Mbabane

Mbabane is Eswatini's administrative capital, set in the Dlangeni hills at around eleven hundred metres, which gives it a cool climate and frequent mist that the rest of the country does not have. The city grew around a trading post and remains fairly small, with a central market selling crafts and produce and the Ezulwini valley dropping away to the southeast. Parliament and the royal residence are at Lobamba rather than here. The name comes from a chief who was living here when British settlers arrived in the 1880s.

What you actually see

• The hill setting - a capital at eleven hundred metres in the Dlangeni hills.
• The central market - crafts and produce in the middle of town.
• The Ezulwini valley - the ground dropping southeast from the city.
• The split capital - administration here, parliament and monarchy at Lobamba.

When to go

Year round. Winter mornings are cold and mist is common. Summer afternoons bring heavy rain.

Honest expectations

There is not much for a visitor beyond the market and it works mainly as a base. Traffic through the centre is heavy. Mist and rain close in frequently.

Nearby

Ezulwini is southeast, and Sibebe Rock is north.