Enjoy a Swaziland Holiday and discover Africa in a nutshell
A warm and welcoming little African nation, nestled against the eastern border of South Africa, Swaziland is a beautiful country, known for its unique culture, native African wildlife and impressive landscapes.
Swaziland has become a favourite destination for Mountain Walking Holidays and is currently the only country on the African continent we run trips to. Known as Africa’s nutshell nation – thanks to its mix of everything, from luscious greenery and dusty plains to exotic wildlife and traditional culture – we were inspired to offer trips to the country after a number of previous visits. Whether it’s wildlife, people, culture, landscape, or history, Swaziland has everything you are looking for all within easy travelling distance; thanks to being one of the smallest countries on the continent.
Welcome to Your Unique Swaziland Holiday
Your guides are well versed in the ins and outs of Swaziland, having visited on a number of occasions, and can provide you with a unique experience. You’ll start your trip with a ride from Johannesburg airport through the South African wilderness, with some pretty special landscapes to enjoy along the way, before heading across the border and into Swaziland. If you choose to take a Swaziland holiday with us, you’ll start in Manzini, near the stunning Malkerns Valley, a place of great natural beauty and rich traditional culture.
Getting to Know Swaziland and Its Locals
While it may be small, Swaziland has a large and vibrant personality with an historic culture. The locals of Swaziland are primarily of Nguni descent, a people that date their ancestry back over 2,000 years and who are famous for their simple, yet beautiful architecture, delicious food, exotic music, traditional dancing — often with optional guest participation — ancient religious practices, sense of community, and fashion style; they are known for adorning themselves with patterned red clothing.
During your trip with Mountain Walking Holidays, you’ll have ample time to experience Swaziland culture first hand. Our Swaziland holidays include time exploring Shewula, a community project that integrates travellers and locals, allowing them to mingle, co-exist and learn about each other. Here, we will stay in traditional beehive huts and mix with the Swazi people and experience a true piece of Africa. For us, the biggest appeal of Shewula is being able to walk amongst a rural community, watching life go on and just having real conversations – no tourist bright lights here.
Wildlife of Swaziland
While many visit Africa to immerse themselves in a rich, and entirely different culture, others travel to see the exotic wildlife that roams the plains of the continent. In Swaziland, those seeking the thrill of wildlife encounters will not be disappointed.
A Mountain Walking Holiday trip takes you into Hlane Royal National Park, a once private hunting ground now open to the public (though you just might find the King visiting too!). Over the course of your trip, you will stay in huts, lodges and even a riverside wild camp in the heart of the Malolojta Nature Reserve – a 4,000 acres mountain wilderness and conservation area, allowing you the full safari experience.
While the highlights of the trip are definitely seeing the beautiful wildlife of the parks, including giraffes, elephants, impalas, warthogs, lions, wildebeeste and more, visitors should also take this opportunity to enjoy one of our very favourite Swaziland activities, relaxing by the potholes of the Malolotja Reserve.Giant pools scoured out of the Rock and fed by a lovely waterfall, here you can swim, chill out and watch baboons climbing the rocks above.
Walking in Swaziland
In this blog, we’ve talked a lot about the reasons to visit Swaziland and what the country is really like but before we finish, we need to talk about the most important part of a trip with Mountain Walking Holidays, the walking itself; after all, it’s what we are all about.
In Swaziland, walks are often easy-going, yet offer incredible experiences, from amazing scenery and wildlife to unique cultural experiences. Our trips revolve around walking, and as such have to take us to through the heart of the action. While we do include a driving safari experiences, to ensure you see as much of the African wilds as possible, we also take on walking safaris, offering a more personal and immersive experience. Time is also spent walking through and exploring Swazi villages, meeting people and discover the culture of this fantastic and fascinating country.
However, for those walkers seeking more challenging trails, don’t be disheartened. We also spend some time in the foothills and mountains of Swaziland, and even climb Emlembe, the highest mountain in the country. From atop its 1862 m peak, climbers can see far and wide over Swaziland’s glorious grasslands.
