Small countries can sometimes deliver the biggest surprises, and Eswatini is a perfect example.
Landlocked between South Africa and Mozambique, the Kingdom of Eswatini is one of Africa’s smallest countries, yet within its borders you’ll find mountains, valleys, traditional communities, wildlife reserves and some wonderful opportunities to experience African wildlife without the scale and crowds associated with some of its larger neighbours.
Until 2018, the country was known internationally as Swaziland, and you will still occasionally encounter the old name in guidebooks, conversations and older travel articles. Today, however, its official name is the Kingdom of Eswatini.
My introduction to the country came through Caroline Joyner, a travel professional who had been fortunate enough to explore Eswatini twice. What particularly fascinated her was the country’s approach to conservation and the intimate nature of its wildlife experiences.
Her travels took her into some of Eswatini’s most important reserves, but it was an encounter with a rhino at Mkhaya that really brought the country’s conservation story to life.
Discovering Eswatini’s Wildlife
For many travellers heading to southern Africa, safari immediately means South Africa, Botswana, Namibia or perhaps Zimbabwe. Eswatini can easily be overlooked, particularly when it is incorporated into a longer road trip through the region.
That would be a shame.
The country’s compact size makes it possible to experience remarkably different landscapes and wildlife areas without spending entire days travelling between them. Its reserves include Hlane Royal National Park, Mlilwane Wildlife Sanctuary, Mkhaya Game Reserve and Malolotja Nature Reserve, each offering something rather different.
Caroline’s visit to Mkhaya Game Reserve provided one of her most memorable experiences.
Travelling along dirt tracks through dense bush in an open-sided safari vehicle, she encountered a black rhino and her calf remarkably soon after entering the reserve. Seeing an animal of such size and importance in the wild was an unforgettable introduction to Mkhaya and to the conservation work that has taken place in Eswatini over many decades.
As the drive continued, giraffes fed amongst the trees while kudu and other antelope moved through the bush. What struck Caroline was the intimacy of the experience. This wasn’t about racing between sightings or competing with lines of safari vehicles; there was a feeling of being immersed in the landscape rather than simply observing it from the outside.
🦏 Wildlife Tip: Never approach wildlife independently or encourage a guide to get closer simply for a photograph. A good safari experience is about watching animals behave naturally and allowing them the space they need.
A Long History of Conservation
Eswatini’s modern conservation story is closely associated with Ted Reilly, whose work began during the 1960s when much of the country’s indigenous wildlife had disappeared.
After witnessing wildlife elsewhere in Africa, Reilly became determined to restore some of what Eswatini had lost. With support from King Sobhuza II, his conservation efforts eventually led to the establishment of Mlilwane Wildlife Sanctuary in 1964.
The work expanded over subsequent decades, with Hlane Royal National Park and Mkhaya Game Reserve becoming important parts of the country’s protected landscape.
Today, wildlife remains one of Eswatini’s major attractions. The country’s official tourism information highlights Hlane, Mkhaya, Mlilwane and Malolotja amongst its principal reserves, offering experiences ranging from conventional game viewing to walking, cycling, hiking and horse riding.
For visitors, this means an Eswatini wildlife experience can be surprisingly varied. One day might involve looking for rhinos from a safari vehicle, while another could be spent walking or cycling through a reserve where the emphasis is as much on the landscape as the animals.
A Night at Mkhaya’s Stone Camp
Caroline’s accommodation at Mkhaya added another dimension to her safari experience.
Stone Camp consists of individual stone cottages surrounded by bush, designed to make guests feel part of the natural environment rather than separated from it.
As Caroline followed the rough path towards her room, warthogs and antelope wandered nearby. The cottage itself was far more open to the surrounding bush than the hotel rooms she was accustomed to, something that suddenly became rather more apparent as daylight began to disappear.
Opening the safe and discovering an enormous spider sprawled across the door didn’t exactly help.
Later, over dinner, Caroline made the mistake of asking whether larger animals ever wandered close to the accommodation. She was reassured that this wasn’t generally a problem, before being told about elephants that had once taken a particular interest in trees between the rooms and, rather less reassuringly, a previous guest who had apparently discovered a hyena in her room.
It wasn’t necessarily the bedtime story she had been hoping for.
Once darkness settled over the reserve, however, something rather wonderful happened. Without the familiar background noise of towns, traffic and everyday life, the sounds of the African bush became extraordinarily clear. Frogs, crickets and bush babies created a constantly changing soundtrack while every rustle amongst the trees seemed amplified by the darkness.
Caroline found herself listening rather more carefully than usual for anything that sounded suspiciously like footsteps or breaking branches, but the experience of lying in bed surrounded by the sounds of the bush became one of her strongest memories of Mkhaya.
Waking Up in the African Bush
Morning brought a completely different atmosphere.
Birdsong replaced much of the nighttime chorus and sunlight filtered through the tangled trees surrounding the camp. Even taking a shower became part of the safari experience, with antelope and warthogs wandering nearby as Caroline prepared for the day.
It is experiences like this that distinguish a stay inside a wildlife reserve from simply arriving for a game drive and leaving again afterwards.
You begin to experience the changing rhythm of the bush. The sounds are different after dark, the wildlife changes as morning arrives and there is a greater sense of being part of the environment rather than visiting it for a few hours.
For Caroline, the rhinos remained the stars of Mkhaya. Watching them resting in the mud, seemingly oblivious to the conservation effort surrounding them, provided a fitting reminder of why protected places like this matter.
More Wildlife Experiences in Eswatini
Mkhaya isn’t the only reason to include Eswatini in a southern African itinerary.
Hlane Royal National Park is the country’s largest protected area and offers opportunities to see wildlife including lions, elephants and white rhinos. It provides a more traditional safari experience and can easily form part of a road trip through the country.
Mlilwane Wildlife Sanctuary, meanwhile, offers something quite different. As Eswatini’s pioneering conservation reserve, it has become particularly associated with outdoor activities including walking, mountain biking and horse riding.
Being able to explore a wildlife sanctuary on foot or from horseback changes the entire experience. Without the engine of a safari vehicle, you begin noticing smaller details in the landscape and appreciating the scenery as much as the wildlife.
For those more interested in mountains and wilderness, Malolotja Nature Reserve takes you into Eswatini’s highlands, with hiking trails, waterfalls, gorges and extensive views across the surrounding countryside.
Together, these reserves demonstrate that an Eswatini holiday doesn’t need to revolve entirely around ticking famous African animals off a list. The landscapes, walking opportunities and sense of space are equally important parts of the experience.
Beyond the Wildlife
Although wildlife provides an obvious reason to visit, it would be a mistake to experience Eswatini only through its game reserves.
The country retains a strong cultural identity, with traditional customs and ceremonies continuing to play an important part in national life. For visitors interested in learning more, cultural experiences can provide another perspective on the country beyond its landscapes and wildlife.
There are also local craft traditions to discover, including glassmaking, candle making and other handmade products. Combining these with wildlife reserves and time in the countryside makes for a much more rounded journey through Eswatini.
Its location also makes it particularly easy to incorporate into a longer southern African itinerary. Eswatini sits between South Africa and Mozambique, meaning it can work beautifully as part of a road trip combining safari, culture and eventually the beaches of the Indian Ocean.
Why Include Eswatini in a Southern Africa Trip?
Perhaps Eswatini’s greatest advantage is that it offers so much within such a relatively compact country.
You don’t need to choose between wildlife, mountains, culture and outdoor adventure because all of them can form part of the same journey. Nor does Eswatini necessarily need to be the sole destination of a holiday; it works particularly well when combined with South Africa or Mozambique.
For Caroline, however, it was the wildlife and conservation story that left the strongest impression.
Seeing a black rhino and her calf in the bush was memorable in itself, but understanding something of the work that had allowed wildlife to return to these landscapes made the encounter considerably more meaningful.
Then there were the smaller memories: wandering along a path to a cottage in the bush, discovering an enormous spider where it wasn’t wanted, listening to frogs and crickets in the darkness and watching warthogs wander past in the morning.
Those are often the moments we remember from travelling long after the itinerary has been forgotten.
Eswatini may be one of Africa’s smaller countries, but that certainly doesn’t mean it delivers a small travel experience.
About This Eswatini Experience
This article is based on the travels of Caroline Joyner, who visited Eswatini on two occasions and originally shared her experiences with Just One For The Road.
Her original contribution has been updated to reflect the country’s current name and to remove outdated wildlife statistics and travel information, while retaining her personal experiences of Mkhaya Game Reserve and Eswatini’s conservation story.
