls Trail, with superb views of the Malolotja Valley, and the 8km Komati River Trail.