ISLAND STYLE. Jon on a dhow, en route to
Magaruque Island in the Bazaruto Archipelago.
Go!/WEG EDITOR-in-chief Barnie Louw
general manager, Media24 lifestyle magazines
JACQUES BREYTENBACH
ceo, Media24 magazines John Relihan
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I
If you’re game for some
off-roading, we’ve included a
section on driving to the coast
through the Kruger Park and
a feature about Mozambique’s
inland national parks, including
Limpopo and Gorongosa.
We’ve also got two fantastic
reader stories, about paddling the
Lugenda River and backpacking
around the Quirimbas and
Mozambique Island – just to prove
that the north of the country
is not only about strawberry
daiquiris and five-star lodges.
If it’s your first time travelling
to Mozambique, I hope you have
a wonderful holiday. And if you’re
planning a return visit, may this
trip be even better than your last.
Travel safely.
editor@gomag.co.za
The information in this guide was accurate at the time of going to press,
but things move fast across the border – be prepared for unexpected changes.
We used an exchange rate of Mt3,5 : R1 and US$1 : R8.
Ed’s letter
GUIDE EDITOR JON MINSTER
art director Lynne Fraser
PICTURE EDITOR SAM REINDERS
designers Megan CronjÉ, Monique Petersen
cartographer françois haasbroek
copy editors martinette louw, Kay-ann van rooyen
first visited Mozambique on
a scuba-diving trip in 1998,
and since then I have been
back nine times. I’ve burst
a trailer tyre driving through a
pothole in Maputo, cooked prawns
on a skottel in the rain, swum with
a whale shark, sung karaoke in the
bar at Bamboozi, been pummelled
by a tropical cyclone, dived at
Manta Reef, walked on the white
sand of Bazaruto, paddled to a
remote village in Inhambane Bay,
and brought back all manner of
carvings and trinkets, which now
decorate my house in Cape Town.
And I can’t wait to go back.
It’s the feeling you get when you
cross the border. It’s the sweaty,
sticky sound of Portuguese. It’s the
mouldy, ruined hotels, the humid
wind, the bullet holes and the new
resorts. It’s the smiles of the people
and their unwavering enthusiasm.
It’s sipping a 2M beer on an empty
beach. Most importantly, it’s an
adventure every time.
This guide is simple to use.
Upfront we’ve consolidated all
the information you’ll need to
plan your holiday, from vehicle
paperwork to malaria medication.
Then we’ve highlighted the various
beach destinations within easy
driving distance of South Africa:
Ponta do Ouro, Maputo, Inhaca,
Bilene, Inhambane and Vilankulo.
PICTURE DAWIE VERWEY
Why I can’t
wait to go
back
3
Contents
FOR STARTERS
6
8
9
Contributors
Meet the people behind the stories.
Map
Um, so you don’t get lost.
ON THE COVER
Bazaruto Island has its fair share of
picture-postcard beaches. If you’re
not staying at a larney lodge, do a
day trip from Vilankulo. Don’t forget
to pack sunscreen and bottled water!
Photographer: Dawie Verwey
Canon EOS-1Ds Mark II, 24 – 105 mm
lens, 1/125 second, f8, ISO 100
Know before you go
All the practical information you need to
plan your holiday.
18
20
Food
Prawns, beer and peri-peri chicken!
Exposure
Fantastic photos to give you a taste
of what’s to come.
UP THE COAST
30
Ponta do Ouro
Your guide to the southernmost
holiday town in Mozambique.
42
Maputo
Take a stroll next to the sea and feel
the pulse of the capital.
52
Inhaca
If you have dreams of being
stranded on an island like Robinson Crusoe,
catch the ferry to chill-out central.
58
Bilene
This town on the shores of a
beautiful lagoon is developing fast. Visit out
of season and you’ll have it all to yourself.
66
Inhambane, Tofo & Barra
If you’re looking for a family-friendly
beach destination, look no further than the
Inhambane Peninsula.
78
Inhambane’s Big 5
Snorkel with a whale shark, dive
with a manta ray, watch a humpback whale
breach, swim with a turtle and – if you’re
really lucky ­– eyeball a smalleye stingray.
84
Vilankulo
This laid-back village is the jumpoff point for the Bazaruto Archipelago.
Pour yourself a piña colada – you’re in the
tropics now!
INLAND
WAKEY, WAKEY. At sunrise,
a dhow waits to ferry tourists to
Magaruque Island, visible in the
distance. The island is about 10 km
off the coast of Vilankulo.
94
Kruger to coast
One of the exciting ways to get to
the beach… We show you how.
102
National parks
SURF’S UP. The sand point break
at Tofinho, south of Tofo, is one of the
best surf spots in southern Africa.
Pack the Landy and explore
Limpopo, Banhine, Zinave and Gorongosa.
MY MOZAMBIQUE
114
Paddling the Lugenda
118
Backpacking the north
128
To Beira in a B18
130
Parting shot
Theo Schumann recalls a fiveday paddle on the wild Lugenda River.
Les Stuart remembers a road
trip to Mozambique in 1969.
Mike Slater will go back for the
beaches, but it’s the smiles he treasures most.
PICTURES dawie verwey
Callum Clark visits the
Quirimbas and Mozambique Island
– on a budget of R150 per day!
Behind the scenes
Villiers Steyn
Villiers travelled to Bilene,
Inhambane and Vilankulo on the
back of a tropical storm. Once
the clouds cleared, he found blue
skies and warm seas in abundance.
Here are his top five tips for a
Mozambican holiday.
1. Don’t forget the sunnies.
Polarised lenses cut out the glare
and make the turquoise water look
so much better.
2. Wake up early. Whether you’re
photographing local fishermen with
their nets on Barra Beach or searching
for flamingos at the edge of Uembje
Lagoon in Bilene, early morning is the
best time in Mozambique. Catch up on
sleep after lunch.
6
3. Eat locally. Buy seafood from local
fishermen – it’s fresh and cheap. Whenever
you can, eat out at local restaurants like
Sónia’s Prawns in Bilene, where you’ll find
tasty dishes at very reasonable prices.
4. Go wide. Most beaches are big and
empty. A normal photograph cannot do
justice to the landscape. Rather take a series
of shots and stitch them together afterwards
to create a panorama.
5. Drink your beer quickly. Nothing
stays cold for long in Mozambique.
Contributors
Toast Coetzer
Sam Reinders
Sam spent a long weekend in
Maputo, then caught the ferry
to Inhaca Island.
Would you recommend visiting
Maputo? The Mozambican capital is
like blue cheese – not everyone will like it.
It’s no Addis Ababa or Accra in terms of
energy and excitement, but it does have a
certain charm. If you’re the adventurous
type it’s worth spending a day or two in
the city, even if you just go for the food!
2M or Laurentina? 2M, no question.
At the risk of offending its competitors,
2M is hands-down the best beer in
Mozambique.
You’re a birder, right? Indeed,
and Mount Gorongosa is the only place
in southern Africa where you’ll find the
green-headed oriole. It also occurs higher
up the east coast of Africa, but still, it’s a
very difficult bird to spot. It is beautiful –
bright yellow like our other orioles, but
with an olive-green head.
Advice for overlanders? Don’t
attempt a journey without a GPS loaded
with the latest Tracks4Africa mapping
data. Many roads could be impassable
during the rainy season, bridges might be
washed away and ponts might be out of
order. Fuel availability is also unreliable.
PICTURES TOAST COETZER; SAM REINDERS; VILLIERS STEYN
Toast went to Gorongosa National
Park, along some of the bumpiest
roads in Mozambique.
Map
7
CALM WATERS. Wilderness
guide Janco Scott wades into the
sea at Rio Savane Lodge, about
40 km north of Beira. On their way
to the coast, Toast and Janco
explored some of Mozambique’s
inland national parks. Read about
their journey on page 102.
TANZANIA
North Luangwa
National Park
La ke
Malawi
Rov uma
Mocímboa da Praia
Nissa National Reserve
Lugen
Metangula
South Luangwa
National Park
ss
Me
Lichinga
ZAMBIA
243
da
MOZAMBIQUE
Lilongwe
alo
Pemba
Luri
o
106
Nacala
Cuamba
MALAWI
223
Cahora B a ssa
EN8
Zomba
221
Gurúè
232
nha
Blantyre
EN8
Nampula
Ligo
Songa
Tete
Zam
bez
i
S hi re
103
Mocuba
Gilú Game
Reserve
104
Mutarara
Harare
Za
Catandica
Goro
8
EN1
ngo
213
mb
Quelimane
ez
i
Marromeu
National Park National Reserve
s a Gorongosa
Manica
Mutare
Map
Chimoio
EN6
Bu
zi
ZIMBABWE
Indian
Ocean
Beira
Masvingo
Save
Gonarezhou
National Park
Primeira
Archipelago
EN7
102
Zinave National Park
Inhassoro
Bazaruto Archipelago
Vilankulo
Pafuri
Giriyondo
Oli
ts
Maxixe
o
SOUTH AFRICA
Chokwé
Quissico
Xai-Xai
Komatipoort
Nelspruit
Inhambane
pop
fan
Europa Island
Banhine
National Park
Lim
Kruger
National Park
EN1
Limpopo
National Park
EN1
Lebombo
EN4
Namaacha
Bilene
Mbabane
SWAZILANDKosi Bay
Tar road
Dirt road
River
Town
Border post
Maputo
Ponta do Ouro
Quirimbas
Archipelago
Montepuez
242
242
Quirimbas National Park
±400 km
Mozambique
Island
Know before you go
Know before you go
Travelling to Mozambique is not like travelling
to the Pilanesberg, but it’s also not as intimidating
as you might think. Do your homework before you
hit the road and you’ll have a hassle-free holiday.
9
THE SOUTH-NORTH HIGHWAY.
The Estrada Nacional 1, or EN1,
runs north from Maputo close
to the coast.
10
Know before you go
Right, let’s get started
Make
copies!
Make certified copies of all
your important paperwork –
car papers, passport, driving
licence, etc – and have
them laminated. Keep the
laminated copies in a folder
somewhere easily accessible.
As an added precaution, scan
the copies and e-mail them
to yourself so you can print
them out if needs be.
Go when it’s dry
Get your documents sorted
From a weather perspective, it’s better to travel
in the cooler, dry months between May and
October. If you visit in summer it’s often un­
comfortably hot and you run the risk of heavy
downpours. Also, the coastal areas of central
Mozambique are cyclone-prone during the
rainy season, from November to April.
You don’t need a visa if you’re a South African
citizen or if you hold a passport from another
SADC country, but your passport must be valid
for six months after your intended departure and
it must have a minimum of three empty pages.
Visitors from other countries will need a visa, valid
for 30 days. Buy one at the border for about R600,
or call the Mozambique High Commission on
012 401 0300 to organise one in advance.
Mind the crowds
Despite the iffy weather in summer,
Mozambique is a popular year-round
destination, especially during the South African
school holidays. If you don’t mind crowds, it can
be great fun, but tempers fray and there is the
occasional restaurant power failure and spat in
the campsite. If you’d prefer peace and quiet,
visit outside peak season.
Activate roaming
There is good cellphone coverage throughout
southern Mozambique. Ask your service provider
how to activate international roaming on your
cellphone and stay in touch with friends and
family via SMS. Or buy a local SIM card when
you’re there.