CAPITAL MBABANE – POPULATION 1.1 MILLION – AREA 17,363 SQ KM – OFFICIAL LANGUAGES SWATI, ENGLISH
A poor and landlocked kingdom with the highest rate of HIV/AIDS infection in the world (38% of its population are estimated to be infected) leading to an average life expectancy of just 31 to 32 years, Swaziland is quite surprisingly one of the Africa’s most stable and easy-going countries. Unless you’re here to volunteer for one of its highly necessary charity programmes, the main reason to visit is to trek through one of Swaziland’s absolutely stellar national parks. Birds are the main attraction at Malolotja; horseback trips to spot giraffe and zebra are the order of the day (and overnight) at Milwane. But if it’s the highly endangered black rhino you’re after, head to Mkhaya, which offers the best chance of a sighting in the whole of Africa.
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