Go with a plan.
Eswatini's safety score rose to 65 today, though you should still track the US and Canadian level 2 advisories alongside the global measles notice.
Governments, one trip
What they're telling their own citizens about Eswatini
The real score
The breakdown
See it from your perspective
Go with a plan.
The general Sketch Score, unweighted for any specific traveler.
Don't do this
Laws that jail tourists
Aggressive police enforcement
Police officers aggressively apprehend and abuse foreigners for minor offenses like jaywalking or speeding.
Border crossing restrictions
It is forbidden to take meat into certain areas at border gates, and soldiers have the right to search you and your vehicle extensively.
No-Man's Land prohibition
Straying into the 5 km stretch of territory between Mozambique and Eswatini is dangerous, as soldiers guard the edges and have shot people there.
Staying healthy
What to watch out for, health-wise
Active notices
- • Global Measles
Vaccines
Recommended:
From people who've been there
Local know-how
Staying safe
- •Historically, Eswatini has enjoyed a very low rate of violent crime compared to its neighbors.
- •Be cautious in the presence of police. Officers have been known to aggressively apprehend and abuse foreigners for minor offences such as jaywalking or speeding.
- •Hippopotamuses are found (rarely) in the country's rivers, and are one of the more dangerous animals you are likely to come across.
- •Crocodiles are a more common danger when swimming in rivers.
- •Eswatini also has one of the highest numbers of people struck by lightning per capita in the whole world, and it is common to know (or know of) somebody who has been struck by lightning.
- •Be careful when crossing any of Eswatini's nineteen border gates.
Staying healthy
- •Excellent medical care is entirely non-existent in Eswatini; the country has one of the lowest average life expectancies in the world and the healthcare system is poorly funded and maintained.
- •Eswatini has the highest HIV/AIDS prevalence rate in the world ― 25-26% of Swazi adults aged between 15-49 have HIV/AIDS ― and it appears that the issue has been getting worse and worse since 2002.
- •There are risks for bilharzia if you frequent infected streams, as well as seasonal risks for malaria in the North-East parts of Eswatini near Mozambique.
- •Tap water is potable in major cities but may not be in rural areas.
Adapted from Wikivoyage, CC BY-SA — edited by travelers, not us.
Real talk
What travelers actually say
Travelers planning solo road trips through Eswatini prioritize daylight driving as a primary safety measure. While the provided discussions acknowledge general safety concerns regarding South Africa and Johannesburg, they offer no specific reports of crime, scams, or dangerous areas within Eswatini itself. The available information focuses on the logistics of solo travel and vehicle rental rather than documented safety incidents or warnings for the country. Consequently, there is no consensus or specific data regarding the actual risks or safety levels for travelers visiting Eswatini.
“I’m 25F and would be traveling solo. I’m well traveled and have my wits about me and only plan on driving during daylight hours.
— r/travel
Pack this, know this
The little things that trip people up
Plug & voltage
M · 230V
Driving side
left
Emergency
police: 999 / ambulance: 977 / fire: 933
Show the receipts (11 sources)
- us-state — observed 2026-07-12
- uk-fcdo — observed 2026-07-12
- ca-gac — observed 2026-07-12
- worldbank-political — observed 2026-07-12
- worldbank-policeTrust — observed 2026-07-12
- cdc-health — observed 2026-07-12
- wikivoyage — observed 2026-07-12
- reddit — observed 2026-07-12
- unodc — observed 2026-07-12
- acled-hdx — observed 2026-07-12
- lgbtq-legal-wikipedia — observed 2026-07-12