Car hire in Eswatini without a credit card

Why hire a car in Eswatini?

Eswatini is a small kingdom between South Africa and Mozambique, with game reserves you can drive yourself, mountains in the north-west and the royal heartland of the Ezulwini Valley. Mbabane, Manzini and the industrial centre of Matsapha lie only about 40 kilometres apart.

King Mswati III International Airport, in the east near Hlane Royal National Park, has been the country's only airport for commercial flights since 2014, and car hire companies have desks there. You can also collect your car at Matsapha, near Manzini, or in Mbabane. For more destinations, see all destinations.

Exploring Eswatini by car

Game reserves

Hlane Royal National Park, about 40 kilometres from King Mswati III Airport, covers 22,000 hectares and has the country's largest herds of game, including elephant and lion. Day visitors can drive themselves on the self-drive roads, which suit a normal car in dry weather; the lions live in a separate area that is closed to self-drive. Mlilwane Wildlife Sanctuary, between Mbabane and Manzini, is also open to self-drive day visitors. Mkhaya Game Reserve, home to the country's only buffalo, sable and tsessebe as well as black and white rhino, can only be explored on a guided drive or on foot, not in your own car.

The north-west

Malolotja covers about 18,000 hectares of mountains in the north-west. Within the reserve lies Ngwenya, an iron-ore mine that was already being worked more than 40,000 years ago and is on UNESCO's tentative list.

The Ezulwini Valley

The Ezulwini Valley, whose name means 'place of heaven', lies midway between Mbabane and Manzini. In Lobamba, at its heart, the kingdom's royal ceremonies such as Incwala and Umhlanga take place.

Driving in Eswatini

Eswatini drives on the left. Bring an International Driving Permit with your own licence. The main highway between Mbabane and Manzini is in relatively good condition, but secondary roads are often dirt tracks, and fog is common in the highlands. Animals stray onto the roads, so avoid driving on rural roads at night. The alcohol limit is 50 milligrams per 100 millilitres of blood, with random roadside checks. There are filling stations in all main towns and at most border posts.

The lilangeni is pegged one-to-one to the South African rand, and rand notes are legal tender and widely used. Eswatini has eleven border posts with South Africa, among them Oshoek, Jeppes Reef, Mananga, Mahamba, Nerston and Golela; taking a hire car across the border is only possible if the hire company allows it, so ask before you book. From King Mswati III Airport, the Malelane Gate of Kruger National Park is about 145 kilometres away.

Best time to hire a car in Eswatini

The dry season runs from mid-April to mid-October, and the rainy season from late October to March. From November to April violent thunderstorms with hail can occur, especially in the highlands. In Mbabane average highs are about 24°C from December to February and 19 to 20°C in June and July, when the nights drop to about 5°C.