How to Find Hotels in Swaziland

Swaziland is a small country in Southern Africa, located between South Africa and Mozambique. It's located on the edge of the Drakensberg mountains, and is a great place to see traditional African tribal culture. Conservationists have made Swaziland one of the best places in the world to go on safari.

Difficulty: Moderate

Instructions

Things You'll Need:

• Passport
• Computer with Internet access for making reservations

Know Your Destination

1. Brush up on a few African tribal phrases. Tribal languages, along with English, are the official languages of the country.

2. Be familiar with the exchange rate. The currency of Swaziland is the lilangeni, held at a one per one exchange rate with the South African rand. As of 2006, one U.S. dollar is equivalent to six lilangeni.

Organize Transportation

3. Chart a course through Johannesburg or Durban, both in South Africa. Your connecting flight will land at Swaziland's Matsapha International Airport, which is near Manzini, the country's economic capital.

4. Take a shared taxi to get from place to place. This is a convenient and readily available mode of transportation.

5. Consider renting a car. Be aware that Swazis can legally drive with a blood alcohol content of up to 0.15 percent.

Choose Your Lodging

6. Choose between accommodations in the economic or administrative capitals, or opt to camp out in the bush.

7. Choose the price point you're willing to pay. The cheapest accommodations will cost about $6 per night. The most expensive will cost $60 and higher.

8. Reserve your accommodations through a travel agent in your hometown, or via a travel agent in Swaziland once you arrive. Most Swazi lodgings will not offer Internet bookings.

Be Familiar With Local Information

9. Learn about Swazi culture and practices prior to your visit. For example, the country recently underwent a ban on sex that lasted almost four years, known as Umchwasho.

10. Find out when national holidays, events or festivals are taking place. For example, the Reed Dance, or Umhlanga, has taken place every August for, possibly, thousands of years.

11. To book accommodations in Swaziland, call Swaziland Tourism Authority at 268 4049693 or visit the link below.

Tips & Warnings

• Swaziland has good weather all year round due to its piedmont location. There's no need to travel during a particular time of year to avoid bad weather.
• Swazi buses are unreliable and slow, and charter planes have been known to crash.
• Know that 42.6 percent of people in Swaziland are HIV-positive. Do not engage in sexual relations with a Swazi citizen, and do not do anything that might require you to get a blood transfusion.
• Know that Swaziland is a place of political turmoil, where democracy is thwarted by a ruthless monarch. Stay away from any active protests or political gatherings.