Travel costs and information for Swaziland - Mbabane, Ezulwini Valley, Mkhaya Game Reserve, Mlilwane Wildlife Sanctuary

Note that all information in here was valid at the time (September 2009) - it may well have changed since.  It's also possible that I was ripped off, that I did some exceptional haggling, or that I accepted a price that I should have haggled over :-)  Currency indicators are £ (British pound), $ (US dollar), R (South African rand) and E (Swazi lilangeni (plural: emalangeni)).  Note that rand and emalangeni are interchangeable in Swaziland (at a 1-to-1 rate), but you can't use emalangeni outside of Swaziland so swap them for rand before you leave (your accommodation should be able to do this).  I'll give all prices in rand, for convenience.  At the time, the official exchange rates were roughly R7.91=$1 and R12.77=£1.

Swaziland
No hassle at all, with extremely helpful and friendly local people.  Most people (at least in the main towns) speak English.
All the ATMs I tried would accept my Mastercard ATM card (didn't try Visa).
Internet throughout Swaziland is expensive and slow (apparently due to a lack of competition). 
Public transport is delightful, when compared to Mozambique!  It's frequent, not overcrowded, and doesn't leave at unsociable times.  Obviously it helps that Swaziland is so small that you can cross it in a couple of hours ... 
The Swazi equivalent of a boksi/chapa/dala-dala/minibus is a kombi.
Note that there is a second reed ceremony 2 weeks after the main one, which is not as well attended by either locals or tourists but there are still the attractions of the King, Queen(s), and hundreds of maidens.  It's in Nhlangano (I think). 

9th September 2009 I entered at the Goba border crossing from Mozambique, which was fairly new so was pretty much deserted.  No visa needed for Brits.  It took about 1 hour 30 minutes to get from here to Manzini.
9th September 2009 R15 Minibus from Manzini to Mbabane, taking about 30 minutes.  Note that the minibus park where you arrive from Mozambique is a few hundred metres from the one where the Mbabane-bound minibuses depart from - anyone should be able to give you directions. 

Mbabane

• I was told that a taxi within Mbabane should start at about R28.
• Tourist Information has moved to the Cooper Centre, over the road from Nando's.  The sign in the window had a font size of about 3.  They have maps and brochures but little other information.
• Swazinet Internet in Swazi Plaza costs R25 for 50 minutes and is slow.
  

9th September 2009 R150 Nightly rate for a private double room with shared bathroom at Sunset Backpackers.  Sunset was the new name (and new location) of a well-regarded place called Grifters, but that hadn't been reflected on the Internet (I was the only guest for nearly 2 weeks) and it seemed to have really gone downhill.  The staff (of whom there were tons) couldn't/wouldn't tell me anything about Swaziland or even Mbabane, and the kitchen (in particular the cooker) was constantly in use by them - even though I was the only guest, I still had problems finding space for what little cooking I did.  It didn't help that the can opener didn't work.  The bathroom had no shower curtain, so using the shower will wet the floor.  The only window in my room was opposite the kitchen door, meaning anyone going by would look in, and the (weedy) electric light was at the opposite end of the room from the bed, meaning I could barely read anything in bed.  No towel, no rubbish bin, no hooks, and ~20 minutes' walk from the town centre.  Even though there are Baz Bus adverts all over the place, Sunset isn't on the Baz Bus circuit.  Avoid!
11th September 2009 R7 Minibus from Mbabane to The Gables shopping centre in Ezulwini Valley, taking about 15 minutes.  

Ezulwini Valley

• The "hub" of this area seems to be The Gables, with a supermarket, several restaurants, and a Big Game Parks (the body that looks after Swaziland's parks/reserves) office.
• Internet is available in The Gables for R40 per hour and is slow.
• Almost everything closes on Sunday in Ezulwini except the supermarket and restaurants.
• I could not believe how little information there was regarding transport for getting to Mkhaya Game Reserve (which has black rhinos - one of the main reasons I'd come to Swaziland), despite it being only 60km away from Ezulwini.  I can only assume it's because 99% of visitors have their own vehicle.  Whatever, the estimates I had included "very difficult" (Legends Backpackers), 3.5 hours (Mbabane Tourist Information), and 2 hours (Big Game Parks, i.e. the people who run the park!)  Swazi Tours, the country's biggest tour operator (and with the same owners as Legends Backpackers), wanted R1,250 (per person) for a day trip to Mkhaya, which - granted - included the R475 safari fee but was still R775 per person for transport/wait time.  As you can see below, it took me less than 2 hours (including waiting for minibuses at The Gables and Manzini) and cost R32, though I did get a free lift back to Ezulwini with one of the other customers (thus saving R32).  I was told that minibuses for Manzini go past Phuzamoya until nightfall, after which it's possible to hitch.

11th September 2009 R180 Nightly rate for a private room with shared bathroom at Legends Backpackers, including a fan and a rubbish bin.  One of the bathrooms has the only loo in the corner, out in the open, but there's no lock on the main door (!)  Legends advertises free broadband, but it was broken when I was there.  This place is a 10 minute walk up behind The Gables across a field - the hostel manager said it wouldn't be safe to cross this at night, but it was maybe no coincidence that the guy also ran a taxi service ...
12th September 2009 R12 Minibus from The Gables to Manzini, taking about 25 minutes (part-way, I had to transfer to another minibus, but I don't think that's normal).  There are loads of minibuses doing this route.  On arriving in Manzini, I was helpfully pointed in the direction of a Phuzamoya minibus.
12th September 2009 R20 Minibus from Manzini to Phuzamoya, leaving at about 7:50AM and taking about 50 minutes.  I don't know how often these run, but I would guess it's fairly frequently.
12th September 2009 R475 Day safari at Mkhaya Game Reserve (though it's possible this might be more if there are only a few customers - my safari had 6 in total).  I booked this through the Big Game Parks office in The Gables - normally they want credit card bookings (to avoid people backing out), but I didn't have my card on me and they must have seen some shred of honesty in my face (!)  I paid in cash at the reserve itself.  They need at least 2 people to run the safari, but if others have already booked then you can tag along with them.  You have to be at the Phuzamoya entrance for 10AM for a pick-up, and you're dropped off there at about 4PM.  The guide Thulani was truly excellent - full of information, and a brilliant spotter even though he was driving too.  The vehicle is an open-topped Landrover (so you'll need sunscreen and a hat).  After a welcome drink (pear juice in a champagne glass), we did a morning safari, then had a buffet lunch, then did an afternoon safari.  You also get a free 500ml bottle of water.  The park is small, e.g. they only have about 15 elephants, but that was a nice change from, say, Masai Mara.  Note that black rhinos generally don't graze if it's windy or if there are strange sounds around (such as helicopters) so a sighting is by no means guaranteed - Thulani said he only saw one once per week (sadly this wasn't that one occasion, though we did see nyala, sable antelope, roan antelope, warthog, mongoose, helmeted and crested guinea fowl, white rhino, zebra, giraffe, impala, waterbuck, hippo, crocodile, martial eagle, red-billed oxpecker, and topi.
14th September 2009 R80 Taxi (actually a lift with the owner of Legends) from Legends to Mlilwane Wildlife Sanctuary.  You could probably get this for cheaper.  From the drop-off at the park gate, I had to walk a further few hundred metres to the hostel itself.  You can get to the park entrance by public transport, but it involves 2 minibuses and then you still have to walk a couple of kilometres.  Note that there are (at least) two entrances to the sanctuary, so make sure your transport is going to the correct one!

Mlilwane Wildlife Sanctuary

• There's Internet access at the main camp but it never worked during my stay.
• Not really related to Mlilwane, but I heard from a traveller here that he'd paid a mere R85 for his Mozambique visa in Mbabane (i.e. less than a quarter of what I'd paid in Lilongwe).  He'd also been quoted R470 in Nelspruit.

14th September 2009 R25 Entrance to Mlilwane Wildlife Sanctuary
14th September 2009 R155 Nightly rate for a private room with shared bathroom at Sondzela Backpackers, with a fan.  I booked this at the Big Game Parks office in The Gables.  Really relaxing place with rooms and rondavels available, a swimming pool, lots of trees, a resident ostrich, and a family of warthogs.  Breakfast and dinner are available but you have to book them in advance - for lunch you can walk the few hundred metres to the main camp, which has more (expensive) accommodation and a restaurant.  Food basics (e.g. baked beans, beer, chocolate) are available at both sites, but stuff is cheaper at Sondzela.  Note that the kitchen at Sondzela is large and has plenty of cupboards and drawers - unfortunately it has little in the way of utensils.  You can see various types of antelope wandering around, plus the main camp restaurant overlooks a hippo pool containg at least 1 crocodile, birds, and (at certain times of the year) hippos.  You can do self-guided walks from the main camp (you're given a laminated map for a R10 refundable deposit).
17th September 2009 R80 Taxi from Mlilwane Wildlife Sanctuary to Southern Cross Lodge in Ezulwini.  Booked the taxi at Sondzela, for which I had to pay R2 as the staff member used her own cellphone.  This was one of the few bits of BS I had in Swaziland - the staff at Sondzela had said the taxi would be R60, the driver told me it was R100 when I got in, we ended up having a threeway conversation with the taxi owner before I could haggle it down to R80, and then it turned out the driver had no idea where we were going and clearly didn't trust my instructions as he ignored me and stopped about 5 times to ask passers-by (none of whom knew either). 

Ezulwini Valley (again)
Seems as though Swaziland Backpackers only attracts a one-night pass-through clientele.
17th September 2009 R180 Nightly rate for a private room with shared bathroom and kitchen at Southern Cross Lodge, including a towel.  This place is run by a friendly Spanish guy, Jesus, and his wife (who was away), together with 2 dogs (a crazy young one called Luna and an older one called Jackie who will keep her distance), and is spotless.  It has a garden and swimming pool.  Jesus has lots of good information about Swaziland and beyond - he can also arrange Baz Bus bookings.  I chose Southern Cross because I didn't like Legends and other travellers had recommended Southern Cross, but it's about 3km from The Gables (though you can catch a minibus between The Gables and the turn-off for Southern Cross's road (the stop is called Mangozeni, but if you mention Woodlands Restaurant people will probably know what you mean), which is about two-thirds of the total distance and costs about R4). 
18th September 2009 R24.6 Postage for parcel to UK (1.3kg seamail - it was apparently small enough to go at "letter" rates rather than "parcel" ones.)  Empirical evidence that Swaziland's mail is cheap and reliable (it arrived).  However the rigmarole in finding a PO from which to send this was an adventure in itself.  First I went to the PO in Lobamba (a couple of km past The Gables heading east), but the postmaster wasn't due in until 2:30PM.  Then I was sent to one in the market next to the Sondzela turn-off - they couldn't do anything there because they didn't have any scales to weigh my parcel.  I was then sent to the one in Malkerns (maybe 5km along the Sondzela road), which did the business.
18th September 2009 R1.8 Postage for postcard to US/Europe.  Note that the 2 stamps required (plus the airmail sticker) are quite large, so leave plenty of room for them when you're writing your postcards! 
19th September 2009 R430 Baz Bus ticket from Southern Cross Lodge to Shoestring Lodge in Joburg, leaving at about 8:15AM and taking about 7 hours in total (though that was partly due to the lack of passengers - it would normally take another 2 hours or so).  We got to the Oshoek border crossing in about half an hour (see the South Africa entry for further info).  The bus was a comfortable VW minibus with trailer and contained just 2 other passengers.  Baz Bus is a bus company whose main network is in South Africa but they also have a couple of stops in Swaziland and Lesotho.  They specialise in hop on/hop off tickets for backpackers - over some fixed period of time, you can use their services as often as you like.  They generally link hostels, so if you choose hostels in their network then you'll get a door-to-door service.  My ticket was a "direct" one, which was slightly cheaper than the hop on/hop off one (R490) but I had to specify the date of travel and could not do any off/on-hopping in between, and I also had to pay R20 for the phone call to book it.  If you intend going from Swaziland to Johannesburg and staying near Joburg airport then the Baz Bus is good value, as any public transport from Swaziland (perhaps R200) won't stop near Joburg airport (some kind of "closed shop" agreement between minibuses) and you'll have to get an expensive taxi (more than R200) back out from the centre of Joburg.  This is without even considering the "fun" reputation that the centre of Joburg has vis a vis tourist muggings.  However in general Baz Bus is more expensive than public transport, so you're really paying for the convenience and comfort (plus it's a good way to meet other travellers, if that's your thing).