Eswatini Escorted Tours

Escorted Tours to Eswatini

Valleys and mountains, wilderness and wildlife all come together to shape the beautiful Kingdom of Eswatini. Within its tiny boundaries, the Big Five roam reserves, locals preserve their cultural traditions, and the capital basks within the cool climes of its hillside country.

Why should I book an Eswatini tour?

One of the world’s last absolute monarchies, and one of the continent’s best kept secrets, the Kingdom of Eswatini changed its name from Swaziland in 2018 to mark 50 years of independence, though it has no desire to alter its character. Famously friendly and committed to the conservation of both wildlife and culture, the country celebrates age-old festivals and continues its traditional way of life.

At the border with South Africa, the Matsamo Cultural Village meets visitors with an immediate display of Eswatini’s uniqueness, with the authentic village celebrating Swazi culture, crafts and cuisine, all enlivened with performances of local song and dance.

Riverside Mbabane is Eswatini’s administrative capital, while Lobamba, a few miles away, is the national capital and seat of the king. Manzini meanwhile is the kingdom’s largest city, though most of the 1-million population live in rural towns and rustic settlements, enveloped in bucolic scenes and a slow-lane tempo.

At just 110 miles long by 80 wide, Eswatini is filled with luxuriant landscapes from grasslands and thorn bush to rainforests and river canyons. The diminutive country’s diverse topography creates a profusion of flora and forms the habitats for equally varied fauna.

National parks and nature reserves border each other, making wildlife watching accessible and spectacular. Each of the Big Five prowl these lands, including both black and white rhino, along with hippos, giraffes, and zebras, monkeys, fish and amphibians, an abundance of antelopes, and 500 species of birds.

In northern Eswatini, splendid scenery accompanies the Komati River as it cuts a dramatic course, dropping from the plateau to sweep between the cliffs and slopes of a 900m-deep gorge.
In the northwest, tucked between the two capitals, the ethereal enclave of Ezulwini Valley enjoys the epithet ‘Valley of Heaven’, and encompasses several wildlife reserves. The largest is the conservation area of Mlilwane Wildlife Sanctuary. Described by its founders as the realisation of their ‘impossible dream’, it is Eswatini’s most popular eco-destination, visited by hippos and home to impala, warthog and wildebeest, baboons and vervet monkeys.

Jules Verne’s journeys in Eswatini are teamed with the cultural landmarks and wildlife reserves of South Africa, Mozambique, and Zimbabwe.

When is the best time to go to Eswatini?

With a rainy season from mid-October to mid-April, when downpours are generally short, sharp showers in the afternoon, Eswatini is dry and sunny throughout the rest of the year. The variations in climate come only with altitudes, hottest in the eastern Lowveld hills, coolest and with more rain in the western Highveld mountains.
Winters (May to August) are warm, with daytime averages around 20°-24°, though nights are quite cold. Summer temperatures range between 25 and 30°, at their highest in September to November. Jules Verne’s Eswatini Tours journey to the country in both seasons.

Who are Jules Verne’s Eswatini tours best suited to?

Among adventurous and enthralling tours in southern Africa, Eswatini is an interlude of unhurried calm, unique culture, and up-close animal viewing. This provides an extra perspective on the continent’s kaleidoscope of landscapes and lifestyles, adding a tantalising glimpse of a land less visited. Curious travellers, seasoned safari-goers, wildlife-watchers, and keen photographers would all enjoy the experience.

Why book Eswatini tours with Jules Verne?

With 45 years’ experience and a passion for creating extraordinary adventures, Jules Verne finds the most intriguing, adventurous, and inspiring places to explore. Our safaris typically take to the tracks with small groups of travellers and a knowledgeable driver/guide, well versed in the habits and habitats of the country’s amazing animals. Our various journeys to Eswatini may include a local song and dance performance, a visit to the country’s National Museum, meeting the Lady Chief of a traditional village, or travelling in the cossetting comfort of the prestigious Shongololo Express train, evoking the elegance of a bygone age, and including all meals aboard.

Our Jules Verne guided tours to Eswatini are ABTA and ATOL protected, so you can book with complete confidence.