Eswatini Travel Guide

Preparing For A Trip To Eswatini?

Visa Information / Entry requirements – Eswatini

This page reflects the UK government’s understanding of current rules for people travelling on a full ‘British Citizen’ passport from the UK, for the most common types of travel.

The authorities in Eswatini set and enforce entry rules. If you’re unsure how Eswatini’s entry requirements apply to you, contact its UK embassy, high commission or consulate.

All travellers

Usually British passport holders do not require visas for Eswatini.

Check your passport and travel documents before you travel

Passport validity

If you are visiting Eswatini, your passport should be valid for 3 months from the date you arrive and have at least 2 blank pages.

If you intend to visit South Africa before or after travelling to Eswatini, you’ll need to have an additional 2 blank pages to enter and leave South Africa.

Check with your travel provider to make sure your passport and other travel documents meet their requirements.

Visas

Usually British passport holders do not require visas for Eswatini.

Yellow fever certificate requirements

Check whether you need a yellow fever certificate by visiting the National Travel Health Network and Centre’s TravelHealthPro website.

UK Emergency Travel Documents

UK Emergency Travel Documents are accepted for entry into, transit and exit from Eswatini. Your Emergency Travel Document should have a minimum of 6 months remaining validity.

Tourism Health Information – Eswatini

If you have a health condition, or you are pregnant, you may need specialist healthcare abroad. Check whether your destination country can provide the healthcare you may need and ensure you have appropriate travel insurance for unexpected medical evacuation or local treatment.

At least 8 weeks before your trip, check the latest country-specific health advice from the National Travel Health Network and Centre (NaTHNaC) on the TravelHealthPro website. Each country-specific page has information on vaccine recommendations, any current health risks or outbreaks, and factsheets with information on staying healthy abroad. Guidance is also available from NHS (Scotland) on the FitForTravel website.

General information on travel vaccinations and a travel health checklist is available on the NHS website. You may then wish to contact your health adviser or pharmacy for advice on other preventive measures and managing any pre-existing medical conditions while you’re abroad.

The legal status and regulation of some medicines prescribed or purchased in the UK can be different in other countries. If you’re travelling with prescription or over-the-counter medicine, read this guidance from NaTHNaC on best practice when travelling with medicines. For further information on the legal status of a specific medicine, you’ll need to contact the embassy, high commission or consulate of the country or territory you’re travelling to.

While travel can be enjoyable, it can sometimes be challenging. There are clear links between mental and physical health, so looking after yourself during travel and when abroad is important. Information on travelling with mental health conditions is available in our guidance page. Further information is also available from the National Travel Health Network and Centre (NaTHNaC).

Local medical care

Basic healthcare is available in Eswatini, but there are shortages of even common medications. Medical evacuation to South Africa is necessary for serious accidents and emergencies. Local private hospitals can arrange evacuation but only if you are fully insured or you can produce funds in advance. Make sure you have adequate travel health insurance and accessible funds to cover the cost of any medical treatment abroad and repatriation.

If you need emergency medical assistance during your trip, dial 933 and ask for an ambulance. You should contact your insurance/medical assistance company promptly if you are referred to a medical facility for treatment.

Eswatini annual calendar full of traditional & modern events

Below is a Calendar of Events in Eswatini, ranging from the major annual cultural festivals, to organised hikes or small one-off event evenings at a particular hotel or restaurant. They are listed in date order but can also be filtered by Type and Date and Location (though Eswatini is so compact, any event can be attended wherever you are in the country!)

Eswatini is known around the world for the magnificent traditional festivals that the country hosts. Chief amongst these are the Umhlanga (Reed Dance) held in August / September, the Incwala  held in December / January and the Marula Festival in February-March. These are living cultural events that, bar the odd wristwatch and mobile phone, have hardly changed in two hundred years. Visitors are allowed to watch, but the ceremonies make no concession to tourism; even the precise dates are not published in advance, being dependent on the vagaries of ancestral astrology. The main events happen at the royal parade grounds at Ludzidzini or other royal residencies, but the mood of celebration sweeps the nation, and visitors to the country around the time of the events will doubtless see wandering bands of warriors or maidens decked out in full regalia as they head to or from the festivities.

Alongside the traditional, there is now a growing number of modern events gaining international recognition. One that leads the way and has gained an excellent international reputation over many years is the MTN BUSHFIRE Festival – a performing arts festival held every May. Hot on its heels is the younger Luju Food & Lifestyle Festival, held in late September in 2022 at the same venue.

The country also plays host to a number of sporting events around the year, particularly a series of challenging mountain bike races.

Eswatini’s Annual Calendar: A Month-by-Month Guide

Most activities in Eswatini are available year-round, but here’s a sense of what each month does particularly well. For specific festival dates, see the Eswatini Tourism Authority’s events calendar.

January: Start in the Ezulwini Valley, Eswatini’s tourism heartland, with a visit to Mantenga Cultural Village and Mlilwane Wildlife Sanctuary, explored by vehicle, on foot, by bike or on horseback.

February: Festival season begins. The Marula Festival celebrates the annual marula fruit harvest, traditionally marked with homemade marula wine.

March: As the lowveld warms up, head to the highlands of Malolotja to visit the world’s oldest known mine at Ngwenya, or try the thrilling Malolotja Canopy Tour.

April: A good month to explore Eswatini’s internationally renowned handicraft scene, much of it produced by community-focused, socially responsible workshops you can visit and shop at directly.

May: Home to MTN Bushfire, one of the best-regarded performing arts festivals in Southern Africa, a strong, modern counterpart to the country’s traditional festival calendar.

June: Dry-season winter months make this a good time for white-water rafting, when the Usutu River typically flows more gently, well suited to a calmer rafting experience.

July: Take on the Sibebe Survivor trek up and down Sibebe Rock, one of the world’s largest granite domes, with spectacular views from the summit.

August: Home to the Umhlanga Reed Dance, one of the most striking cultural spectacles on the continent, with thousands of young women dancing before the King and Queen Mother.

September: With vegetation low, this is prime season to track Mkhaya’s renowned rhino population on foot, one of the most thrilling ways to safari.

October: Visit Hlane, Eswatini’s largest national park, before temperatures climb further, for a strong chance of seeing lion alongside more rhino.

November: Visit Shewula, a community tourism project in the Lubombo Mountains, to learn about Swazi life firsthand, with views back across the whole country.

December: Close the year with the Incwala Festival, Eswatini’s most important and sacred ceremony.