Mozambique Travel Guide - An African Adventure
Mozambique Travel Guide - An African Adventure
Mozambique is a country on the Indian Ocean coast of Southern Africa bordered by South Africa to the south, Tanzania to the north and with inland borders with Malawi, Zambia, Zimbabwe and Swaziland. Mozambique's eastern coastline along the Indian Ocean is more than 1,000 km long, a fantastic draw for scuba divers, fishermen, sailors and beach lovers.
From the 2,436 m Monte Binga peak to the stunning beaches along the coast, Mozambique is a country of contrasts. As well as some of the best colonial era architecture and relics to be found on the continent, Mozambique has also preserved its African cultural heritage, which can be experienced through art, music and food.
Mozambique stretches for 1,535 mi (2,470 km) along Africa's southeast coast. It is nearly twice the size of California. Tanzania is to the north; Malawi, Zambia, and Zimbabwe to the west; and South Africa and Swaziland to the south. The country is generally a low-lying plateau broken up by 25 sizeable rivers that flow into the Indian Ocean. The largest is the Zambezi, which provides access to central Africa. In the interior, several chains of mountains form the backbone of the country.
Almost all of Mozambique falls within the tropics and as such, Mozambique features a mostly tropical climate. Along the coast, Mozambique has a warm, tropical climate. Evenings are rarely cold, except for a few nights in June and July and the rainfall isn't too high. In summer, temperatures can soar and the humidity levels rise. Temperatures are typically higher in the north, around Pemba and the Zambezi.
Mozambique has 10 provinces that can be grouped into the following three regions:
Northern Mozambique
Cabo Delgado, Nampula and Niassa provinces.
Central Mozambique
Manica, Sofala, Tete and Zambézia provinces.
Southern Mozambique
Gaza, Inhambane Vilankulo and the Bazaruto National Sea Park, and Maputo provinces.
Most known cities of Mozambique :
Maputo - the thriving capital in the far south of the country.
Beira - a busy port town and capital of Sofala Province.
Vilanculos Bazaruto Archipelago the largest sea park on the African coast
Inhambane - a pretty historic town on a bay.
Nampula - an industrial city in the north and capital of Nampula Province.
The sights in Mozambique range from historical attractions to natural wonders that will take your breath away. The beautiful clear blue ocean is the perfect setting for a range of water sports. The coastline stretches for 2500 km, providing an abundance of unspoiled beaches to explore. Mozambique is a vibrant country from the bustling cities to the fishing villages.
As a country the Portuguese occupation has a profound impact on local foods that has produced some of the most unique and interesting cuisine within Southern Africa. Towards the coast a great deal of seafood is used within even the most basic of dishes, however, in land the maize based porridges common throughout Africa becomes staple but with some Portuguese flair.
Accommodation ranges from inexpensive guesthouses and backpacker orientated accommodation through to some of the most expensive resort accommodation in the region. Maputo, Tofo Beach, Vilanculos and Pemba have several backpacker lodges each and are geared up for the budget traveler. There are some backpacker options elsewhere in the country but often the only option for a budget traveler will be transient labor guesthouses or cheap hotels.
A lot to see in Mozambique such as :
Bazaruto Archipelago
Quirimbas Islands
Benguerra Island
Island of Mozambique
Ibo
Gorongosa National Park
Inhaca Island
Medjumbe Island
Quirimbas National Park
Portuguese Island
Magaruque Island
Bazaruto National Park
Barra Beach
Niassa Reserve
Santa Carolina
Vilanculos Beach Lodge
Macaneta Beach
Casa de Ferro
Fort São Sebastião
Museu de Historia Natural
Tunduru Botanical Gardens
FEIMA - Crafts, Flowers and Gastronomy Fair of Maputo
Banhine National Park
Cathedral of Our Lady of the Immaculate Conception, Maputo
Zinave National Park
Kaya Kweru
Fortress of Maputo
Ponta Beach Camps - Main Camp
Mount Namuli
Chapel of Nossa Senhora de Baluarte
Quirimba
Mount Gorongosa
Praça da Independência
Zambezi
Centro Cultural Franco Moçambicano - CCFM
Xefina island
Praia Do Cossa
Ilha Mogudula
Tofinho Beach
Mount Mabu
Praia do Xai-Xai
Cahora Bassa Dam
Saint Anthony Catholic Church
Ilha Xefina Pequena
Manyikeni
Pequenos Libombos
Lake Malawi
Mozambique is well know as a tourist destination because of the variety of places you can enjoy while you are visiting Mozambique . Through a series of videos we will try to show you recommended places to visit in Mozambique
Join us for more :
Beira, Mozambique Pt. 1 -A 20 Minute Walk Tour
Take a 20 minute walk in the city of Beira, Mozambique. This African port city has a population of over a half-million people and growing.
Located in the Sofala Province in the southern part of Africa, Beira sits at the entrance of the Pungwe River as it empties into the Indian Ocean.
See Part 2 :
See Part 3 :
See Part 4 :
Daily life in Portuguese-speaking Africa
If your mind is made up to go and live in Portuguese-speaking Africa, this programme is for you! Thanks to our guests, you'll be able to discover all the attractions of the two main countries in this region, but as nothing is ever completely rosy you'll also be able to learn more about some of the problems you may face in Angola and Mozambique.
Let's start this programme with some good news and that concerns the way French people are generally welcomed in this part of Africa.
Lydia Picoteiro Bettencourt
The French are warmly welcomed in Portuguese-speaking Africa. I suppose you could say they’re curious, curious in their willingness to chat and share and also curious to learn what's happening in France, to talk to you, and to reveal some of their interpersonal skills and customs because Portuguese-speaking culture is particularly pleasant, with a sort of richness and dialogue between individuals, and I’ll round off with a term which doesn't exist in French, known as morabeza, which is a social skill found in Cape Verde for example, and involves passing on your culture to a foreigner, whether this is a French person or someone of another nationality.
So, you can expect a warm welcome, but nevertheless there are some precautions to be taken, particularly in terms of security and more specifically in Luanda in Angola
Didier Colignon
What about security?
Where the security situation is concerned, you need to be careful in Luanda. I'd say the rules are pretty simple, you should travel around by car, and to begin with travel with a driver because you're not familiar with the city and driving behaviour. You should avoid walking around, that's the first thing. I'd say that between eight in the morning in five in the afternoon, you're fairly safe in the centre but afterwards you need to be very careful, particularly on the Luanda / Talatona road where there are regularly lots of traffic jams and where attacks are frequent, with a tendency towards violence, particularly in the street where they are trying to steal your wallet, your computer or your telephones, etc., so it's pretty intimidating with firearms and knives being brandished, it’s quite violent and then there's also the risk of attacks and assaults in your home and that's why most homes are located in what are referred to as condominiums, with security guards, but if you’re not in one of these there’s always the possibility to have 2 or 3 armed guards in front of your house to dissuade ill-intentioned individuals.
In Mozambique, and particularly in Maputo, you are also advised by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs to be very cautious as armed robberies are frequent there, particularly when you're on foot and haven’t removed any valuables you may be carrying, but Mozambique is felt to be more secure than Angola, with the exception of a few areas such as the provinces of Manica, Sofala and the southern provinces of Zambezia and Tete controlled by the opposition party RENAMO.
Another problem in Angola is the cost of living.... Described as one of the world's most expensive cities by various studies including the annual Mercer survey, you'll need plenty of money to live in Luanda.
Didier Colignon
The cost of living in Luanda
The cost of living is extremely high and I believe that in the rankings drawn up by Mercer, Luanda is still up there with New York, Tokyo or Hong Kong so it's very expensive. If you're living in an apartment complex with 2 to 3 bedrooms in a relatively safe area, you need to plan on a rent of $10,000 per month. Most of the food is imported so it's very expensive as it needs to be brought in by aircraft or boat. There are now local alternatives which have developed out of necessity but living costs are still expensive because structurally on the one hand you have very little local production so everything is imported and also at one time purchasing power was high so prices soared. This has calmed down a bit but it still remains a very expensive city. It won't be the world's expensive city this year but it’s definitely up there in the top 10 most expensive places to live.
Security and the cost of living in Luanda are definitely problematic but Angola and its capital city nevertheless reserve some pleasant surprises including a magnificent bay perfect for physical activities, an impressive nightlife and some little-known surfing spots just 40 or so kilometres away not to mention attractive provinces with mountains, waterfalls, the sea and the desert. And Mozambique certainly isn’t left out in this respect either, as its beauty has been described as unbelievable by some travel agencies, with the result being that the tourism industry is constantly expanding there.
If you arrive in Angola with your children, you have several options for their schooling ...
Nampula - Moçambique
Imagens da Cidade de Nampula - Moçambique
*City of Nampula - Mozambique
Nampula é a cidade capital da província do mesmo nome, em Moçambique e é conhecida como a Capital do Norte. Está localizada no interior da província e a sua população é, de acordo com o censo de 2007, de 471 717 habitantes.
Imagens:
StormShadow
Jonesy38 -
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