eSwatini
eSwatini, the smallest country in mainland Africa, is a beautiful, tiny kingdom surrounded by South Africa to the North, West, and South, and Mozambique to the East. It is Africa’s only, and one of the world’s last, remaining absolute monarchies and gained headlines in 2018 when the country changed its name from Swaziland to the Kingdom of eSwatini. King Mswati III made the announcement on the 50th anniversary of Swazi independence, which also marked the king’s 50th birthday. Swaziland and eSwatini both mean “land of the Swazis.”
The name change was intended to shed the country’s colonial past by removing the instance of the mashup of Swazi and English: Swazi/Land. For much of the 20th century, eSwatini was under British administration. It gained its independence through a nonviolent transfer of power in 1968.
Visiting eSwatini
Though I expected eSwatini to be similar to South Africa, the country has its own vibe! There are cute restaurants, friendly people, and empty parks and trails that make visiting the kingdom heavenly.
eSwatini is easiest accessed through South Africa. There are many land borders that are relatively pain-free to cross. For most visitors, it will make more sense to drive into the country from South Africa.
King Mswati III International Airport is the airport you’d fly into if you choose this option.
Everything will feel like an uphill in eSwatini. The roads, the hikes, the walks, the biking… Even the downhills felt like uphills to me because it was a sign of what was to come. But it’s totally worth it for the “hashtag” views!
We were told the average tourist spends 0.8 nights in eSwatini, i.e. most visitors simply transit through the country or visit it as a day trip from South Africa. Don’t do that – there is plenty to do and see so give yourself at least a couple of days to explore.
When to visit?
eSwatini has a moderate, year-round climate. October through January are the summer months with temperatures reaching around 25°C. The summer is also when the most rain occurs. The winter months are drier and reach up to 20°C.
Travel Tips
- The main roads are paved and easy to navigate. You can likely get by in a sedan depending on your itinerary but you may feel more comfortable navigating potholes in an SUV in villages and park roads.
- South African Rands are accepted in eSwatini and the conversion rate to the local Swazi Ilangeni is 1:1.
- Parks, gas stations, restaurants, and shops all take credit cards from what we experienced. It will be handy to have some cash with you just in case.
Driving into eSwatini
Getting to eSwatini from South Africa
- The official tourism website is helpful to read and the eSwatini Travel Group on Facebook has up-to-date travel advice and notices on border closures.
- There is a R100 road fee to pay if you’re driving through. You’ll need documentation on your vehicle depending if you own, rent, or borrow. Check the tourism website.
Getting back to South Africa
- If you’ve visited any countries with Yellow Fever in the last 2 years, bring your Yellow Fever Vaccination book.
- Bring your own pen to fill out the forms.
