Today we spent a lazy day exploring the Malkerns Valley, a lush and fertile agricultural region known as Eswatini’s cultural and craft heartland. The sweeping lowland landscape is dotted with sugarcane, maize and pineapple farms, while vibrant open workshops and social enterprises showcase the country’s rich artistic traditions. The valley is also home to the famous MTN Bushfire Festival, one of Eswatini’s biggest cultural events.
We visited several of the area’s famous craft centres, starting with Swazi Candles. In this world-renowned workshop, artisans use the ancient millefiori technique to create brightly coloured, intricately patterned wax candles, many shaped like local animals. Watching the candles being moulded by hand right in front of us was fascinating.
After restocking at Shoprite, we drove a few kilometres to Malandela’s Lifestyle Centre, where we stopped for lunch. This creative community space brings together boutique shops, farm-style dining and some of Eswatini’s best-known artisan groups.
Among them is Gone Rural, a renowned fair-trade social enterprise that works with rural women to create intricate, contemporary homeware from handwoven grass and palm leaves. We also visited Baobab Batik, a local studio producing beautiful hand-painted fabrics and clothing using traditional wax-resist dyeing techniques.
Parking location – Malkerns: 26.5070141S 31.2497913E (🚻,💦,🍽️,🅿️150 SZL/pax)