Ezulwini Valley
The Valley of Heaven runs some 30 km below the Mdzimba hills, with Lobamba, seat of parliament and of the Royal Kraal, in its midst and game grazing in the lower fields.
- Arrival
- King Mswati III International · SHO
- To the valley
- About 53 km from SHO in a straight line
- Private jets
- Handled at SHO; Jet A1 by bowser
- Best time
- April to September
The city
Royal ground and green hills.
Lobamba, the historical capital, lies in the valley. Parliament sits here, as do the National Museum, the Royal Kraal and the memorial park to King Sobhuza II. Umhlanga, the Reed Dance, falls in August or September. Around December and January comes Incwala, when the king gives his people leave to eat the first crops of the season.
The rest of the valley has filled up with hotels, a casino, shopping centres and the handicrafts market, yet the grazing land on the lower slopes is still open. Mlilwane, the oldest protected area in the country, was set aside in 1964 and covers 4,500 hectares; you can ride or cycle through it. The Royal Swazi Sun, the first casino-hotel in the region, opened in 1965, three years before independence.
- Mlilwane Wildlife Sanctuary Some 4,500 hectares of grass and hill, explored on horseback, by mountain bike or with binoculars for the birds.
- Mantenga Nature Reserve A waterfall near Lobamba and a cultural village where Swazi dances are performed and crafts are sold.
- Lobamba The legislative capital, with the Parliament building, the National Museum and the Royal Kraal.
Arriving
Down from the eastern airport.
King Mswati III International replaced the old Matsapha airport for airline traffic in 2014. It stands about 53 km east of the valley in a straight line, and its runway of some 3.6 km can take a Boeing 777.
- Johannesburg 45 min
- Cape Town 2 h 15
- Kigali 3 h 50
- Nairobi 4 h 00
- Madrid 10 h 55 long-range jet
When to go
April to September.
The figures are Mbabane's, the nearest long-term series, about 13 km away. Days stay between 18 and 24 °C all year. Nearly all the rain comes in summer, from October to March, and January alone averages 244 mm. In June barely 15 mm falls.
- 24° J 244
- 24° F 196
- 24° M 140
- 22° A 84
- 20° M 33
- 18° J 15
- 19° J 20
- 20° A 33
- 22° S 66
- 22° O 127
- 22° N 191
- 24° D 198
Where to stay
Villas, a spa resort, and the capital up the road.
Shown for information. We have no arrangement with any of these hotels.
- The Royal Villas King suites of 43.5 square metres with private patios, and a private dining room called Endzaweni.
-
Hilton Garden Inn Mbabane In the capital's business district, with 124 rooms and the Imbali restaurant and bar.
Where to dine
The best table in the valley.
No guide rates Eswatini’s restaurants. Lihawu, at The Royal Villas, is the restaurant Lonely Planet calls the most elegant in the country.
- Lihawu Lonely Planet African fusion The Royal Villas, Ezulwini Valley
Flying to Ezulwini Valley?
Choose how you arrive.
A Business or First Class seat on a scheduled airline, or an aircraft of your own. Tell us the date and how many are travelling, and we reply with one final price, our margin included.