Swaziland (Eswatini) Rock Climbing

Eswatini (formerly known as Swaziland) is a small landlocked kingdom in southern Africa. The country has several distinct geographical zones due to the Drakensburg escarpment running north to south through the center of the nation, and there is tons of unexplored rock scattered throughout. Although it is mostly lesser quality granite, some amazing rock exists for those adventurous enough to seek it out.
 
The climbing community in Eswatini is small, but they meet regularly for both indoor and outdoor sessions. The community is very welcoming of newcomers regardless of skill or previous experience and are a great resource for climbers living in or traveling to Eswatini. To learn more and connect with them, visit climbswaziland.wordpress.com or contact Quinton Reissmann.
Most of the recent climbing development has centered around a private school in Mbabane (Eswatini’s capital city). The school has been responsible for bolting and maintaining the few sport crags in the country. Outside of those sport crags, there are also bouldering spots that are dispersed throughout the country, including one that was documented by the Eswatini climbing community on the aforementioned website. Visiting Europeans and North Americans have also reportedly developed some granite bouldering spots in the region north of Sibebe Rock. And there are vague reports of South African climbers doing very remote first ascents during the 1970s in the southern region (Ngwempisi Gorge), but approaches and routes were not well-documented.
 
If you ask about climbing in Eswatini, many will undoubtedly direct you to Sibebe Rock, the country’s most iconic geological feature, the world’s second largest monolith, and the world’s largest exposed granite pluton. Atop this mountain, one can enjoy majestic views of the surrounding areas. However, visiting rock climbers should note that Sibebe is perhaps better suited for hiking and scrambling than for technical climbing. While technical climbing on the steeper sections of Sibebe appears possible, routes remain undocumented due to lack of protection possibilities and limited bolting resources. Though, as is true throughout Eswatini, boulders are abound on Sibebe, opening up the possibility of unexplored bouldering routes. There are rumors that sections of Sibebe were soloed by visiting South Africans in the 1970s and 1980s. It is possible to take a steep hike up the face of Sibebe with local adventure tourism companies.

The potential for developing new sport climbing and bouldering areas and routes is vast. However, Eswatini’s geographical isolation, coupled with the allure of neighboring South Africa's more developed and more well renown climbing areas, seem to ensure that Eswatini will remain a destination only for those that put a premium on climbing where few others have ever ventured.