Eswatini: good to know
The general-information half of trip planning: how expensive Eswatini feels, what is considered polite, what is not, and the everyday practicalities - alongside our 34 written places.
Deeply traditional and gently formal; greetings and respect for elders open every door.
✓ Considered polite
- Greet with sawubona to one person, sanibonani to several - the reply is yebo
- Shake right hands while touching your right forearm with your left hand - it signals respect
- Give and receive things with the right hand or both hands
- Soften eye contact with elders - a lowered gaze reads as courtesy, not evasion
✗ Better avoided
- Launch into business before greetings - asking after someone's wellbeing comes first
- Wear short shorts or revealing clothes in rural communities - modest dress is appreciated
- Photograph people or homesteads without asking
- Refuse hospitality flatly - accept a taste even if you cannot finish
Worth knowing
- South African rand notes are accepted 1:1 alongside lilangeni, but rand coins are not
- Spend your lilangeni before leaving - it is hard to exchange outside the country
- Cards work in lodges and malls; markets and rural stalls are cash territory
- Tipping around 10% in restaurants is customary, with small notes for guides and porters
Plugs and voltage: Wikipedia, «Mains electricity by country» (after the IEC World Plugs list), read 15 October 2026.
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Keep planning
Customs are living things - regions differ, cities relax, generations shift. Take these notes as a friendly head start, watch what locals do, and when in doubt a smile and a greeting in the local language cover almost everything.