Situated in South Eastern Africa near the Indian Ocean but land-locked by South Africa and Mozambique, sits Swaziland. The borders of the Kingdom of Swaziland used to extend much further into South Africa from Phongola River in the south to the Crocodile River in the north.
Pre-colonial Swaziland was founded by King Sobhuza 1 who is still widely regarded as the artchitect of this country. He strengthened the nation and monarch at a time when there was constant threat from both Zulu and Colonial expansion. After the peace signing at the end of the Anglo-Boer wars, Swaziland was a British Protectorate and was granted independence in 1968. The current ruler is Kin Mswati III.
The Kingdom of Swaziland is famous for its rich cultural heritage and there are many cultural villages, craft centres and museums where you can witness this, sometimes even staying in traditinoal reed huts. There are some very colourful famous ceremonies which attract visitors worldwide.
The Reed Dance ceremony is when girls dressed in traditional Swazi clothing carry reeds and dance before the royal household to express national unity. Dates are usually in September.
The Incwala Ceremony, sometimes called First Fruits Ceremoney, takes place in December or January for six days depending on the moon and sun. On the full moon nearest to summer solstice, the regiments of traditional warriors accompany thousands of young men cutting sacred branches which are used in a ritual of kinship. Three days later a pageant of song and dance is performed at the Queen Mother's homestead at Ludzidzini.
Swaziland has gorgeous mountain scenery with many lakes, waterfalls and rivers. There are several good wildlife and nature reserves including Mkhaya which is famous for it's Rhino conservation project.
The climate here is temperate with high temperatures and rain storms from November to February then cooling with little rain through the winter months. The highlands reach 1800m above sea level and the lowveld areas are usually quite hot.
There are many arts and craft centres, one of the best being at Mantenga which offer products made from soapstone, wood, clay and raffia plus fashion items and gold and silver. In the Malkerns Valley hand crafted famous Swazi candles can be found. North west of Mbabane, is the Ngwenya Glass factory and throughout the kingdom are a variety of roadside craft stalls.
