Hlane
The old royal hunting ground of the Swazi kings, about 30,000 hectares of lowveld bush where lion, elephant and white rhino live under knobthorn and leadwood.
- Arrival
- King Mswati III International · SHO
- To the park
- About 18 km from SHO in a straight line
- Private jets
- At SHO; Jet A1 by bowser, no hangars
- Best time
- March to November
The city
A king's wilderness.
King Sobhuza II gave the park its name: hlane means wilderness. It was the monarchy's private hunting ground, and King Mswati III now holds it in trust for the nation, with Big Game Parks running it. The country is flat bushveld of ancient hardwoods, grass and shallow pans, cut in two since the 1960s by the MR3 highway, which the sugar estates on its borders pushed for.
From June to September the pans dry out and wildebeest, zebra and impala crowd the waterholes. Cheetah have been brought back after a long absence. Look up as well: white-backed vultures nest here more densely than anywhere else in Africa, and marabou storks breed at the southern edge of their range. Accommodation is in thatched cottages at two camps, Ndlovu by the main entrance and Bhubesi in the north.
- Hippo Pool A hide in the southern part of the park, looking out over the water.
- Vulture colonies White-backed vultures nest in the tall trees, with martial eagles and bateleurs overhead.
- Ndlovu Camp The main camp beside the MR3 entrance, with thatched cottages and a restaurant open for every meal.
Arriving
The airport next door.
King Mswati III International lies about 18 km south-west of the park in a straight line. At roughly 3.6 km it is long enough for a Boeing 777.
- Johannesburg 50 min
- Cape Town 2 h 20
- Kigali 3 h 50
- Singapore 11 h 00 long-range jet
- Sydney 14 h 10 long-range jet
When to go
March to November.
The figures come from Big Bend, a lowveld station about 64 km south, since the only weather2travel series for Eswatini is up in the hills at Mbabane. Days are hot, 25 °C in June and 32 °C from December to February. Winter is almost dry, with 10 mm a month in June and July, and January is the wettest month at 110 mm.
- 32° J 110
- 32° F 85
- 31° M 60
- 29° A 40
- 27° M 20
- 25° J 10
- 26° J 10
- 27° A 15
- 29° S 30
- 29° O 55
- 30° N 85
- 32° D 75
Flying to Hlane?
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