Swaziland is a little, landlocked kingdom, bounded on all sides by South Africa except for roughly 100km (60mi) of border with Mozambique in the east. Roughly rectangular, Swaziland is a little bigger than Connecticut but not as large as the diminutive nation states of Israel or El Salvador. The country supports a surprisingly wide range of ecological zones, from savannah scrub in the east to rainforest in the north-west, with patches of

Swaziland's natural resources are extremely well managed, and despite the country's size it lays claim to some of the best game reserves and national parks in southern Africa. Elephants, lions and rhinos have been reintroduced after being wiped out (rhinos had been absent for 70 years), and after some bloody battles between rangers and poachers, populations of both black and white rhinos are no longer critically endangered. The easiest wildlife park to visit is Mlilwane Wildlife Sanctuary in the Ezulwini Valley, not far from the capital, Mbabane, and if you're lucky you'll see hippopotami and crocodiles as well. Wildlife species are common in all the reserves, and the country has hundreds of bird species inhabiting relatively small pockets of bush, so bring your bird-spotting binoculars. In the east, sub-tropical woodland and swamps can get very steamy. Hardwood forests, which the logging industry is chipping away, dominate the western highlands.

It can bucket down in the western mountains over summer, although the mountains will generally remain cooler than the lowveld, which blisters as the mercury climbs past 40°C (104°F). October is the hottest month, and the rains begin in early December and continue through April. The lowveld tends to suffer extremes, with frosts and colder temperatures in winter (which falls over the northern hemisphere's summer). The eastern low veld is sub-tropical, mosquito ridden (watch out for malaria) and sticky, and can still be warm in mid-winter.

Swaziland is not as cheap as some of the African nations to the north, but it still offers good value. Travellers intent on sleeping in hostels or caravan parks, eating cheap, and skipping most safaris should get by on US$25-35 a day. But there's no point skipping the safaris, because Swaziland is one of the cheapest places in southern Africa to go looking for wildlife. If you're seeking a few more creature comforts, the privacy of your own, air conditioned hotel room and more to choose from in meals, expect to pay around US$75, and if you want to stay in the best hotels (although they tend to be depressingly bland), don't mind what you spend on food and like to have the odd flutter at the casino, expect to spend US$120 and upwards.

There's no black market in Swaziland, and the South African rand is accepted everywhere and is on a fixed, one-to-one exchange rate with the lilangeni. You should have no difficulties changing major currencies, and rand are accepted everywhere. There's no need to change rand if you're coming from South Africa, although you'll be given small change in shops in emilangeni. Several banks change travellers cheques, and ATMs have made an appearance and accept several, but not all, credit cards.

Tipping is as much the norm as it is in South Africa, and around 10-15% is usual. Bargaining isn't unknown but you won't find many situations where you can do it.

Winter, from June to August, is probably the best time, especially if you want to avoid those days when you could fry eggs on a tin hat. You'll get cooler temperatures (downright cold at night) in the eastern lowlands and warmer, drier weather in the highlands.If you want to see the two most important Swazi cultural ceremonies, go in August or September for the