Lobamba · SZ

Mlilwane Game Sanctuary

Mlilwane Wildlife Sanctuary is Eswatini's oldest and best-loved conservation area, tucked into the Ezulwini Valley—the "Valley of Heaven"—between the country's two main hubs, Mbabane and Manzini. Born in 1960 when the Reilly family turned their working farm into a refuge for vanishing wildlife, it is today a 4,600-hectare patchwork of grassland plains, riverine forest, mountain and wetland, run by the non-profit Big Game Parks. What makes Mlilwane unusual in Africa is its freedom. Because the sanctuary holds no dangerous big game, visitors can walk, run and pedal the trails on their own rather than being confined to a vehicle—zebra, wildebeest and warthog graze calmly within sight of the thatched Rest Camp. Add guided horse trails over the granite peak of Nyonyane (the "Rock of Execution"), mountain biking, game drives, birding and village cultural tours, and a compact reserve becomes a genuine outdoor playground for families, solo travellers and groups alike.