What to do in Mbabane: A Three Hour Adventure

Mbabane is the capital of eSwatini. It was full of quiet charm on the muggy Saturday morning we passed through after leaving Malolotja National Park.  

Though we only spent around 3 hours wandering around, I would definitely return for a weekend. Several restaurants had great-looking menus. I found 6 restaurants that I would have wanted to eat at. Unfortunately, I only have one stomach.  

Three hours in Mbabane 

The streets felt safe to walk around and we happened upon a couple of cute places as we explored.  This adventure is part of my 5-day eSwatini Itinerary.

Sugar Snap for breakfast 

Located in a garden center and tucked away on the main street, we had breakfast at the Sugar Snap Cafe. There were also some small shops in the complex. You could purchase health foods, scarves, or an iPhone from an actual authorized Apple dealer.

To market to market 

It was an easy 15-minute walk to the downtown market. We went into the arts and craft building and purchased a colorful wooden bowl and a pestle and mortar. I’ve been wanting a pestle and mortar for some time but never picked one up! I’m excited I no longer will use the back of a spoon to crush cardamom…  The market was pretty calm and no one really bothered us as we were looking around. It also felt safe to us; there were no other tourists around!

A little library 

We passed a cute library and wandered in.  Sorry, I can no longer find the exact pin location on Google Maps… Look around for the yellow building after the Arts and Crafts building and before the fabric shop (below).

My favorite activity in any place with books is to find the biggest Ken Follet book I can and tell Wilhelm “I read that.” For those who don’t know, Ken Follet’s books are usually massive! The latest one I read is The Evening and the Morning. As usual with Follet’s Kingsbridge series, it was impossible to put down and I think I read it in about 3-4 nights.  Fortunately, most bookshops we’ve gone to, even secondhand bookshops, have at least one Ken Follet book I can use to shock my love.  This was no exception and I found Follet’s Pillars of the Earth.

Mr. Cheap Fabric Center 

I started taking sewing lessons soon after walking into a fabric shop on Diagonal Street in downtown Joburg. There are so many fun fabrics and I want a dress in every pattern. The only way to economically do this I figured is to learn how to make my own. I’m three lessons in and very amused. Please hold to place your orders.

So when we spotted Mr. Cheap Fabric Center on our walk, I had to go in.

Most of the fabrics looked similar to what we have in Joburg, except for the traditional Swazi cloth that has a shield design.  These are available in Joburg but it’s way cooler to say I bought one in eSwatini…

Bahle Gallery 

Our final destination on our walk was Bahle Gallery. If you search on Google Maps for “gallery” in Mbabane, this is the only spot that shows up. The gallery also hosts a café that we would have eaten at if we hadn’t just had breakfast. The gallery showcases national artists and decorates several hotels in Mbabane.  

PRC or ROC? 

Walking back to the car, we spotted the Taiwanese Embassy. Countries either recognize the People’s Republic of China (aka China) or the Republic of China (aka Taiwan). Very few countries still recognize Taiwan. eSwatini is one of the 15 countries and has had diplomatic relations with Taiwan since its independence in 1968.  

On the road again 

Finally, I was back in the driver’s seat. The next stop on our eSwatini weekend was Mlilwane National Park for a mountain bike safari adventure.