The heart of the Ezulwini Valley, Swaziland's royal valley, Lobamba is home to the royals' Embo State Palace. You can see the monarchy let loose during the Incwala ceremony and the Uhmlanga dance, which take place at the Royal Kraal in Lobamba. The National Museum is housed here, and it offers displays on Swazi culture and has a traditional beehive village beside it. Given the size of the Swazi family (King Sobhuza II had 600 children), Swazi kings now live at the Lothiza State House, about 10km (6mi) from Lobamba.Next to the museum is the parliament, which is sometimes open to the public, and across the road from the museum is the King Sobhuza II Memorial, the most revered (and arguably the most prolific breeder) of the Swazi kings. The Mantenga Falls are worth seeing, although you need to ask for local advice because there have been muggings and other nasty incidents there. Nearby is the Swazi Cultural Village with more authentic beehive huts and cultural displays. Lobamba is about 15km (9mi) south of Mbabane by road, and if you're not driving yourself take a bus or minibus taxi.

Manzini is the industrial centre of Swaziland. Between 1890 and 1902 it was the combined administrative centre for the squabbling British and Boers, and during the Anglo-Boer War a renegade unit of Boers razed it to the ground. The market on Thursday and Friday mornings is worth a look, but otherwise Manzini has quite a different feeling from the rest of Swaziland. Reckless drivers are no doubt agitated by the city's confusing one-way street system (and the country's blood alcohol limit of 0.15%) and the crime rate makes it probably the roughest and baddest town in Swaziland, especially at night. Manzini is 30km south-east of Mbabane and is best reached by bus or car.

Mbabane lies at the northern end of the Ezulwini Valley amid the lush Dlangeni Hills, and apart from stocking up on information and supplies for trips farther afield, it doesn't offer much for the traveller. The main attractions in town are the Mall, the New Mall and Allister Miller St, the main street, named after the first European to be born there. You can do your banking and get your supplies around here.Just to the west of the town centre is Swazi Plaza, a large, modern shopping complex that makes a good landmark and houses the tourist office and a further range of shops. The Mbabane Market, at the southern end of Allister Miller St, is worth a visit for its authentic crafts and its prices, cheaper than those in South Africa. Internet centres are mushrooming in Mbabane. You'll find htem at the Omni centre; in the post office upstairs; and in the mall. Mbabane offers a good range of accommodation, from the caravan park 10km (6mi) away in the Ezulwini Valley through to church hostel accommodation and hotels and inns scattered around town.Several good restaurants serve Portuguese food and there are also excellent Italian and Indian restaurants in the city centre. You can get good and relatively cheap African food, and there are several steak houses.

This reserve is run by the same people who administer Mlilwane, and has the same energetic approach to wildlife conservation. Sited on former farms, the area had always been popular with hunters for its wildlife, and herds of indigenous Nguni cattle make the reserve economically self-supporting today. The reserve's boast is that you are more likely to see wild black rhinos here than anywhere else in Africa, but it also supports elephants, white rhinos, and roan and sable antelopes. You can take wildlife-viewing drives and guided walking safaris, and the reserve is a better value than many of the private reserves near Kruger in South Africa. Mkhaya Game Reserve is off the Manzini-Big Bend Road, about 65km (40mi) south-east by bus or car from Mbabane.

Mlilwane was the first wildlife sanctuary established in Swaziland, and is privately run. It lies on the border of the high and middle veld and is an important transition zone for flora and fauna. Among the animal species are zebras, giraffes, white rhinos, hippos and crocodiles, the only predators. More than 200 species of bird can also be found in its boundaries. The sanctuary is dominated by the jagged Nyonyane Peak, where you can complete several bracing walks. You can also rent horses and mountain bikes, or watch the hippos from the Hippo Haunt restaurant. If you're feeling energetic and don't mind getting a bit wet, white-water rafting is at its best near the reserve on the Great Usutu River. The Mlilwane Wildlife Sanctuary is only a few kilometres south of Mbabane, and you can get there by taxi or bus from Mbabane.