Swaziland Introduction
Swaziland, a small landlocked country in Southern Africa, is one of the last absolute monarchies in the world. The king, King Mswati III (since 1986) is an absolute monarch with supreme executive, judicial and legislative powers and more than half of the country’s territory is held by the crown. With Mbabane as the capital city, Swaziland’s population is around 1 138 000.
Tourism
The friendly people of Swaziland and the various large game parks and reserves add to the great popularity of this country as a tourist destination.
Airport
The Matsapha Airport is the only international airport in Swaziland and lies about 1km outside Manzini.
Airlines
Flights from Cape Town, Durban and Johannesburg to Swaziland are offered by the following airlines:
SAA (Cape Town, Durban & Johannesburg)
British Airways (Cape Town, Durban)
What to see / do:
- Adventure Caving
- Bird Watching
- Bushmen Paintings
- Craft & Art Galleries
- Guided Tours
- Horse Riding
- Paragliding
- River Rafting
- Safari’s
- Walking or Hiking
Events:
- Reed Dance – Thousands of unmarried girls dancing to music, held in August.
- Incwala (Festival of the First Fruits) – Colourful and sacred festival held in December.
- The Bushfire Festival – International festival held in May to celebrate the arts for fund raising towards critical social needs.
Accommodation
Search for hotels in Swaziland
General Info
Currency
Swaziland’s currency is called Lilangeni, plural emalangeni and is tied to the South African rand 1:1, therefor shops and vendors in Swaziland often accept both currencies, but this is not the case in South Africa.
Weather
The summers in Swaziland is known to be the rainy season, mostly in the form of thunderstorms, while winter is the drier season. The temperatures are related to the specific region and the Highveld is a much cooler than the Lowveld, where temperatures often rise to about 40 °C in summer.
