Swaziland Route
The Kingdom of Swaziland is home to the Swazi nation, a proud but peaceful people with happy, easy-going and often humorous personalities. This route introduces visitors to a kingdom rich in natural beauty and cultural heritage, where visitors are invited to explore and experience the many facets of a country filled with diverse environments and cultural unity.
The Swaziland Route presents a variety of activities from hiking, horse riding, bird-watching and game-viewing, to the more daring white-water rafting, caving and abseiling. For the less adventurous, there are plenty of alternatives, whether it's a quiet game of golf or a trip to a health spa. On the cultural front, Swaziland provides a unique opportunity to experience living African culture on a day-to-day basis. Special cultural highlights are the annual incwala (kingship) and umhlanga (reed dance) ceremonies.
There are plenty of enterprising artists in Swaziland and many of the outlets on this route stock the creations of local crafters. Whether it's weaving, pottery, wood carving, candle making or painting, here you'll not only have the chance to make a purchase but you can also usually see the crafters at work too.
Given its tremendous natural wealth and diverse geography, it's not surprising that there are numerous private and public nature reserves in Swaziland. Significant efforts are also afoot to ensure that the country’s rich natural heritage is preserved for generations to come.
Specific natural assets of interest to visitors and locals alike include:
- Sibebe Rock, in Pine Valley just north of Mbabane, the largest single granite mass or pluton in the world;
- The earliest signs of life on Earth. A fossilised blue-green algae which dates to around 3-4 billion years ago can be seen in the Malolotja Nature Reserve, embedded in some of the oldest rocks in the world; and
- The unique Mbuluzi cycad (Encephalartos umbeluziensis) and ironwood forests that occur in the Lubombo Conservancy, north-eastern Swaziland.
History and Geography:
Although there is evidence of Bushmen and other Stone Age people having lived within Swaziland’s current borders, the permanent settlement of the country by people of Nguni descent has its origins in the southward migration of people from Central Africa who settled here during the mid-18th century.
These people, the Nkhosi Dlamini, became known as the Swazis, and today both names live on in the local population. Nkhosi means king and Dlamini is the surname of the royal family. The country derives its name from King Mswati I.
Swaziland is landlocked, surrounded by the Republic of South Africa to the north, west and south, and Mozambique to the east. The country is approximately 17364km² in extent, making it the smallest country in the Southern Hemisphere. It has a population of just fewer than 1 million people, and may be divided into four topographical or agro-ecological regions.
Highveld:
In the west is the highveld, a mountainous and forested region with indigenous and exotic trees, also featuring waterfalls, valleys and deep gorges. The highveld has an average altitude of about 1200m above sea level.
Middleveld:
To the east is the middleveld, with an average altitude of 700m above sea level, and which is dominated by lush vegetation and fertile valleys.
Lowveld:
Further east is the lowveld, a subtropical region characterised by typical African bush vegetation and a hotter, drier climate.
Lubombo Region:
The mountainous ridge of the Lubombo region runs along the eastern side of Swaziland, dividing Swaziland and Mozambique. It has an average altitude of about 600m above sea level.
The kingdom also contains the oldest iron mine in the world (at Ngwenya, near the Oshoek border post) and some unusual bushman paintings, in particular the 'bird paintings' or images of winged creatures, found at Ensangwini in the Komati Valley.
Monarchy and the Royal Family:
The Kingdom of Swaziland, landlocked by the Republic of South Africa and Mozambique, is home to the Swazi nation and the last absolute monarchy left in Africa (one of two ruling monarchies remaining in Africa).
The current monarch is King Mswati III, who came to the throne in 1986 following a 60 year reign by his father, King Sobhuza II.
The story of the kings of Swaziland stretches far into the past; the chain of events surrounding their reign is often mystical and lost in time. Choosing a successor to the throne is not a simple affair, nor is the entire process of such selection made public knowledge. What is known, however, is that the successor to the throne is the son of the previous king and he is chosen in relation to the status of his mother.
The balance of power in the kingdom lies between the king, who is known as the Ngwenyama, (the Lion) and the queen’s mother or Ndlovukazi (the She-Elephant). They assist and advise each other in many activities, each complementing the other. This relationship is represented in the royal coat of arms, in which a lion (representing the king) and an elephant (representing the queen mother) support a shield, a symbol that the king and queen mother rule together. On top of the shield is the king’s 'crown', made of feathers worn during the incwala ceremony (see more on this below). Below the shield is the national motto Siyincaba (“We are the fortress”).
The queen mother thus plays an important role in the royal household and ruling of the land. A queen mother is appointed by the royal council after the death of the ruling king and her son named successor. She is selected because of her high rank and may only have one son, as a king is not to be followed by his blood brothers. The queen mother will also be from a family unrelated to the royal family, since the Dlaminis never intermarry. It is the queen mother who automatically assumes responsibility of regent until the crown prince is crowned as the ngwenyama. The present queen mother, Queen Ntombi, ruled as queen regent until King Mswati III was crowned in April 1986.
Tradition, Culture and Customs:
Swaziland provides a unique opportunity to experience a living culture, one where tradition is still very much alive and not a re-creation merely for tourists. Here, many local people dress in traditional attire as a matter of course, and not to impress an audience.
Though there has been an influx of Western ideas and goods in modern times, the old seems to sit easily alongside the new. Cultural heritage is still deeply rooted, with traditions carefully protected and sustained.
Seeing locals dressed in traditional attire, for example, is common, although Western dress is also widely worn (and often accompanies the wearing of traditional animal skins and other paraphernalia). The Swazi's have a distinctive, colourful national dress known as emahiya that is regularly worn by men, women and children. Different accessories and head-dresses are used, depending on the status and age of the individual, as well as the occasion.
When it comes to marriage, Swaziland is traditionally a polygamous society and men may take several wives on payment of a dowry, known as lobola, which normally entails giving cattle to the bride’s parents. However, monogamous marriages, performed in the Western custom, have become more common as Swazi's adapt to and adopt the Western lifestyle.
The majority of Swazi's belong to Christian churches, both Roman Catholic and Protestant, whose missions were responsible before independence for many of the education and health services, particularly in the rural areas. However, many adherents also retain the traditional beliefs and practices. Traditional healers are still widespread in Swaziland, and are known by different names depending on their roles and abilities. The inyanga is a healer who relies on home-made medicines, while a sangoma (usually female) can communicate with spirits to reveal solutions to problems and the umtsakatsi can harm or kill people through magic.
Two major events in the traditional Swazi calendar are the incwala or kingship ceremony, and the umhlanga or reed dance (more information on these is provided below.)
It is also a place of wildness and natural beauty. There are numerous private and public nature reserves and game reserves in Swaziland, and several conservation initiatives have been set in motion to preserve the country’s rich natural heritage for future generations.
The Incwala Ceremony:
The Incwala ceremony is the most sacred of all the Swazi ceremonies, and the king himself plays a dominant role in it. The Incwala is usually held in December or January on a date chosen carefully by Swazi astronomers in conjunction with the position of the sun relating to the phases of the moon.
The ritual begins with the journey of the Bemanti or 'water people' to the ocean off Mozambique where they collect foam from the waves. Their return to the Royal Cattle Kraal commences in the celebration of the Little Incwala, which precedes the appearance of the full moon.
Following the Little Incwala, youths venture into every corner of the country to collect the sacred branches of the lusekwane shrub, which is a species of thorny bushveld tree. Tradition dictates that the leaves of the shrub will wilt in the hands of any youth who has been intimate with a married woman or has impregnated a young maiden. The lusekwane is taken to the royal homestead, to build a small enclosure.
Upon the third day a bull is ritually slaughtered by the groups of youths, promoting solidarity among the young men and a spirit of valour, which is essential in fostering national unity, loyalty and discipline. The boys who are too young to take part in the lusekwane gathering stack the imbondvo tree branches around the enclosure.
The fourth day of the Incwala is the culmination of this sacred ritual, when the king, dressed in full ceremonial costume, joins his warriors in the Incwala dance. The king then enters a special hut (inhlambelo) within the sacred enclosure and after further rituals, eats the fruits of the new season. Upon the appearance of the king to his people, the Swazi nation can eat the first fruits with the blessing of their ancestors. The final burning of the king’s bedding and household items follows, thus cleansing everything in readiness for the new year.
The Umhlanga (Reed Dance):
The Umhlanga (or Reed Dance) takes place in August or early September each year. It is a dance which attracts young maidens from every area of the kingdom and provides the occasion for them to honour and pay homage to the Queen Mother (iNdlovukazi).
Most of the maidens who participate are in their teens, although there are some younger girls who take part. During the first week the young maidens gather reeds from specially designated areas.
The girls wear short beaded skirts decorated with fringes and buttons, together with anklets, bracelets, necklaces, and colourful sashes. Each sash has appendages of different coloured wool streamers which denote whether or not the maiden is betrothed (promised to marriage). The princesses of the royal family wear red feathers in their hair and lead the maidens to perform for their majesties. Each group has its own particular dance steps and song, which marks their respect for the monarch and his mother. Many of the girls carry torches, indicating that they cut their reeds at night.
Natural Heritage:
Swaziland is also a place of wildness and natural beauty, and is home to numerous private and public nature reserves and game reserves.
There are a number of initiatives in Swaziland aimed at conserving the natural heritage of the country. Among them are the Lubombo Conservancy, and the Biodiversity Corridor.
The Lubombo Conservancy:
The Lubombo Conservancy is located in north-eastern Swaziland and is a formal collaboration between separately managed conservation areas where various role players are working towards co-operative management.
What makes this conservancy unique is that it has role players from virtually every sphere. They include a local community, a private reserve, a public nature reserve and protected area managed by the government, a national park managed by a private concern on behalf of the king and the state department concerned with agriculture and disease control.
Their shared vision is to extend into trans-frontier co-operation with communities in Mozambique. Already the conservancy has had significant success in managing the tensions that inevitably result when local communities live in close proximity to areas of wildlife conservation.
The Biodiversity Corridor:
The Biodiversity Corridor is a vast expanse of inter-connected wilderness areas, nature reserves and tribal lands. It stretches from the Barberton Mountainlands in South Africa’s Mpumalanga province, through northern Swaziland to the Maputoland coast in Mozambique.
Its many connected habitat types conserve a wide diversity of wildlife and cultural heritage in an area of stunning scenic beauty. The Biodiversity Corridor offers the opportunity to explore a unique corner of Africa, from the mountainous heartland to the coast. It contains a range of self-guided and organised activities, including horse trails, hiking, mountain biking and adventure caving to game-viewing safaris, bird watching, hunting and fishing.
The Biodiversity Corridor also contains a variety of accommodation facilities including self-catering log cabins, tented safari camps, thatched huts and camping sites, to catered backpacker hostels, cottages and lodges.
Useful Tourist Information:
Tourist Information Offices:
There is a government tourist office in Mbabane, at the Swazi Place, and a private tourist office at the Mantenga Craft centre in the Ezulwini Valley.
Language:
The official languages of Swaziland are IsiSwati and English, with English being widely spoken since it is the medium of instruction in schools and communication in business.
Money and Banking:
The local currency is the lilangeni (or plural emalangeni), denoted with the abbreviation “E”. This currency forms part of the common monetary area and it is equivalent to the South African rand, the two being used interchangeably in most instances. There are international ATMs in Mbabane and in the Ezulwini Valley. Banks are usually open from 08:30-14:30 during the week and from 08:30-11:00 on Saturdays.
Travelling in Swaziland:
There is a good network of tarred roads across Swaziland, and most places frequented by tourists are easily accessible with family cars. However, places off the beaten track may require vehicles with higher clearance and, especially after heavy rains, a 4x4 may be preferable. Expect to find grazing cattle wherever you go, and beware of cattle crossing the roads, particularly at night.
The local transport includes buses and taxis.
Border Posts and Opening Hours:
Swaziland has thirteen entry points or border posts, and of these 12 are currently open. Eleven of the border posts are shared with South Africa and two with Mozambique, Lomahasha and Mhlumeni. Mhlumeni is not open to the public at present, but is expected to be opened soon. Border posts are open every day, but operating hours vary, as follows (names by which the border gate is known in South Africa/Mozambique are given in brackets):
Border gates with South Africa:
Bulembu (Josefsdal): 08h00-16h00
Gege (Bothashoop): 08h00-16h00
Lavumisa (Golela): 07h00-22h00
Lundzi (Waverly): 08h00-16h00
Mahamba (Mahamba): 07h00-22h00
Mananga (Border Gate): 07h00-18h00
Matsamo (Jeppes Reef): 07H00-20H00
Ngwenya (Oshoek): 07h00-22h00
Salitje (Onverwacht): 08h00-16h00
Sandlane (Nerston): 08h00-18H00
Sicunusa (Houdkop): 08h00-18h00
Border gates with Mozambique:
Lomahasha (Namaacha): 07h00-20h00
Mhlumeni (Goba): Closed (but expected to open soon)
Telephones:
The dialling code for Swaziland from outside its borders is +268. Area codes are built into the seven digit telephone numbers.
What to bring:
The following items are useful to have if you are visiting Swaziland, particularly if you plan on spending time exploring the country.
- hat;
- binoculars;
- sunscreen;
- insect repellent;
- anti-malaria prophylactics;
- good walking/hiking shoes;
- bird book;
- knapsack; and
- water bottle for hiking.
Comments and Reviews
Add a comment
See all comments from this route