So, this trip was way overdue! My awesome friend(Ms Riam) works for a German car company, which comes with the seriously sweet perk of a company car and, wait for it…free petrol! Translation: Road trip possibilities galore!
As soon as I got back to South Africa, she was already buzzing about a quick getaway – exploring countries in the SADC region. As for me? Well, I’ve got a serious case of wanderlust, so I was in before she could even finish the sentence!
My friend’s the busier one, so I let her take the reins on this adventure. Initially, Botswana was on the cards, but since I’m heading there for a church trip in April (and have been there before), and my friend had already conquered Lesotho, we landed on Swaziland!
To be honest, my knowledge of Swaziland was limited to “it’s a monarchy.” I don’t do visit prep research, so I went into Swaziland with no expectations. Plus, the week before our trip, I was drowning in the Google for Startups Accelerator Bootcamp, working till 10 PM! Accommodation was also left to my friend, and thanks to booking.com and their book now, pay later policy, we found a gem of a place called Macatini (R2714 for 2 nights for a double bedroom, and it came with a 10% discount! Score!), just before Mbabane CBD. It had everything we needed, but be warned, when it comes to the smell of the bedding and towels, in case you go with this option.
We planned to leave on Friday (21st March) of the long weekend. So, at 11:00 am, we hit the road from Pretoria, looking at a 4-hour 55-minute drive according to the GPS.
The drive itself was mostly smooth sailing, except for a few spots that were more pothole than road. We crossed the border at Ngwenya, and it was surprisingly efficient! We got our passports stamped, paid the toll (R100), and just like that, we were in Swaziland!
We were both blown away by the stunning scenery. My friend, scarred by her experiences with Lesotho’s roads (especially that Afriski drive), was super impressed with Swaziland’s well-maintained freeways and main roads. It felt like a seamless continuation of South Africa’s roads.
We arrived at our accommodation, settled into our rooms, and then made a beeline for Mbabane CBD, which was super close. Swaziland, as we quickly learned, is built on hills and valleys. So, pro-tip: if you’re planning a trip, an SUV (even an entry-level one) will be your best friend! We were fortunate to be in an X1, and thanks to the German shock absorbers and suspension as which really came in handy.
Once we hit the CBD, we found ourselves in a mall that felt strangely familiar, with 90% of the stores being South African chains. Another cool thing? You can use South African Rands almost everywhere, and their POS systems are the same as the South african ones (think Nedbank and FNB). This made everything incredibly easy, unlike trips to other countries where currency exchange is an additional consideration. Plus, our currencies are 1:1, so no mental math required when figuring out if that souvenir is really worth it.
We grabbed dinner at Mozambik, which had a great vibe and reasonable prices. Our bill came to R359 for two meals. The only slight letdown was the steak – a bit on the chewy side. Overall, though, the meal was decent – a solid 6/10.
Day two was a bit of a “choose your own adventure”. We were torn between Lobamba and Sibebe, which are in completely opposite directions. Lobamba won the coin toss, and while we were there, we checked out Matenga Village (R150 per person). Brunch happened at a local mall, at Mugg and Bean (R410 for two).
Our biggest travel faux pas? Leaving Sibebe for later in the day. The road there was an absolute nightmare of potholes. We’re talking crawl-at-7-10km/h-for-a-solid-2-3 kilometers kind of bad, all on a mountainous road!
But finally, we reached Sibebe Resort, and it was totally worth the bumpy ride. We had to rush to get to the zipline, which closes at 5:00 pm, and we rolled in around 4:30 pm. The zipline cost R150 per person and was both terrifying and exhilarating! We also peeked at their pools and were stunned to find infinity pools overlooking the mountains – straight out of a movie scene!
Sadly, we had to bolt before sunset because navigating those “Kimberly hole” potholes in the dark was a hard no. The descent was way easier than the ascent. I even got carsick on the way up, but the way down was a breeze, and we were doing speeds of 27km/h on some parts.
If you go to Swaziland, Sibebe Resort is a must-visit! (Entrance is R100 per person). I’d even recommend staying a night. The accommodation is a bit pricey, but with all the activities on offer, it kind of evens out.
You’d think after that crazy day, we’d just order in and crash, right? Nope! We were on a mission to paint the town red, and we gave it our best shot. Back at our place, we showered, put on our party faces, and headed back to Mbabane.
That’s when we discovered that Swazis aren’t exactly night owls, at least not in the CBD. We were practically the only ones at the food court, and it was only 8:00 pm on a Saturday! We tried Tucasa, and while it looked promising, the food was a major letdown (2/10 in my books). By 9:00 pm, we were back at our place, sleeping like babies.
Sunday was our last day. We took it easy, with plans to revisit Lobamba for the National Museum. Check-out was 10:00 am, so we made sure we were ready to roll by then. The museum only takes cash and costs R100 per person. We had an opportunity to understand the history and culture of Eswatini. Hopefully, they’ll add more exhibits in the future.
Then, it was time to leave Lobamba and head straight for the Ngwenya border post. Another smooth exit/entry! We made a quick detour in Middelburg to visit my friend’s cousins. We got back home before 7:00 pm.
So, all in all, Swaziland delivered! I’d give the experience a solid 8/10.
Have you ever been to Swaziland? What did you think? Would you go back, and why?
