North East Eswatini (Swaziland)

This region of Eswatini (Swaziland) is primarily lowveld. This is quintessential Africa: undulating thorn bush, scattered mud-and- thatch villages, and blue hills lining the horizon. It seems a world away from the cool western highveld. Those blue hills, the beautiful, flat-topped Lubombo Mountains, form the eastern border with South Africa.

The advent of the sugar industry from the late 1950s brought development and the region is now characterised by vast sugar estates, most of which have country clubs offering a variety of activities to guests and visitors. There are few towns of any notable size, with the largest being Siteki, on the western edge of the Lubombos, en route to the Mozambique border.

Most visitors come to this region of Eswatini because it is home to the country’s greatest number of nature/wildlife reserves, which collectively make up the Lubombo Conservancy. Hlane Royal National Park is the best known and most visited but Mlawula Nature Reserve, Mbuluzi Game Reserve and Dombeya Game Reserve also offer some wonderful wilderness and wildlife experiences. Within the Conservancy, visitors may spot a vast diversity of animals, including the Big Five and bird life that is second to none, all within protected bushveld areas that incorporate wonderful indigenous plants and trees. The bird life in this region is among the most prolific in the country with more than 350 species and due to the extent of the conservation areas, there are many majestic raptors as well as brown-headed parrots in their hundreds. A wide choice of accommodation is available within the reserves at the various rest camps.

Atop the Lubombo mountains is the Shewula Nature Reserve, also part of the Conservancy and home to one of the country’s most successful community tourism projects. The Lubombo Eco Trails project aims to establish even more community-based enterprises that will allow visitors to experience the mountains to the full.

Where to Go in North East Eswatini
Dombeya Game Reserve
Dombeya Game Reserve, located north east of Manzini, is a delightful and peaceful wildlife retreat. Prior to establishment as a Game Reserve, the area was under severe threat from tree felling and poaching. With dedicated energy, the owners launched an ecological restoration programme, and the area is now a thriving wildlife reserve, in excellent ecological condition. The Reserve is home to a wide variety of wildlife, including giraffe, wildebeest, waterbuck, kudu, nyala, warthog, impala and many more. Without the big 5, Dombeya is a stunning place to explore nature, up-close, at your own pace. The Reserve has 2 luxury lodges Mkhiweni Lodge and Shonalanga Lodge, each sleeping up to 4 people, and there are lots of beautiful places to explore. Unfortunately, day visitors are not currently permitted, as facilities are limited.

Hlane Royal National Park
Hlane is Eswatini’s (Swaziland’s) largest protected area and extends either side of the MR3 – where you may spot wildlife along the verge. The camps are located in the western sector. This area hosts the traditional Butimba, or royal hunt, and today Big Game Parks manages Hlane on behalf of the King. Among a wealth of wildlife reintroduced to its former home, elephant, white rhino, lion and leopard all occur. The rhino and elephant often visit the waterhole at Ndlovu Camp, while lions – the emblem of royal Eswatini – occupy a separate fenced area, where you can see them on a guided game drive. Leopards are more elusive, as are spotted hyenas, whose whooping calls blend with the roars of the lions at night. Giraffe, zebra and hippos are among the other large mammals, while antelope include abundant impala, plus kudu, wildebeest and waterbuck. Highlights among more than 300 species of bird include a large breeding colony of white-backed vultures.

Visitors can choose from a selection of game drives and Hlane’s wide network of game-viewing roads is ideal for a self-drive safari. You can stretch your legs at picnic sites and watch animals come to drink from the game-viewing hide at Mahlindza Dam. Other activities include guided walks and a mountain-bike trail, while overnight bush trails are run in the wild eastern Lusoti section. Accommodation is at Ndlovu Camp, where you can watch the rhinos come to drink, or at the secluded, self-catering Bhubesi Camp, where only the calls of bushbabies and nightjars disturb the night.

Lubombo Conservancy
The reserves of Hlane, Mlawula, Mbuluzi and Shewula fall within a larger project called the Lubombo Conservancy. This aims to protect the biodiversity of North East Eswatini (Swaziland), also helping improve life for people through more sustainable use of natural resources. This area is also where most big game is found. The free-roaming herds of the past are gone, but a far-sighted conservation programme has preserved the habitat and replenished much of its original wildlife.

The low, flat bushveld terrain, rising to the rugged Lubombos, is just like that of the southeast Kruger Park in South Africa, a little to the north. Indeed, before roads, borders, sugar estates and other impediments, this region was just as wild and teeming with big game. In todays world, wildlife can be found in the reserves.

You have a choice of reserves in which to experience this wild Eswatini of yesteryear – and also to get a flavour of community life: Hlane Royal National Park is managed by Big Game Parks and home to abundant wildlife, much of it re-introduced; Mlawula Nature Reserve is run by the Eswatini National Trust Commission, with pristine bush that reaches to the top of the Lubombos, but is more challenging in terms of both game-viewing and accommodation; Mbuluzi Game Reserve is effectively a small slice of Mlawula but, under private management, has easier game-viewing and better facilities; Shewula Mountain Camp is a community project high in the Lubombos, where visitors can combine wild nature with local culture.

Lubombo Mountains
Along the eastern border, forming a natural barrier between Swaziland and Mozambique, is a line of rugged volcanic hills known as the Lubombos, which rise abruptly from the lowveld to some 600m. This range extends far beyond Swaziland, following the Mozambique border north through the Kruger National Park and south into KwaZulu-Natal.

The Lubombos themselves are wild and beautiful – home to some exciting hikes, excellent community projects and rare fauna and flora. These wild hills harbour some unusual habitats, with the rare flora and fauna found nowhere else in the country.

A new initiative is opening up a number of eco-walking trails. The Lubombo Eco Trails is aimed at providing the adventure seeker with a unique ecological and cultural experience. It is a community-focused initiative: a growing adventure trails network including hiking, mountain biking, 4×4 routes, bird watching, cultural routes and river rafting. The Eco Trails will initiate a number of community-based enterprises, such as eco lodges and cultural attractions.

Mbuluzi Game Reserve
Mbuluzi Game Reserveis a small but highly picturesque reserve adjoins Mlawula to the north west, and its privately managed bushveld is home to plentiful wildlife in Swaziland. Game-viewing roads, hiking trails and a mountain-bike route wind around the reserve, criss-crossing the Mlawula River and offering impressive views. The terrain undulates between the deep Mbuluzi gorge and steep Lubombo escarpment, with dense riverine forests, rocky cliffs and open savannah. It supports a good population of giraffe, plus kudu, blue wildebeest, zebra, impala and other herbivores. Hippos move in and out of the reserve, while spotted hyenas and leopards are occasionally seen. Over 300 bird species have been recorded, including rarities such as African finfoot, and the rivers hold numerous crocodiles.

Mbuluzi is a strictly do-it-yourself destination. You can drive most roads in a standard family car, visiting viewpoints, picnic spots and a bird hide, or walk the reserve’s many trails. Other activities include mountain-biking and fishing. Large private lodges offer secluded, fully equipped, self-catering accommodation, with excellent views.

Mlawula Nature Reserve
This wild reserve lies to the east of the MR3, north of Simunye, and is managed by the Swaziland National Trust Commission. Its savannah and woodland mosaic is flanked to the east by the Lubombo mountains and to the north by the Mbuluzi river. This habitat variety means that Mlawula boasts an even greater biodiversity than Hlane, but poaching over the years has taken its toll and larger game is harder to see. Impala are the most abundant large mammal, with zebra, wildebeest, nyala and kudu often seen. Predators include a few spotted hyenas, often heard at night, while baboons and klipspringers scale the cliffs of the Lubombos. Mlawula’s 350 recorded species of bird represent 70% of Swaziland’s total and include such local specialities as white-backed night-heron and African broadbill. The reserve is also a botanical hotspot, with endemic cycads and aloes among its 1,035 recorded species.

Mlawula is a rougher and more challenging destination than Hlane, with fewer facilities and activities, but offers rich rewards for those prepared to explore. Visitors can stay at Siphiso campsite or Magadzavane Lodge, the latter reached via Siteki. Most game-viewing roads are, with care, manageable in a normal vehicle. A map marks all roads, trails and picnic spots and, with no dangerous game, you can get out wherever you like. The walking trails offer a rare opportunity to wander unguided in pristine African bush. Trails vary in length from 1.5km to a full day’s hike.

Shewula Nature Reserve
Shewula Nature Reserve covers 2650ha of land put aside by the local community for conservation. It is part of the Lubombo Conservancy and is home to the very popular Shewula Mountain Camp, which enjoys a spectacular location on top of the Lubombo Mountains. On a clear day you can see down to the Indian Ocean to the east and across Eswatini (Swaziland) to the mountains of Malolotja to the west. This pioneering eco-tourism project has become one of the most successful of its kind in southern Africa. The community own and manage the project and profits go towards local development projects, including orphan care and wind power. Activities include guided nature walks down to the Mbuluzi Gorge, through beautiful scenery in search of crocodiles, birds and other wildlife, and mountain bike (or donkey cart!) rides around the plateau. The highlight is probably the village walk, taking you round the community; a chance to meet local people, visit a school and share some stories over a local beer, even visit the local sangoma (traditional healer). These walks do not feel contrived; the village simply gets on with life while you join in with as much or as little as you like. The sunsets are spectacular, and after dark you can enjoy the communal Swazi meals and watch the sibhaca dance displays.

Siteki
Siteki, 65km east of Manzini, is perched on top of the Lubombo plateau and offers magnificent views back to the distant mountains in the west. Its name means ‘marrying place’ and derives from a proclamation of King Mbandzeni (1875–1889), who allowed his troops to get hitched here. The town was one of Swaziland’s earliest colonial settlements, attracting settlers with its cooling breezes and the promise of lively trade along the ‘gin road’ to Maputo (then Lourenço Marques). Today, it is hard to imagine the glory years, but you will find basic shops and amenities and, nearby, some lovely places to stay. Mabuda Farm sits on a steep hillside just outside Siteki and offers a variety of accommodation and activities on a busy working dairy farm. Guests can stroll among the hay bales and hedgerows, enjoying the breezes of the ridgetop, ride a pony around the estate, or hike a series of wild trails down the hillside.

Sugar Estates & Country Clubs
In the north east corner of the country, a series of vast sugar estates dominate the lowveld, with a number of estate country clubs offering facilities for visitors. The clubs are something of a blast from the past. They were built mainly for the recreational needs of the expats who work on the sugar estates and come with golf course, sports bars, tennis courts, and other facilities you might expect. But they are by no means stuffy or exclusive and offer a pleasant place to eat or spend the night – generally in large and attractive grounds.

In the far north, Mhlume, Tambankulu and Mananga Country Clubs all lie just off the M24. Mananga has its own small game reserve and offers activities on the nearby Sand River Dam. Simunye Country Club offers a convenient ‘watering hole’ at the centre of the Lubombo Conservancy, with a relaxed vibe, excellent food and lush grounds teeming with bird life.