Sports

SPORTING ACTIVITIES

A fine climate makes the Kingdom of Swaziland an outdoor country where all types of sporting activities can be enjoyed year round. There are excellent facilities and visitors are welcome by friendly Swazis. Cricket, Swaziland has close ties to Britain, is played at country clubs but the most popular team sport is soccer. Individual sports include golf, tennis, squash, lawn bowls, horse riding, hiking, water sports and fishing. Sporting visitors who wish to visit different venues around Swaziland are advised to rent a car as all venues are easily reached by road.

GOLF
The keen golfer will head first for the 18 hole, par 72 championship course at the Royal Swazi Sun Hotel and Casino complex in the Ezulwini Valley. The best possible use has been made of the terrain and great natural beauty has been combined with modern design. On some holes three green cannot be seen from the tee and you drive to markers. The steep, uphill 11th is known as "Thrombosis Hill" At the time of writing, the Royal Swazi Sun course has been reconstructed and upgraded. Visiting golfers are most welcome. There is also an 18 hole course at the Mbabane Club and, the Usutu Club, the southern Swaziland Country Club at Tshaneni, the Manzini Club and the Siteki Club.

18 HOLE AT ROYAL SWAZI SUN (Ezulwini)

TENNIS
Most hotels in Swaziland have good, floodlit all-weather tennis courts. There are also tennis clubs in all the main centers and visitors should approach the secretaries of clubs to arrange a game.

SQUASH
There are squash courts at the Royal Swazi Sun Hotel and at the Protea Piggs Peak Hotel. Courts will also be found in Mbabane, Manzini, Malkerns and Mhlambanyatsi.

LAWN BOWLS
The best bowling greens are at the Royal Swazi Sun Hotel but visitors will also find greens at clubs in Mbabane, Manzini, Malkerns, Mhlambanyatsi and Nhlangano.

HORSE RIDING
Horses are available for hire at several hotels in Swaziland and established facilities are  Hawane Stables Tel/Fax: +268 404-3375, P.O.Box 597, Mbabane, Swaziland email: hawane@realnet.co.sz near Forbes Reef and also at Mlilwane Wildlife Sanctuary.
Riding trails are established at numerous scenic places, like Malolotja and Meikles Mount, while Mlilwane offers the rider the opportunity of viewing wildlife such as wildebeest, zebra, bluesbuck, nyala,kudu, impala, and warthog at close range from horseback. Options include one hour and three hour guided trails.
A suggested horse riding trail is featured in the itineraries section.

HIKING
The varied terrain of Swaziland makes this an ideal country for walking. Indeed, there is no better way than to slow down, enjoy the scenery and meet the Swazis on foot. All the Kingdom's nature reserves actively encourage hiking and established trails vary in duration from a few hours to several days. Camp sites are provided on the longer trails. The independent backpacker is free to get out into country and blaze his own trails. However, some mountains may be sacred places
and enquiry's should be made of passers by or local homesteads for advice or permission to set up camp.

WATER SPORTS

Apart from swimming pools at all the major hotels and bilharzia free rock pools in the Highveld Parks, commercial watersport is focused on the white-water rafting operation run by Swazi Trails. Trips are run on a daily basis on the Great Usutu River, with a minimum of 4 people needed for a trip to commence.
Excitement is not only limited to the Grade 3 and 4 rapids in the Bulunga Gorge, but also to crocodile spotting in the flat stretches below.
Safety and instruction by professional river guides make this adventure suitable for anyone between the ages of 16 and 65, with even non-swimmers welcome.
The trip which includes a scenic lunch at the Bulunga falls is available year round with inflatable 2-man "croc rafts" used to negotiate the many rapids.
Abseiling with mountaineering equipment alongside the waterfall is the latest addition to this adventure operation.

FISHING
Indegenous fish include barbel, bream, yellowfish, and guaranteed to give the angler a good fight, tigerfish. Black bass have been introduced into some dams and trout at the Forbes Reef Dam and the streams of the Usuthu Forest around Mhlambanyatsi and the Maguga Dam.
Fishing for trout is carefully controlled but free permits for coarse fishing may be obtained from the Ministry of Agriculture and Co-operatives, P.O.BOX 162, Mbabane