Manzini

Manzini

About Destination

Manzini is a city in Eswatini (Swaziland), it is also the capital of Eswatini's Manzini Region. The city the largest urban centre with a population of 110, 000, in Eswatin.

The town city was started as a township in 1898. The town was a British/Boer colonial headquarters from 1890 but was destroyed in 1902 amid the Anglo-Boer War when the administrative centre was transferred to Mbabane.

Since the 1920s, the Agricultural Show (name later changed to the Swaziland International Trade Fair) has been the country's largest and best-attended annual event.

In 1915, the first hotel was reconstructed on the banks of the Mzimene River. Named the Riverside Hotel, it remained opened until 1997, changing its name over the years to the Manzini Arms Hotel and in the 1990s the Velebantfu Hotel. The buildings were intact after closure for several years but were leveled in 2008 by private developers. A shopping mall opened on the site in 2011.

Opened in the 1970s, Matsapha Internation Airport, Swaziland's only commercial airport, lay 10 km. to the west. As of 2014, Matsapha closed, and King Mswati III International Airport, 56.9 km east, is the new international airport. Manzini is the closest urban centre.

Manzini was declared a city in 1994. Manzini is home to a Nazarene High School, which has a successful school choir.

Eswatini’s (Swaziland’s) has a rich variety of landscapes and habitats are as many as the sands of the sea. The city surroundings reserves offer much big wild game, with17 protected areas that are home to a very wide range of species, including the famous big 5. This is also one of the few places on the African continent for rhino experiences (tracking on foot as well as viewing by 4×4, and to see both black and white rhinos). Birdwatching is a tourism favorite with over 500 species of bird recorded in the country. The vast landscapes and wilderness areas, Eswatini’s flora includes over 3500 indigenous species of plants, with about 25 species endemic to Eswatini.

The city offers man attractions which include taking a Swazi Cultural Village to walk, visit the Mantenga Nature Reserve, have an afternoon shopping for curious at the Manzini Market. Myxo's WOZA NAWE Cultural Day Tours are educational and fun. And lastly, a Trenchtown Cruise should be on your list when visiting the city.

Accommodation in Manzini varies from price from lodges guest houses and hotels and will suit any budget.

A full passport valid for at least three months is required for entry into Eswatini (formerly Swaziland). For tourist visits, visas are NOT required by citizens of most Commonwealth countries.

The currency of Swaziland is Swazi Lilangeni  and equals R1.00 or $0.04

Local restaurants feature home-cooked meals rich in flavour and colour. Visit the top spots, Foresters Arms Hotel, Ramblas Restaurant, and the eDladleni Swai Restaurant.

Visit the hub of Swaziland