The Kingdom of Swaziland is surrounded by South Africa and Mozambique, and entering the Kingdom is an experience in itself.
The Kingdom of Swaziland is surrounded by South Africa and Mozambique.
Entering the Kingdom is an experience in itself; there are generally queues to get into and out of the country. Allow at least an hour for it. First you leave South Africa as a person, and your hire car is cleared as well; then comes the next counter, where you enter the Kingdom and bring your car in again. Waiting in the queue you sometimes have delightful conversations with local people, who quickly work out that you are not an Afrikaner and want to know everything about you.
The landscape in Swaziland is different again. You see large sugar cane plantations, and in the harvest season especially you see big trucks driving to carry it away. There are even more people walking on and beside the road than in South Africa, and children playing along the verge, sometimes with a cow wandering between them.
There are a number of pleasant places to stay; most are remarkable for their setting, though often simple.
My advice would be to let yourself be surprised by staying a night rather than driving through in a day, and to enjoy a cultural performance along the way or at your accommodation.
