In August of 2013 I was invited to visit the Kingdom of Swaziland. This small landlocked country is everything you would want in a an African vacation. The best part about visiting Swaziland is that the distances are small, that means more time to see wildlife and experience the culture. We visited during the annual Reed Dance, which is the number one event in the country.
Here are some of my most inspiring Instagram pics from my trip:
View of the Mdzimba Mountains with the valley of the Lusushwana in the foreground
A family of giraffe in Mbuluzi Wildlife Reserve
A local man dressed in traditional clothing in Shewula Nature Reserve
A mother and her young rhino cooling off in the shade – Hlane National Park
A male lion resting after his morning breakfast in Hlane National Park
Two giraffe pretending to be invisible in Hlane National Park
A women creating a colorful basket in the Manzini central market
A local man carving a wooden giraffe at the Swazi Candles Craft Centre
HIs Majesty Mswati III the King of Swaziland making his rounds at the Reed Dance
Thousands of women awaiting to salute the King at the Reed Dance
Women delivering the reeds at the Reed Dance
My guide Michael and I celebrating a fantastic day at the Reed Dance
Hi Majesty King Mswati III posing for the cameras!
Posing with dancers at the Mantenga Culture Center
ViMlilwane Game Reserve
Execution Rock
The mountains in Malolotja Nature Reserve
Zip lining in Malolotja Nature Reserve
Seeing how they make glass at the Ngwenya Glass Blowing factory
Some delicious local cuisine
Bushman Rock Art
The Gap
Water holes in the Gap
A local woman spinning wool at the Piggs Peak Craft Center
Sibebe Rock, the second largest rock in the world!
Downtown Mbabane, the political capital of Swaziland
Scenic view of Ezulwini Valley in Mbabane
Rhinos taking a mud bath in Mkhaya Game Reserve
A mother rhino and her young grazing in Mkhaya Game Reserve
No better image can describe Africa quite like this one. Sunset in Mkhaya Game Reserve was the best way to end our trip in Swaziland.
Ever been to Swaziland? Tell us about it. Leave us a comment below!
Special thanks to Swaziland Tourism.
Counter
101 Countries • 1432 Cities
Matt says:
I miss my county so much, so many happy memories, the photos are fantastic well done for capturing an essence of this fantastic county and it’s culture.
David says:
Thank you, Matt! Glad you enjoyed the article.
Tumisho Mangoale says:
Lovely pictures indeed, I must work on visiting one of the site if not all to get first hand of that nature reserve
Sim says:
Hi David,
I just want to say thank you for the most neutrally captured experience of Swaziland by a tourist blogger. It was a nice short read and the pics were beautiful, they actually made me want to go explore my beautiful country again. I will be using your blog in conjunction with tripadvisor herein.
Thanks
David says:
Thank you for the kind words! We loved Swaziland so much, especially the people!
Harry van den Burg says:
Hello David
Wonderful collection of pictures, really well done, reflecting the Swazi vibe in a very true way.
Just because I am a perfectionist, a few corrections on the captions.
– Driving from Manzini to Mbuluzi Wildlife Reserve: only if you took the weirdest route! This is a view of the Mdzimba Mountains with the valley of the Lusushwana in the foreground. The road leads from the Houses of Parliament in Lobamba down to the bridge over the river, past the hot springs. This is way to the west of Manzini, closer to Mbabane, while to go to Mbuluzi you leave Manzini towards the east.
– View from our boat ride in the Maguga Dam: nowhere near. This is the (small) dam in Mlilwane Game Reserve, with Nyonyane (Execution Rock) on the skyline, seen from the ssw, rather than from the east as in the next picture. This picture looks to have been taken from the dam wall rather than from a boat. Mlilwane is also near Lobamba, Maguga is at least 50 km to the north, nearer to Piggs Peak.
– The glass blowing factory is at Ngwenya, not Ngwenza.
– Scenic view of the area around Mbabane: correct. The valley is called Ezulwini (=heavenly place), and the obvious twin peaks on the skyline are called Sheba’s Breasts (Lugogo in siSwati).
Once again thanks for the great pics!
David says:
Hi Harry, thanks for your comment! I will fix those errors now. Glad you enjoyed the photos 🙂
Ann dewar says:
Lived in Swaziland for two & a half years & loved every minute of it. Your photos have brought back many wonderful memories, thanks. Hope to visit Swaziland again next year.
David says:
Thank you, Ann!
suraj says:
your all images awesome its really amazing thanks for sharing..