Things to do in Hlane Royal National Park
And where to stay, the best time to visit, what a day costs, and the traps to skip.
Best time to visit Hlane Royal National Park
• a note or something on ✦ an occasion worth the trip
Dry season, May to Sep. Bush thins, animals concentrate at water, vultures nest, and the Ehlatsini trails run to 30 Sep. Cold nights in Jun to Aug.
Shoulder months. Warm and mostly dry, trails open in April, with October building serious heat before the rains.
Wet season. Lush bush, newborn antelope and the best birding with migrants and the marabou colony, but heat, storms, clay roads and peak malaria risk.
What's on
- Mlawula Campfire Festival Usually late September
Three days of camping, music and culture at Siphiso Campsite in neighbouring Mlawula Nature Reserve, run by the Eswatini National Trust Commission.
Best things to do in Hlane Royal National Park
Hlane Royal National Park
Self drive the lowveld loops for the SZL 95 conservation fee, then watch rhino and elephant at the Ndlovu waterhole.
Umphakatsi Cultural Experience
A guided visit to a real living chief's village homestead outside the park, run for pre-booked groups of four or more.
Shewula Mountain Camp
Community owned camp above the lowveld for a guided village tour and the steep hike down to the Mbuluzi River gorge.
Where to stay in Hlane Royal National Park
Inside the park at Ndlovu Camp
first trip, activities and the waterhole
The restaurant, activities centre and fenced waterhole are here, and dawn and dusk inside the gate are the best hours at Hlane.
Inside the park at Bhubesi Camp
birders, self drivers and quiet
Riverside cottages with electricity, away from camp life, at the cost of no restaurant and no sunrise or sunset drive departures.
Simunye and the Lebombo edge
comfort, community stays and road trippers
Simunye Country Club gives full service rooms 7 km from the gate, and Shewula gives community rondavels above the lowveld.
Think twice about
- Rural lowveld roads after dark
Animals stray onto roads and unlit trailers and poorly lit heavy vehicles are a real risk, so avoid rural night driving.
- Downtown Manzini after dark
Downtown Mbabane and Manzini are the places to avoid for after dark walking. Pass through Manzini by day on the way to Hlane and use hotel transport at night.
- Anywhere inside the park on foot outside guided activities
Hlane holds lion, elephant, rhino, hippo and crocodile. Walking is guided only, and all visitors must be in camp by sunset when gates close at 18h00.
- Any protest or demonstration gathering
Avoid protests, which occur sporadically and can turn violent or draw force. Leave the area and follow local media.
Best restaurants in Hlane Royal National Park
Ndlovu Camp Restaurant
The park's only restaurant, a semi open deck over the waterhole serving breakfast, lunch and lantern lit dinners.
Simunye Country Club
Local institution for buffet and carvery lunches, a la carte dinners, pub pizzas and the Friday evening braai.
Shewula Mountain Camp
Traditional meals cooked by community staff from local produce and served family style, booked ahead by phone.
Outdoor things to do in Hlane Royal National Park
Hlane National Park Activities Center
Park run sunrise, midday and sunset drives into the lion area, plus the Rhino Drive with a possible on foot approach.
Mahlindza Bush Walk
Guided game and birding walks outside the endangered species area, including the walk around busy Mahlindza Dam.
Ehlatsini Bush Trails
One or two night fully catered walking trails to a rustic river camp, run seasonally from April to September.
Mlawula Nature Reserve
The neighbouring reserve where trails can be walked unguided, with caves, river fishing and outstanding birding.
Mkhaya Game Reserve
Guided only endangered species refuge south of Hlane, built around black and white rhino tracking on drives and walks.
Best hotels in Hlane Royal National Park
Ndlovu Camp
The park's main camp by the waterhole, with camping, lantern lit Wisteria rondavels and self catering cottages.
Bhubesi Camp
Six quiet self catering family cottages with electricity on the Mbuluzane River, 16 km from Ndlovu inside the park.
Shewula Mountain Camp
Simple community owned rondavels and camping on the escarpment edge, with big views over Hlane and the lowveld.
Simunye Country Club
Full service country club 7 km from the gate, with air conditioned rooms, cottages, a pool and a carvery restaurant.
Stone Camp in Mkhaya Game Reserve
Semi open stone cottages in riverine forest, with meals, drives and walks included in 24 and 48 hour packages.
Is Hlane Royal National Park expensive? What a day costs
| Budget | SZL 550 a person |
|---|---|
| Classic | SZL 1,650 a person |
| Splurge | SZL 3,400 a person |
A day of food, drink, sights and getting around, before the room
What to book ahead
- Umphakatsi Cultural Experience: weeks ahead
- Shewula Mountain Camp: a few days ahead
- Hlane National Park Activities Center: a few days ahead
- Mahlindza Bush Walk: a few days ahead
- Ehlatsini Bush Trails: weeks ahead
- Mkhaya Game Reserve: weeks ahead
- Ndlovu Camp: weeks ahead
- Bhubesi Camp: weeks ahead
- Book Ndlovu and Bhubesi ahead in school holidays and dry season weekends, and book the Ehlatsini Bush Trails and Mkhaya packages weeks ahead.
- Book the Umphakatsi visit through central reservations, phone Shewula ahead for tours and meals, and pair the Mlawula Campfire Festival early.
Is Hlane Royal National Park safe?
- Crime is common in Eswatini towns, including casual theft and occasional muggings, and sporadic armed robberies and carjackings occur; demonstrations can turn violent with little warning.
- Treat Hlane as a malaria area, highest risk from November to April. Take advice on prophylaxis, use repellent at dusk and sleep under the nets provided.
- Healthcare is basic and serious cases go to South Africa. Carry insurance with medical evacuation. Emergency numbers are police 999, ambulance 977, fire 933.
Hlane Royal National Park travel tips: tourist traps to skip
- Expecting a luxury lodge. Ndlovu has no electricity, Bhubesi has no restaurant, and the splurge nearby is Mkhaya's guiding and rarity, not thread count.
- Planning a Simunye dinner while sleeping at Ndlovu. The gate closes at sunset, so a dinner outside the park means a bed outside the park that night.
- Arriving with cash only. Big Game Parks is cashless, card and mobile money only, and there is no fuel inside the park, so fill up in Simunye.
Getting around Hlane Royal National Park: public transport and more
- Drive on the left. The tarred MR3 from Manzini past Simunye reaches the Hlane gate in about 40 minutes from Manzini and 90 minutes from Ezulwini.
- Arrive and depart in daylight only. Gates close at 18h00, all visitors must be in camp by sunset, and rural night driving is the risk both governments flag.
- Inside the park, dirt roads suit ordinary cars in the dry. After heavy rain the clay soils get tricky and high clearance earns its keep.
Who Hlane Royal National Park suits
| Solo travellers | Good |
|---|---|
| Groups of friends | Good |
| Couples | Good |
| Bachelor parties | OK |
| Families | Good |
| Bachelorette parties | Not ideal |
Make Hlane Royal National Park your trip
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