Photos

I think one of the things that impressed me the most about Swaziland was their welcoming nature, especially towards tourists. It seemed like the most important thing was that tourists enjoyed their stay, not that Swaziland squeezed every last cent out of them. At no place was this more true than at the Mantenga nature reserve, also referred to as the Swazi cultural center. Here we paid about 20$US for a 45 minute cultural presentation, a personal tour of a traditional village and a guided tour to a waterfall in the area. Those living in the village were very welcoming and friendly and willing to answer all our questions. They even washed our car while we were looking around (we tipped for that).

I've chosen this specific picture, with the tourists, because it shows the reality of the situation. This guy would not be walking around in traditional clothing if it weren't for the tourists visiting the village.