Piggs Peak: Handicrafts at Tintsaba

For a trip to Piggs Peak, Tintsaba is a specific cultural point of interest nearby. The business is located at the Peak Craft Centre in north-western Eswatini, just north of the town. The focus is a guided workshop tour. If you are interested in handicrafts, the tour takes you through Tintsaba’s production processes and creations. For your trip planning, two levels sit side by side: Tintsaba as a handicraft-related attraction near Piggs Peak, and Maguga Dam and the Maguga Lodge hiking tours in the broader Hhohho region.

Tintsaba: Workshop and founding story

On the tour, visitors can see wild sisal being processed and dyed, as well as baskets, jewellery and home accessories being made. They can also meet the women who create these pieces. This brings several aspects of the work into view: the material, how it is processed, the different product groups and the people involved. For those interested in handicraft processes, the visit brings these elements—material, production and creations—together in a guided tour.

Tintsaba was founded in 1985 by Sheila Freemantle, who died in 2012. Her stated vision was to work with women in rural Eswatini towards their personal and financial independence. This founding story adds historical context to the business: the tour shows work processes and creations, while Freemantle’s vision sets out the purpose for which she founded Tintsaba. The tour and the founding story answer different questions—what visitors see in the workshop, and the aim the founder expressed. The dates provide a timeline for the founding story; alongside this, the guided tour shows specific production processes.

Advance booking is required for Tintsaba’s workshop tour. Arrange your visit directly with Tintsaba before planning your visit.

Hhohho: Maguga Dam and hiking tours

Maguga Dam is in the broader Hhohho travel region. It holds 332 million cubic metres of water, and its wall is 115 metres high. These measurements describe different properties: capacity is given in cubic metres, while the wall’s height is given in metres. The road from Mbabane to Piggs Peak crosses Maguga Dam, which is in Hhohho. Capacity and height do not describe the same property, while the road connection places the dam in a broader regional context.

The Maguga Lodge hiking tours in Hhohho are led by local community members. This offers a different activity alongside Tintsaba’s workshop tour: there, the focus is on sisal processing and creations; here, it is on hiking with local guides. When weighing up the options for your trip, you can consider handicrafts and guided hiking in Hhohho as distinct interests.

Discover more destinations: Lobamba, Mbabane, Bulembu.

Back to the regional travel overview: Hhohho.