The easiest way of getting to Swaziland from overseas is to fly to Johannesburg and catch a connecting flight to Swaziland. There are many scheduled airlines (South African Airlines, Virgin, British Airway, Air France, Lufthansa, to name a few) that fly directly to Johannesburg from international destinations.
When leaving Swaziland from Matsapha Airport, all visitors are expected to pay a a departure tax of E50.
Steffen Air offers chartered flghts to anywhere in South Africa, Mozambique, Zimbabwe and other neighboiring countries. They normally fly from Matsapa Airport, but arrangements can be made for flights to and from Matata, near Big Bend in the south-east of Swaziland. They also offer direct scheduled flights from Swaziland to Durban.
Border opening times
The full list of border posts and their opening times for 2005/6 is shown below:
Bulembu-Josefdal 08:00 - 16:00
Gege-Bothashoop 08:00 - 16:00
Lavumisa-Golela 07:00 - 22:00
Lomahasha-Namaacha 07:00 - 20:00
Lundzi-Waverley 07:00 - 16:00
Mahamba 07:00 - 22:00
Mananga 08:00 - 18:00
Matsamo-Jeppes Reef 08:00 - 20:00
Mhlumeni - Goba 07:00 - 20:00
Ngwenya-Oshoek 07:00 - 22:00
Salitjie-Onverwacht 08:00 - 18:00
Sandlane-Nerston 08:00 - 18:00
Sicunusa-Houdkop 08:00 - 18:00
The major car rental companies are represented in Southern Africa and cars can be hired from Johannesburg International Airport and other major cities in South Africa. These include Avis, Imperial, Budget, Hertz and Sixt.
1. For the adventurous traveller, the cheapest way to travel to Swaziland from South Africa is to take a minibus from Johannesburg to Swaziland. If travelling from Johannesburg, these 15 seater minibuses normally leave from Wanderers Street in downtown Johannesburg. As far as I remember, there are no scheduled times. The bus leaves when it is full. Do not be alarmed if the driver takes your passport, they normally collect them at the start of the journey and return them later on. But be warned! This is not the safest way to get to Swaziland and by no means the most comfortable. The journey time averages 4 hours with one or two stops at Filling stations.
2. The Baz Bus drives from South Africa to Swaziland. It offers a hop on, hop off service and it stops at a variety of places. It is targeted mostly at backpackers touring Southern Africa and includes a stop Swaziland rather than being a direct form of transport.
Local Public Transport
Walking and Cycling
Hitch-hiking