Africa
Eswatini (Swaziland)
Manzini District
Manzini
Places to visit in Manzini
Swazi Cultural Village
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Swazi Cultural Village

See all things to do
See all things to do
Swazi Cultural Village
4.5
#1 of 11 things to do in Manzini
Historic Sites
8:00 AM - 5:00 PM
Monday
8:00 AM - 5:00 PM
Tuesday
8:00 AM - 5:00 PM
Wednesday
8:00 AM - 5:00 PM
Thursday
8:00 AM - 5:00 PM
Friday
8:00 AM - 5:00 PM
Saturday
8:00 AM - 5:00 PM
Sunday
8:00 AM - 5:00 PM
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Tours & experiences
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The area
Address
Mantenga At 20Kms from Mbabane, Manzini M200 Eswatini (Swaziland)
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Detailed Reviews: Reviews order informed by descriptiveness of user-identified themes such as cleanliness, atmosphere, general tips and location information.
Popular mentions
4.5
263 reviews
Excellent
133
Very good
104
Average
22
Poor
3
Terrible
1
MRichardson2014
Lake of Bays, Canada935 contributions
Worthwhile Visit, but roon for improvement
Nov 2023 • Couples
We visited this culture village and enjoyed the dance, singing and drumming very much. It was also interesting to see a traditional swazi village of times gone by and to receive an overview of where villagers slept, ate and did daily chores. A few drawbacks were that the performance started 15 min late and the village tour lacked depth in the explanations. Also it would have been helpful to understand the significance of the performances as we were watching them - perhaps a handout explaining these would have been helpful.
Written 14 November 2023
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
1957
Ottawa, Canada695 contributions
Interesting visit !
Oct 2023 • Couples
Part of our Gate 1 tour, we visited this village. We were greeted by this young lady who told us all about the village and their culture. It was very informative. We got to visit the homes.. We had lunch there. Afterwards they even had a dancing and singing show that they performed for us. Before leaving, we visited their small craft gift store.
Written 5 November 2023
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
sindisiwemzizi1
Vereeniging, South Africa2 contributions
Swazi Cultural Village
Apr 2023 • Couples
This is for everyone who is travelling to Swaziland especially those travelling to it for the first time. It gives you everything you need to know about Swaziland and their culture. It is also child friendly.
Written 7 May 2023
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Holger+Birgit
Diessen, Germany89 contributions
Worth a visit
Oct 2022
This place gives you a good insight in the former Eswatini culture. The village is nicely kept and maintained, the guides tell you all you want to know and are open for any questions.
The performance of songs and dances was wonderful, colourful, entertaining.
We were also guided to the waterfall which is also a great sight.

If you have time, look around the near vicinity of the village, there are more spots worth seeing and taking pictures, but be careful...crocodiles.
Written 17 October 2022
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
GeneralShamu
New York City, NY1,058 contributions
Cultural Tour
Jul 2022
Came here as part of a full day culture tour and so glad we did. Remarkable to see the traditional village life, the dance/show they provide and so much more. Total time needed about 1.5 hours.
Written 25 July 2022
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
dhw77
Nuneaton, UK82 contributions
Interesting and entertaining
Jun 2022 • Couples
The dance show was excellent. We've been to many "cultural shows" around the world over the years. They are usually lacklustre and amateurish, and designed to get money from undiscerning tourists. The entry fee is currently R150. For such a large cast, this was very good value (though they did discreetly ask for tips too).

The dancers/musicians here were incredibly professional and would not be out of place on a west-end stage. They were clearly enjoying themselves too. To my untrained eye they seemed flawless.

We were then taken on a guided tour of the village by Paul, whose commentary was very interesting and brought to life what we were seeing.

The waterfall, which was the main reason we visited, was impressive too, but I hadn't expected the dance show to be the highlight of the visit.
Written 3 June 2022
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Robert O
Rotterdam, The Netherlands3,818 contributions
Replica 19th century Swazi settlement in Mantenga nature reserve
Feb 2022
This traditional style Swazi village is 3 km west from the US embassy (Lobamba) in the Mantenga Nature Reserve. At the time of my visit it was deserted, because of covid restrictions. Normally there is a show by traditional Swazi dancers and music makers.

The village consists of huts and wooden fences marking the different living quarters and spaces to keep cattle. The settlement is surrounded by a defensive palisade. One has to bear in mind the whole place is a reconstruction of a mid 19th century village.

The presentation of 19th century Swazi life is perhaps rather coloured by a late 20th century interpretation and tailored to meet expectations of the (Western) tourist. Life during 1850s was hard and dancing and singing were occasional happenings. People lived close to their cows and other lifestock under not always very hygienic conditions.
Written 20 February 2022
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
krugerandmore
Nelspruit, South Africa359 contributions
A pity no dancers or show,but still great. Thanks Paul
Feb 2022
Thanks. Pity about Covid no sing or dancing for now. Paul you have ask for him is a wonderful guide. One learns a lot from Paul. Thanks Paul. The walk to waterfall is worth it.Thanks see you again
Written 18 February 2022
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Iolanda Guerra e Andrade
Lisbon, Portugal1,904 contributions
An absolute MUST
Jan 2020
This was an extraordinary experience as to what the daily life of the Hlane community is about, as well as an initiation to the Swazi culture and traditions. We partook in several of the activities, which comprised grinding the maize, braiding wicker baskets, learning some Swazi words and dancing (in separate gender groups). An absolute MUST if one wants to "learn" a little bit more beyond what can be learned in books.
Written 21 May 2020
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
hdjtravel
New York253 contributions
Fantastic surprise must visit
Feb 2020 • Couples
Recommended by many locals so after 3rd visit to Eswatini we made it and highly recommended it too! Must take hat or sun umbrella and water. Not too much walking but nice to see village and understand details. Tour guide was very well spoken and easy to understand willing to answer questions and kind.
They have a must see show 11 and 3 with plenty of seating, not a bad seat!
Singing and drums were incredible at high test quality.
Toilets available and parking is close by
Written 25 February 2020
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
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