Ezulwini Valley is a valley of northwest
Eswatini
Eswatini ( ; ss, eSwatini ), officially the Kingdom of Eswatini and formerly named Swaziland ( ; officially renamed in 2018), is a landlocked country in Southern Africa. It is bordered by Mozambique to its northeast and South Africa to its no ...
. Also known as "The Valley of Heaven", the valley lasts for about 30 kilometres, and is bounded to the east by the
Mdzimba hills.
The historical capital of Swaziland
Lobamba
Lobamba is a city in Eswatini, and is one of the two capitals (along with Mbabane), serving as the legislative, traditional, spiritual, seat of government of the Parliament of Eswatini,[MR3 road
The MR3 road, also known as the Matsapha–Mbabane–Ngwenya road or Road No. MR3, is a major highway of Eswatini. It is one of the most heavily trafficked roads in the country, crossing it from east to west. Along with the MR7 and MR8 roads, it ...]
; some parts have four lanes.
The valley extends as far down as
Kwaluseni Kwaluseni is an ''inkhundla'' of Eswatini, located in the Manzini District. Its population as of the 2007 census was 41,780. It is divided in two imiphakatsi
In Eswatini, an umphakatsi (; plural imiphakatsi) is an administrative subdivision smal ...
.
The valley contains a number of notable wildlife sanctuaries and features including the 4,500-hectare
Mlilwane Wildlife Sanctuary
Mlilwane Wildlife Sanctuary is Eswatini's oldest protected area, owned and managed by a non-profit trust.
Overview
The sanctuary serves as a headquarters for the Big Game Parks including Mlilwane's sister reserves Hlane Royal National Park and ...
(established in 1964
) and the
Royal Swazi Sun Hotel
The Royal Swazi Spa is a major entertainment complex in the Ezulwini Valley of Eswatini. Founded in 1965, the complex is located 4 hours from Johannesburg by road. It is home to a casino, a par-72 golf course, and a spa. The hotel features 149 room ...
.
The valley is undergoing significant development with the growth of
Tourism in Eswatini
Tourism in Eswatini is a successful industry. Most of the tourists who visit Eswatini arrive by road from South Africa. Eswatini's tourism industry developed during the apartheid era in South Africa and this shaped many of its distinctive attracti ...
, with the building of casinos, bars, hotels, shops such as the
Gables Shopping Centre Gables may refer to:
* The plural of gable, portion of walls between the lines of sloping roofs
* Ken Gables (1919-1960), Major League Baseball pitcher
* Gables, Nebraska, an unincorporated community in the United States
* Gables, New South Wales, ...
and urbanization.
Also of note is the
Ezulwini Handicrafts Centre Ezulwini Handicrafts Centre is a handicrafts centre of notable regional significance located in the Ezulwini Valley in northwestern Eswatini, off the MR3 road
The MR3 road, also known as the Matsapha–Mbabane–Ngwenya road or Road No. MR3, is a ...
and
Swazi National Museum Swazi may refer to:
* Swazi people, a people of southeastern Africa
* Swazi language
* Eswatini
Eswatini ( ; ss, eSwatini ), officially the Kingdom of Eswatini and formerly named Swaziland ( ; officially renamed in 2018), is a landlocked coun ...
in Lobamba. Despite the urban developments in the valley, the landscape still has some "soft green hills and plains-game grazing in the lush lands below."
Further reading
*
References
Valleys of Eswatini
{{Swaziland-geo-stub