Adventure Cycling Tour in Swaziland (Eswatini), Africa

25 Years of Pedallin' Passion

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Tours that move you

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Highlights

Explore the diverse regions of this amazing country
Experience some fantastic ‘off the beaten path’ cycling
Stay in amazing accommodation, full of character
Discover an incredible range of wildlife
Sample a wide range of great local food
Get to know the super-friendly local people

View Trip Schedule

Day	Description	Distance	Meals
1	Departure
2	Arrival into Johnannesburg. Transfer overland to Hawane in Swaziland
3	Ngwenya Glass and Swazi Highlands Tour	28 Miles / 45 Kms Approx.	B L
4	Hawane to Foresters Arms	28 Miles / 45 Kms Approx.	B L D
5	Foresters Arms to Swazi Candles	28 Miles / 45 Kms Approx.	B L
6	Mlilwane Wildlife Sanctuary	20 Miles / 32 Kms Approx.	B L
7	Mlilwane to Mkhaya Game Reserve - Non-cycling day		B L D
8	Mbuluzi Forest	15 Miles / 25 Kms Approx.	B L D
9	Cycle Mbuluzi and Tambankulu Sugar Cane Estate	22 Miles / 36 Kms Approx.	B L
10	Hlane Royal National Park	14 Miles / 22 Kms Approx.	B L
11	Departure		B

Meals: B = Breakfast L = Lunch D = Dinner Please keep in mind the distances and ascent information provided are intended to be indicative and may vary from the actuals due to accommodation changes or when compared on different GPS devices and software

For more information download our trip notes

Trip Information

Swaziland, or the Kingdom of Eswatini to give it its official name, is a small landlocked country located in the far eastern corner of South Africa. In stature, it might be tiny (the country is slightly smaller than Wales in the UK), but what it lacks in girth, it makes up for in diversity. The western and eastern borders are where the heavily forested, mountainous, Highveld area is found; the central section is the hilly Middleveld and the central-east is where the typical African grassland planes of the Lowveld are located. During our journey through Swaziland you’ll get to experience all of the different regions of this amazing country. We start in the highlands of the far west and slowly work our way east, ending in the wildlife-filled lowlands.

Swaziland is renowned for being incredibly friendly and welcoming and has a peaceful and relaxing air about it. Swaziland is still relatively undiscovered by mass tourism with far greater numbers of visitors heading to neighbouring South Africa. This combination of a friendly welcome, diverse geography, a peaceful ambiance and incredible wildlife is what makes a visit to Swaziland so special.

Our Swazi Adventures trip is designed to show you the absolute highlights of the country. During the trip, you will experience the best of Swazi’s quiet backroads and gentle off-road trails by bike, but we will also make use of an air-conditioned minibus and open-sided safari vehicles to make sure we can fit the maximum adventure into our stay. This itinerary is designed to include a mix of relaxed cycling, some of which is on off-road trails, plus plenty of cultural interaction and perhaps the highlight for many, you’ll get to experience up close the magnificent wildlife –black Rhino, Giraffe, Lions and Wildebeest.

As part of the adventure, we have chosen some really special accommodation – everything from straw-thatched bee-hive huts lit by paraffin lights to a secluded tented-camp located in the middle of a stunning nature reserve, where the local wildlife will casually stroll past your front door. Every location offers something different, but all have a good level of comfort and understated luxury – even in our tented camp for example you will have an en-suite bathroom (with a choice of indoor and outdoor showers), proper beds and solid floors.

For more information download our trip notes

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Trip Feedback

Cannot recommend highly enough.

Great blend of touring, cycling (easy to mild technical), cultural experiences and varied geography. The accommodation was always comfortable with hot water and good food. More rustic accommodation made for a great experience and the open air at Mkhaya Stone Camp was unforgettable. Riding was as expected and described – favourite day was probably the climb to, and descent from, Executioners Rock. I hired a bike and we had good equipment appropriate for ride and conditions. Our tour leader was completely calm throughout. Despite a few unexpected weather related and catering hiccups he was utterly professional and always composed. Cannot recommend highly enough. We had two excellent local drivers too. I have recommended Skedaddle to multiple friends over the years and will continue to do so.

David, Canada
Would I do it again? In a flash.

The first days took us cycling through undulating paths in and around the Mlilwanee Wildlife Sanctuary getting a close look at nature at its best. Magnificent vistas in the Sanctuary, ‘close’ encounters with ‘wild’ animals, peaceful, peaceful, peaceful. As we ambled through the rocky terrain, the animals seemed to appear one by one, as if on cue. At all times however, our guides taking us carefully through the reserve and stopping at certain vantage points, allowing us time to experience the closeness of these wild animals. Who would have thought it possible to cycle such a sacred space with extraordinary animals and be totally at peace. An amazing and humbling experience.

Then meandering through the neighbouring villages, greeting the locals (happy to have us experience their world) waving, smiling at us as we pass by. Cycling through the villages proved to be one of the best ways to experience this country. It allows you to get close to the people, get a glimpse of their hospitality, their everyday life, their lifestyle. Would I do it again? In a flash.

Denise, Trinidad and Tobago
A moment of happy tears...

A warm, smiling welcome everywhere we went, this off road biking experience through beautiful landscape was what I had hoped the trip would be and so much more.

With cheeky climbs and even cheekier Sibebe beer, community projects that you can learn about and support, soothing beats of the African drum and emotional harmonies after dark, seeing shooting stars almost without trying, the sky was so dark and unspoilt, before retiring to your luxury hut, open to the elements, no electricity and with a whistle to blow if you happen to be visited by hyena! Going to bed wondering how the next day was going to top the day’s experience then being pleasantly blown away by another amazing day.

Steady winding uphill through beautiful forest, cycling towards the reward of seeing breath taking views through watering eyes on the fast downhill to the mid velt. Cycling through fields of Zebra, Nyala, Impala and Wildebeest – trying not to cycle on dung beetles! Warthogs sharing the roaring camp fire that had been burning for over 60 years

The first glimpse of a White Rhino. Towers of giraffe elegantly nibbling away at the trees. A yawning hippo. The grace of the African elephant. And for me, the icing on the cake and a moment of happy tears – being up close to a pride of Lion after the beauty of an African sunset.

I could go on but I’m not sure you need anymore. Thanks again Skedaddle, that, for me, was Africa!

Samantha, Newcastle, UK
Very good overview of Swaziland!

We always have an excellent service from Skedaddle. We are not into luxury accommodation, so the variety of accommodation helped make the holiday great. We loved the Beehives, Foresters and the stone house particularly. The cycling experience was so varied and we were both learning about the bikes (neither of us had ever ridden a mountain bike before the holiday) – we were happy with each day! Our tour leader went out his way to ensure that everyone enjoyed the holiday, and made sure we all were hydrated and had plenty of snacks to keep us going. An excellent leader. Both our drivers were also excellent. They helped us all and were always there when needed. The office answered every question asked and kept in touch, and the variety of cycling and game drives gave us a very good overview of Swaziland.

Jean and Peter, Hampshire, UK
The cycling was really good...

All ran very smoothly, location and guides were excellent. Nice variety of different types of accommodation and all were clean and well maintained. The cycling was really good, made very enjoyable by our tour leader and his team.

Mark, Edinburgh, UK
As seen in the press...

This brand new cycling holiday in the small landlocked country of Swaziland follows quiet backroads and gentle off road trails to uncover the people, places and legendary wildlife of Southern Africa.

Cadence Magazine (2017), Enjoy a cycling safari in Swaziland
Excellent holiday!

Chris was a wonderful guide, very knowledgeable about fauna and flora, as well as geography, history, people, activities, and cycling in the area. He was also very considerate about our wishes and preferences, and altogether very pleasant company.

John, Surrey, UK