Minerals of Swaziland. Swaziland: economy, political system, population, science and culture

The Kingdom of Swaziland is a small state in southern Africa, located between Johannesburg and Cape Town and bordered by South Africa in the west and Mozambique in the east. The official capital of Swaziland is Mbabane, and the historical capital with parliament and royal residence are located in Lobamba. The largest city and economic capital is Manzini. Swaziland is a completely independent monarchical state, one of the most beautiful places on the planet. This is a unique country where modern rich life is complemented by the ancient culture of its Swazi people. Swaziland provides a wide variety of natural landscapes, from mountainous areas along the border with Mozambique to savannas in the east and rainforests in the northwest. Several rivers flow through the country, one of which is the Lusutfu River. A tourist attraction in Swaziland is the annual traditional Reed Dance or Umhlanga. Tourists are attracted to Swaziland by the natural beauty of the kingdom and the possibility of organizing safari. Swaziland (Kingdom of Swaziland). The official capital is Mbabane, the royal capital is Lobamba (the country's parliament is also located here). Swaziland is a country in southern Africa. It borders Mozambique and South Africa.

Visa and customs.

Citizens Russian Federation A visa is not required to visit Swaziland for tourism, transit, visiting friends or business.
There are no restrictions on the import and export of national and foreign currencies; it is not necessary to declare the hard currency you have on you when entering and leaving. It is prohibited to import canned meat products, narcotic and explosive substances, weapons and ammunition without the appropriate registration. It is allowed to export any quantity of goods purchased in the country duty-free . To export wild animal skins, permission from the state veterinary service is required. To transport weapons, you must obtain a license at the border crossing point and then renew it at police stations inside the country. It is strictly forbidden to engage in independent development and export of minerals.

Climate.

The climate is transitional from subtropical to tropical, arid. Average monthly temperatures in summer are +20-24 C, in winter +12-15 C, precipitation is from 500 to 1400 mm. per year. October is the hottest month, with rains starting in early December and continuing until April. The higher elevations of the Veld have fairly uneven temperatures, with frequent frosts and colder temperatures in the winter (which occurs during the northern hemisphere summer). The eastern Low Veldt has a subtropical climate.

Beaches and hotels.

There is no access to the sea or ocean.
The hotel base of Swaziland is concentrated in Mbabane, the capital of the country, as well as in the city of Manzini. On the territory of most city hotels there are casinos and gambling centers. In the country's national parks, overnight accommodation is possible in cottages and bungalows, which traditionally can be rented either in full or in part. The houses are decorated, as a rule, using national colors. In addition, travelers have access to various campsites. However, you need to be prepared for the fact that there may be no electricity in the tents. Guest houses are scattered throughout Swaziland - essentially analogues of European Bed & Breakfast hotels. Most guesthouse rooms are equipped with air conditioning. During the high season - from April to October - there may be a shortage of hotel rooms in Swaziland. Additionally, during the annual Umhlanga or Reed Dance celebrations in August or September, accommodation in the country must be booked in advance. On average, hotels in Swaziland are about half the price of neighboring South Africa, including national parks. The level of service is the same. Thrifty tourists who want to see animals, but do not have sufficient funds to stay in the Kruger Park in South Africa, which is expensive in all respects, can take a safari in Swaziland for significantly less money.

Money and time.

Lilangeni (plural - emalangeni, international designation - SZL, domestically - L or E depending on the amount), equal to 100 cents. Valid coins: 1, 2, 5, 10, 20 and 50 cents, L1, E2, E5. Banknotes: E10, E20, E50, E100, E200. The Lilangeni is pegged 1:1 to the South African rand and both currencies are used equally in Swaziland. Moreover, in many cases the rand is also preferable, since, unlike the lilangeni, it is also a freely convertible currency. When leaving Swaziland, it is recommended to exchange the remainder of the local currency, since Lilangeni is practically impossible to exchange outside the state.
Time difference: 2 hours behind Moscow.(-2)

Excursions and attractions.

Despite its small size, the country has a surprisingly wide range of ecological zones and natural complexes, from savannah in the east to tropical forest in the northwest, with numerous patches of fynbos (“beautiful bush”) - the “calling card” of South Africa. The huge mountainous country on the border with Mozambique is a completely different landscape - dry and spiky mountains, as if growing from the plateaus of the High Veldt. The best way Explore Swaziland - trekking, walking and horseback riding excursions, and some of the national parks offer excellent routes that are often just maintained trails local residents, which they have used for centuries. Horseback riding excursions are considered the most suitable for local conditions and have already managed to create the country’s reputation as one of the world centers of equestrian tourism. In many cases, it is also the only way to explore parts of the country otherwise inaccessible by land and experience the region's wildlife.
Mbabane is located at the northern end of the Ezulwini Valley among the lush Dlangeni Hills and does not have much to offer travelers. The main "tourist" places in the city are the fairly modern central streets - Alley, New Alley and Allister Miller, the main street named after the first European born here. To the west of the city center lies Swazi Square, a large, modern shopping complex that is worth a visit for its reasonable prices and wide range of shops. The Swaziland Tourist Office is also located here, where you can arrange a trip to any corner of the country. Mbabane Market, located at the southern end of Allister Miller Street, is worth a visit for its stalls of local artisans and its prices cheaper than anywhere else in South Africa. Several excellent restaurants serving Portuguese, Italian and Indian cuisine are also concentrated in the city center area.
Lobamba is the heart of the Ezulwini Valley, the "royal valley of Swaziland", the location of the royal residence - Embo Royal Palace, and the seat of the country's legislative bodies. Here you can see all aspects of the life of the royal family - from the Incwala ceremony dances, in which the monarch himself takes part, and the Umhlanga dances, which are held in the Royal Kraal, to the ceremonial exits of the court and colorful national ceremonies. Nearby is also the National Museum, offering exhibitions of the cultures of the peoples of the country and the Cultural Village - a traditional “beehive village” for the region with all the attributes of the life of local residents, specially preserved near the museum. Given the size of the royal family (King Sobhuza II had 600 children), the country's monarchs now live in the state residence of Lotiz, 10 km away. from Lobamba. Next to the museum is the Parliament building, which is sometimes open to tourists, and across the road from the museum is the Memorial dedicated to King Sobhuza II. Near the capital there is a small but very picturesque Mantenga waterfall.
Manzini, Swaziland's largest city and its industrial centre, is 30 km away. southeast of Mbabane. Between 1890 and 1902 it was the joint administrative center of the constantly conflicting British and Boers, until the outbreak of the Boer War brought it into disrepair. The market is worth visiting (on Thursdays and Friday mornings), but otherwise Manzini leaves very conflicting feelings with its provincialism and unkemptness. Siteki is located on the road to the Lebombo Mountains and stands quite apart from all the cities of the country, but this city offers tourists cool spurs of mountains and plains, abundantly covered with forest. Formerly the "capital" of the highlanders and border guards, the city took its name from Mbandzeni, the great-grandfather of the modern king, who gave his permission to the border guards to marry only here (the city's name means "married on the spot"), and since then its colonial name Stegi has been practically is not used, and the city has turned from a tiny village into a fairly large commercial and cultural center. Siteki is also famous for its Inyanga and Sangoma schools - government educational institutions that train healers and scholars traditional medicine. A fascinating mix of botany, spiritualism and natural history is taught here, and tourists are allowed to visit the schools if arranged in advance through the Swaziland Tourist Office in Mbabane. Not far from Siteka lies the unique Muti-Muti reserve, used by actively practicing doctors and healers of the Inyanga and Sangoma schools to collect a variety of herbs used in their work ("muti" can be roughly translated as "magic" and "medicine" at the same time). Dancing and singing - Features of the main cultural ceremonies of Swaziland, and traditional folk celebrations have long been transformed into brilliant performances in this country, with crowds of thousands of people and the obligatory dancing of women in folk costumes in unison with exciting traditional local rhythms, many of which were created in ancient times as a means of introducing into a trance, and now they have turned into folk songs and dancing.
Traditional Swazi culture remains very strong, and important ceremonies such as Inkwala (sometimes simply called Nkwala), Umhlanga and Umkwasho still have clear religious overtones. If you want to see the most important cultural ceremonies, you should come in August or September for the Umhlanga ("reed") dance ceremony, or in late December - early January for the Incwala ("first fruit ceremony") - the most important event in the Swazi calendar. One of the most important elements of Incwala is a kind of pilgrimage to the sea, with the obligatory bathing in the foam of the waves of the Indian Ocean, symbolizing the return to the Swazi homeland on the coast of Mozambique. Groups of "bemanti" ("enlightened people") then travel throughout the country, distributing plants, water and foam of the Indian Ocean to populated areas, always visiting the Royal Kraal at Lobamba. The climax of the festival comes when the king stops the pilgrims from their path, dances in front of the people and ceremoniously eats a pumpkin, thereby giving a sign that the Swazi people can now eat the crops of the new harvest. In the Umhlanga ceremony, held in August or September, young women of marriageable age travel throughout the kingdom to eventually arrive in Lobamba at the home of the Queen Mother and assist her in the ceremonial trials. This festival, an "exhibition of potential wives" for the king and a celebration of the unity of the nation, serves as a reminder to the people of their loyalty and obligations to the royal house.
"Great Valley" Ezulwini - probably best place to get acquainted with the nature of the country. Swazi Usuto Forest - 65 thousand hectares of local and imported plantations tree species, houses ancient Bushman tribes with quaint villages. There are also countless waterfalls and forest trails along the most picturesque places. The most easily accessible nature park is Mlilwane, located near the capital Mbabane, on the border of the High and Middle Veldt around the picturesque jagged peak of Nyonyane. It is home to a fairly large population of hippopotamus, as well as a wide variety of crocodiles (by the way, the only predator in the area), zebras and giraffes. It is home to more than 200 species of birds, including the magnificent purple loris, the national emblem of Swaziland. Rafting in this area, on the Great Usutu River, is also highly rated by tourists.
The Mlavula Nature Reserve is 18 thousand hectares of completely untouched and rarely visited by people forest, although it is a very beautiful, very rugged terrain. It is rather a small natural country in the foothills of the Lebombo Mountains. Rare varieties of succulent plants grow here, the cicada and alpine poppy grow among the ironwood forests, hyenas and leopards are found here in abundance as well as hippos, samangos, crocodiles, a variety of antelopes, zebras and more than 350 species of birds. Since Stone Age artifacts were discovered here, there are many sections and archaeological tourist trails. The Malolotja Nature Reserve is located in the hilly north-west of the country, 20 km. northwest of Mbabane. The High and Middle Velds meet here and are home to about 280 species of birds, some of which are listed in the Red Book. The name of the reserve comes from the highest waterfall in Swaziland, besides which there are 26 more waterfalls of various sizes in the park. Malolotja protects 18,000 hectares of ancient wilderness. Wild flowers and rare plants such as the dusky barberton, cape cicada and forest protea around the many crystal clear watercourses attract many visitors. It is a fantastic place for walking, with numerous cultivated trails, spectacular mountain peaks and conveniently located holiday camps with modern facilities. On the territory of Malolotzha there is also the oldest known mine in the world, which was in production, according to scientists, more than 40 thousand years ago.

Kingdom Swaziland- the smallest state on the continent, located in southeast Africa. In the east it borders with Mozambique, in the southeast, south, west and north - with the Republic of South Africa. Administrative division. The state is divided into 4 districts

The name comes from the ethnonym of the people - Swazi.

Capital

Mbabane (administrative), Lobam-ba (royal residence).

Square

Population

1100 thousand people

Form of government

Constitutional monarchy.

Head of State

Supreme legislative body

The bicameral parliament (Libondla) consists of the Senate and the House of Assembly.

Supreme executive body

A government accountable to the king.

Major cities

State language

Swazi, English.

Religion

60% are Catholics, 30% are pagans.

Ethnic composition

90% are Swazis, 2.3% are Zulus, 2.1% are Europeans.

Currency

Lilangeni ( plural- emalangeni) 100 cents.

Climate

The climate is transitional from subtropical to tropical, in summer time year-humid. Average monthly temperatures range from + 12°C to + 20°C in summer. Precipitation falls 500-700 mm per year in the east and 1200-1400 mm in the west.

Flora

In the west, the vegetation is a typical savannah with acacia and baobab trees; in the east, thickets of xerophytic shrubs predominate. West High Veldo is a country of mountain meadows. Flora has 2.4 thousand species - from lichens to ficus and magnolias.

Fauna

Representatives of the animal world are typical of the African savannah - blue buffalos, antelopes, zebras, hippos, found in rivers large number crocodiles

Rivers and lakes

The country's largest rivers are the Komati, Great Usutu and Umbeluzi.

Attractions

In Lobamba - the National Museum of Swaziland, the Parliament building, the Queen Mother's village. Well known National Park and Malotolsa waterfall.

Useful information for tourists

Swaziland is a unique country where modern, vibrant life is organically intertwined with ancient traditions and rituals that form the basis of the existence of its people - the Swazis. The best way to explore Swaziland is trekking, as well as walking and horseback riding excursions. Some national parks offer excellent trails, often just reclaimed trails that local people have used for centuries. Horseback riding excursions are considered the most suitable for local conditions and have already managed to create the country's reputation as one of the world centers of equestrian tourism. In many cases, it is also the only way to explore parts of the country otherwise inaccessible by land and experience the region's wildlife.
One of the most colorful events takes place annually at the end of August - beginning of September and is timed to coincide with the moment the king chooses his next bride. It is called "Dance of the Reeds". Virgin girls from all over the kingdom gather near the Queen Mother's palace with a bunch of reeds, symbolizing their purity and devotion to the throne. The girls' outfit consists only of loincloths woven with beads. Royal princesses decorate their hair with a wreath of red feathers and lead in dances.
The purpose of the ceremony is to show the king your beauty and dancing skills, so that he can choose one from many virgins and make him his wife. And although the choice of the king is a foregone conclusion, thousands of almost naked beauties try their best to demonstrate their charms by performing intricate steps.

Swaziland is located on the continent of Africa and the occupied territory of Swaziland is 17,363. The population of Swaziland is 1,202,000 people. The capital of Swaziland is located in the city of Mbabane. The form of government in Swaziland is a constitutional monarchy. In Swaziland they speak: English, Swazi languages. Who does Swaziland border with: Bahrain, Mozambique.
Despite its rather modest size, Swaziland has a surprisingly wide range of natural systems and ecological zones, from tropical forests in the northwest to savannah in the east, with numerous “interspersed” fynbos (also called “fine bush”). On the border with Mozambique, the country has a completely different landscape - sharp and dry mountains, as if growing out of the High Veld plateau.
The official capital of Swaziland, Mbabane, is located in the northern part of the Ezulwini Valley, among the picturesque Dlangeni Hills. There are not many interesting attractions here, and the main tourist spots in the city can be called fairly modern streets in the center - Allister Miller, New Alley and Alley. To the west of the city center is Swazi Square, a modern large shopping complex famous for its many shops located on its territory and reasonable prices. The local market, which can be found on Allister Miller Street, is also worthy of attention - it sells many interesting folk art items at very low prices. There are also several excellent restaurants in the center of Mbabane, serving Indian, Italian and Portuguese cuisines.
The royal residence - Embo Royal Palace - is located in the city of Lobamba. Here you can follow the life of the royal family: from colorful national ceremonies and ceremonial exits to the unique Inquala dance ceremony, in which the king himself participates. Nearby is the National Museum, where you can see interesting exhibitions of the cultures of various peoples of the country and visit the Cultural Village - a traditional settlement for the region with all the household items of the inhabitants. Given the size of the royal family (King Sobhuza II had six hundred children), the monarchs of Swaziland now reside in the Lotiza residence, located ten kilometers from Lobamba.
Not far from the capital you can see the small but very beautiful Mantenga Waterfall.
Thirty kilometers from Mbabane is the largest city in Swaziland - Manzini. This place may seem unkempt and too provincial, but there is nevertheless a lot of interesting place– a colorful local market reflecting the cultural traditions of the region.
The city of Siteki is very popular, standing apart from others settlements country and famous for its landscapes - cool spurs of plains and mountains covered dense forest. Previously, the city was the “capital” of border guards and highlanders; it received its name thanks to the ruler Mbandzeni, who allowed troops of border guards to get married only here (the name of the city can be translated as “getting married on the spot”). Since then, the city has gradually transformed from a small village into a large cultural and commercial center. In Siteki there are Sangoma and Inyaga schools - public educational institutions, where traditional medicine masters and healers are trained. An interesting combination of natural history, botany and spiritualism is taught here.
Not far from the city there is an unusual reserve, Muti-Muti, which is actively used by practicing healers and doctors of the Sangoma and Inyaga schools to collect various herbs needed in their work (the word “muti” can be translated both as “medicine” and “magic”).
Mlilvane - the most accessible to visit nature reserve. It is located near the capital of the country, on the border of the Middle and High Veldt, around the jagged, picturesque peak of Nyonyane. It is home to a large population of hippopotamuses, as well as many varieties of crocodiles, giraffes and zebras.

Leafing through my passport after returning from Africa, I was surprised to notice that I had the most stamps from the small kingdom of Swaziland, after South Africa. Planning to just transit through Swaziland in a few hours, we ended up staying there for a few days. A sweet little kingdom, with wonderful people, beautiful nature and surprisingly good roads. We stopped in the town of Siteki, which is near the Mozambique border. And we lived there right on a farm, a real agricultural farm, with history. Next I’ll tell you about the farm and about Swaziland as such -

After spending several days in Swaziland, and twice leaving and entering it towards South Africa and Mozambique, my passport, issued only a year and a half ago, lost its last free page. I tried to enter Swaziland with a Russian passport in order to transfer the burden of stamps to it (in the Russian half of the passport is free, and in the Israeli the last page), but the Swazilanders began to look for an exit stamp from South Africa, and it was in the Israeli one. Alas, my little trick didn't work -

Border post between South Africa and Swaziland Golela/Lavumisa -

Our passports (Russian, Israeli and Moldovan) caused surprise at the border. Especially Moldovan, the border guards of none of the neighboring countries have even heard of such a country as Republica Moldova. The Swazis were so interested in what kind of mysterious country this was that they brought us a school map of the world and asked us to show where this very Moldova is located. We showed it and they marked it with a cross. The fact is that Swaziland border guards, for fun, mark with crosses those states whose citizens crossed their border post. Looking at the map, we noticed that Moldova became the first CIS country whose citizens entered Swaziland through this crossing, because even Russian tourists had never visited here before! They looked at the Russian passport with interest, but they knew about the existence of Russia, so they marked it on the map themselves. As for the Israelis, they have already been here and my passport did not raise any surprise. Then we went further along the route -

The asphalt road promised by the Lonely Planet guide soon ended, although, according to the GPS, we continued to drive on the asphalt. Poof, I swore to mention the name of this vile device in a fuss, but I mentioned it again. If you remember, a couple of months ago I told you how at first they themselves offered to give me their navigator for advertising reasons, then they “fed me breakfast” for almost a month, they never gave me a navigator, but when I had a couple of days left before my flight, it turned out that they have outplayed everything and will not give me anything. And in the end, I rushed to buy some kind of GPS, made a mistake, bought a fake, etc., etc. So, I don’t know what the problem is more: in the navigator, or in the broken map from iGO, but summing up the results of a month-long trip to southern Africa, I must say that in about 30% of cases the navigator was glitchy and if not for paper maps - We wouldn't have gone far. I will devote a separate post to this, but for now let’s return to the roads of Swaziland -

The dirt highway, marked on the maps as asphalt, had been winding through the southeast of Swaziland for 50 kilometers and did not want to be covered with asphalt. Looking ahead, I’ll note that in general the Swaziland roads are quite okay, but our first experience turned out to be, as they say, “damn lumpy” -

At some point, I was confused by strange sounds reminiscent of “whisking”, and deciding to make sure that we had not punctured the tire, we stopped next to the sign “Beware of crocodiles and hippos.” The wheel turned out to be fine, but a hippopotamus lived in this creek. It was not possible to photograph it; as soon as we got out of the car, it plunged into the water and we never saw it again, apparently the animal disappeared into the reeds -

At about the 80th kilometer of the dirt road we finally reached the town of Siteki, we had to stop: the car was covered in dirt and dust, plus it creaked at all the seams, we were tired, there was sand everywhere, our eyes itched. By the way, we saw the sign “Mabuda farm B&B” and decided to stop there. I must say that I read about this farm on the Internet, a place with history and a lot of enthusiastic reviews. First, you drive along an alley like this -

Then you get to the gate -

The owners live here -

And here, in the white houses, the guests -

From the threshold of our cottage there is a view of the plains of the central part of the country -

This is what our house looks like inside -

There is also a second floor, which I occupied -

You can even live in a birdhouse (joke) -

The town of Siteki itself is unremarkable, but there are a couple of supermarkets here where we bought provisions -

Bus station -

Vegetable market -

After spending several days in Siteki, using it as a base for traveling around Swaziland and a trip to neighboring Mozambique (more about Mozambique), we moved towards the capital of Swaziland, the town of Mbabane. About 10 km east of the capital there is a government complex, a national museum and the mausoleum of King Mswati, revered in this state as a god -

Everything is very modest, no futuristic scope -

The Parliament of Swaziland, which can be visited accompanied by security. Unfortunately, we weren’t allowed to film inside, but it’s a pity, it’s very colorful there -

Ministerial parking, pay attention to the signs indicating who parks there -

Parliamentary Church -

Church inside -

National Museum -

We leave the capital and go northwest, towards the border with South Africa, along the way we meet the picturesque Maguga Dam (

Swaziland is located in the southeastern part of the African continent. In the south, southeast, west and north it borders with South Africa (border length 430 km), in the east with Mozambique (105 km). The total length of the border is 535 km.

The three-stage relief of the country corresponds to three main climatic zones. The moderately warm mountain climate gives way to lower subtropical and finally tropical in the Lower Veldt. More precipitation falls in summer in the temperate zone. The average temperature in July is +12°C, in February - +23°C. Precipitation ranges from 500-700 mm per year in the east to 1,200-1,400 mm in the west.

Story

Kingdoms are different: explored, influential and known throughout the world, such as Great Britain, or lost in distant territories, but no less interesting, such as one of the smallest countries in the Southern Hemisphere, Swaziland. For many centuries, the Swazi people have lived here, descendants of the Bantu tribes, who, in turn, came here from East Africa through the territory of modern Kenya, Tanzania and Mozambique. The king, unlike modern European monarchs, is a truly influential figure here. All the most important issues are resolved only with his participation. In this case, the king rules together with the queen, who must be his biological mother. This is even recorded on the state's coat of arms, which depicts a lion and an elephant: the lion represents the King, and the elephant is associated with the Queen Mother. Together, the "Lion and the Elephant" lead the migration of tribes in search of better territory, inland and foreign policy, economic issues, declare war on neighboring peoples.

The history of Swazis is rich in conflicts. The fighting was especially active during the 18th century, when the people were pushed from the coast of the Indian Ocean into the interior of the continent, and in the 19th century. 1820-1840, when the entire political and territorial structure of the southern African region underwent significant changes; The fight against the Zulu tribes brought famine and devastation to the Swazi lands.

History of the state since the 19th century. It is quite clearly divided into periods coinciding with the reign of a particular monarch. Thus, under King Sobhuza I (Somhlolo) in the period 1815-1836, decisive victory over the Zulu, which allowed the Swazis to finally create their own state. The main strategy in communicating with the whites was also chosen: the king had a vision that was significant for the further development of the people, in which it was told in an allegorical form that one should not believe the promises of the Europeans. When choosing between “Book” and “Money”, one should pay attention to “Book”: it is not for nothing that education is being developed here with all their might (more than 80% of the residents are educated), and the University of Swaziland is decorated with an emblem with the inscription: “National Foundation of Education”. King Mswati XI, who reigned from 1839 to 1865, significantly expanded the country’s borders: suffice it to say that at that time the Swazi kingdom included the largest cities of what is now South Africa, such as Pretoria and Johannesburg. In the period before 1880, two more kings changed, but then, in one of the most difficult moments for the country from 1880 to 1889, Mbandzeni ascended the throne.

Since the middle of the 19th century. The Boers who appeared in the country - impoverished whites, descendants of colonists, engaged mainly in rural work (that is, “peasants” in the translation from the Dutch “boeren”), began to buy land from local leaders. At first, the Swazis did not notice the danger in this, but already during the reign of Mbandzeni, so many white settlers had accumulated that a clash of different cultural traditions was already clearly felt. The whole complexity of this situation was experienced by Ngwane V (Bhun), who ruled from 1890 to 1899. The Swazis began to lose their lands, and in 1894 the whole of Swaziland was declared part of the Boer state of the Transvaal, which, in turn, in 1900 became part of the British Empire . The administrative center at that time was the city of Manzini; today it remains the largest in the country and serves as an industrial center.

Sights of Swaziland

Mbabane is the capital of Swaziland, which lies at the northern end of the Ezulwini Valley among the lush Dlangeni Hills and does not have much to offer travelers. The main "tourist" places in the city are the fairly modern central streets: Alley, New Alley and Allister Miller (the main street named after the first European born here). To the west of the city center lies Swazi Square- a large, modern shopping complex that deserves attention for its reasonable prices and wide range of stores. Mbabane Market at the southern end of Allister Miller Street is worth a visit for its stalls of local artisans and prices that are lower than anywhere else in South Africa. Several excellent restaurants serving Portuguese, Italian and Indian cuisine are also concentrated in the city center area.

Lobamba- the heart of the "royal valley of Swaziland" Ezulwini, the location of the royal palace of Embo Royal and the seat of the country's legislative bodies. Here you can see all aspects of the life of the royal family - from the Incwala ceremony dances, in which the monarch himself takes part, and the Umhlanga dances, which are held in the Royal Kraal, to the ceremonial exits of the court and colorful national ceremonies. Located nearby National Museum, offering exhibitions of the cultures of the peoples of the country and the Cultural Village - a traditional “beehive village” for the region with all the attributes of the life of local residents, specially preserved near the museum. Given the size of the royal family (King Sobhuza II had 600 children), the country's monarchs now live in the state residence of Lotiza, 10 km from Lobamba. Next to the museum is the Parliament building, which is sometimes open to tourists, and across the road from the museum is the Memorial dedicated to King Sobhuza II. Near the capital there is a small but very picturesque Mantenga waterfall.

Mlawula Nature Reserve- this is eighteen thousand hectares of completely untouched and rarely visited by people forest, although it is a very beautiful, very rugged terrain. It is rather a small natural country in the foothills of the Lebombo Mountains. Rare varieties of succulent plants, alpine poppy, and ironwood grow here; Hyenas, leopards, hippopotamuses, samangos, crocodiles, a variety of antelopes, zebras and more than 350 species of birds are found in abundance. Since Stone Age artifacts were discovered here, there are many sections and archaeological tourist trails.

Swazi cuisine

Traditional Swazi cuisine uses local vegetables and fruits, exotic game, seafood and ocean fish.

Beef is the basis of many local dishes. Residents of Swaziland prefer dishes such as: T-bone steak - a large T-bone steak made from marbled beef; baba ganoush - delicious puree baked eggplant, seasoned; ribeye steak - steak prepared from the rib portion; couscous with lamb and mixed vegetables; pomegranate sorbet.

Chefs often use fish and seafood as a basis for preparing local dishes.