Perched spectacularly on a hillside and once the gateway to a busy border post with Mozambique, SITEKI , just over 30km south of Mlawula Nature Reserve, is a fairly lively regional centre. Although the border has now been closed for some years, Siteki remains busy, with a bus station that operates frequent services to Manzini, a colourful market , and a number of lively restaurants along the main street. Next door to the Siteki hotel, off the main road on the way out of town, is the headquarters of Litiko Letinyanga (tel 3434512), a traditional healing organization, run by Dr Nhlavana Maseko, which seeks to improve the credibility of traditional healing with Western medical institutions. You may be able to arrange a session with a traditional healer, but you'll have to phone beforehand (ask for Betty).

 

There's only one place to stay - the Siteki (tel 3434126; R150-200), which is pleasant enough, though the rooms feel a bit spartan. Downstairs, the hotel restaurant serves steaks and other meat dishes, and there's a great bar attached, which is popular with locals and gets very lively at weekends.

At the beginning of the road ascending to the town, you'll pass through a foot-and-mouth disease control checkpoint ; the guards only check you on the way out, to confiscate any meat products that you might have tucked away.