What's on in Mlilwane Wildlife Sanctuary (Swaziland), Eswatini through the year

Busy — Incwala at Lobamba nearby, school holidays in 5 of the markets that fill it

Nothing new starts in January.

Still on: Summer thunderstorm season (15 Oct – 28 Feb (usually)), Summer birdwatching season (1 Nov – 15 Apr (usually)), Incwala at Lobamba nearby (15 Dec – 10 Jan (usually))

Quiet — school holidays in 2 of the markets that fill it, one of its worst months for weather

Nothing new starts in February.

Still on: Summer thunderstorm season (15 Oct – 28 Feb (usually)), Summer birdwatching season (1 Nov – 15 Apr (usually))

Shoulder season — school holidays in 4 of the markets that fill it, an ordinary month

Nothing new starts in March.

Still on: Summer birdwatching season (1 Nov – 15 Apr (usually))

Shoulder season — school holidays in 4 of the markets that fill it, an ordinary month

Nothing new starts in April.

Still on: Summer birdwatching season (1 Nov – 15 Apr (usually))

Busy — MTN Bushfire festival, school holidays in 3 of the markets that fill it

• Season

  Dry season game walks

  1 May – 30 Sep · usually

  Winter drops the grass and pushes zebra, wildebeest, impala and warthog to drink more often at the sanctuary's waterholes, making the walking, cycling and horse trails easier going for spotting them. Cool, dry mornings from August into September are the most comfortable stretch to be out on foot. Source ↗

• Festival

  MTN Bushfire festival

  29–31 MayMusic festivalCrowdedBook early

  House on Fire, the venue for Eswatini's biggest arts and music festival, sits a short drive from the sanctuary in the neighbouring Malkerns Valley. The Ezulwini-Malkerns corridor fills with visitors and every bed for miles around books out for the three-day run. Source ↗

Busy — Imvelo MTB Classic, school holidays in 3 of the markets that fill it

• Festival

  Imvelo MTB Classic

  1–8 Jun · usuallySporting eventCrowded

  Up to 500 riders take over the sanctuary's trails for the Imvelo MTB Classic in early June, run across four distance categories through the reserve's open grassland and hills. It is the busiest the trail network gets outside a normal weekend. Source ↗

Still on: Dry season game walks (1 May – 30 Sep (usually))

Busy — school holidays in 5 of the markets that fill it, one of its best months for weather

Nothing new starts in July.

Still on: Dry season game walks (1 May – 30 Sep (usually))

Peak crowds — Umhlanga Reed Dance nearby, Umhlanga, the Reed Dance

• Festival

  Umhlanga Reed Dance nearby

  24–31 AugMajor festivalCrowded

  The Ludzidzini royal village hosting the eight-day Umhlanga Reed Dance is only a few kilometres from the sanctuary in the same Ezulwini valley, and the roads past the reserve carry the week's traffic. Tens of thousands attend the public-holiday main day at the end of it. Source ↗

• Holiday

  Umhlanga, the Reed Dance

  25 Aug – 10 Sep · usuallyNational holidayCrowdedClosures

  Tens of thousands of young women bring reeds to the Queen Mother's royal village over about a week, ending in massed singing and dancing before the King that visitors may watch. The final day is a public holiday, and lodges in the central valleys book up. Source ↗

Still on: Dry season game walks (1 May – 30 Sep (usually))

Busy — Umhlanga, the Reed Dance, school holidays in 2 of the markets that fill it

Nothing new starts in September.

Still on: Dry season game walks (1 May – 30 Sep (usually)), Umhlanga Reed Dance nearby (24–31 Aug), Umhlanga, the Reed Dance (25 Aug – 10 Sep (usually))

Shoulder season — school holidays in 4 of the markets that fill it, an ordinary month

• Hazard

  Summer thunderstorm season

  15 Oct – 28 Feb · usually

  Most of the year's rain falls in violent afternoon thunderstorms with frequent lightning. Start walks, rides and bike trails early and get off the open hillsides of Nyonyane before the storms build. Source ↗

Shoulder season — school holidays in 2 of the markets that fill it, an ordinary month

• Nature

  Summer birdwatching season

  1 Nov – 15 Apr · usuallyBirdlife season

  Migrant birds from Europe and North Africa arrive with the rains, making the green summer months the best for birding on the walking and cycling trails, even though game is easier to see in the dry season. Source ↗

Still on: Summer thunderstorm season (15 Oct – 28 Feb (usually))

Busy — Incwala at Lobamba nearby, school holidays in 5 of the markets that fill it

• Festival

  Incwala at Lobamba nearby

  15 Dec – 10 Jan · usuallyMajor festivalCrowded

  The kingdom's most sacred ceremony takes place at the royal residence in Lobamba, a short drive up the Ezulwini Valley. Dates follow the moon and are announced late; the main public day brings thousands of warriors in regalia. Source ↗

Still on: Summer thunderstorm season (15 Oct – 28 Feb (usually)), Summer birdwatching season (1 Nov – 15 Apr (usually))