Maputo Travel Guide
From Wikitravel
Maputo is the capital city of Mozambique.
Contents |
Understand
Maputo has been the capital of Mozambique since 1907. The name of the city was Lourenço Marques until the independence of the country, in 1975. It is the largest city of Mozambique also with the country's most important harbour. It is situated at the mouth of the Santo River in the extreme south 90 km from the border to South Africa.
Compared to some other sub-Saharan African cities the urban area feels small and concentrated with wide avenues and old trees. People are generally out and about in the streets, walking driving and getting on with life. The vibe is healthy and active, with little begging and lots of street vendors and markets. There is no heavy presence of police during the day, and no feeling that it is needed.
There are few tourists or white people to be seen and at times the atmosphere is as much South American as African. Buildings range from new high-rise construction to old colonial palaces, but the dominant architecture leans toward anonymous Stalinist-looking concrete-walled boxes of various heights, generally with badly eroded paint and lots of security bars in one or more stages of rusting. Fortunately, these tend to fade into the background as non-descript and uninteresting, and there are enough buildings with old charm or high style and lush enough gardens (cycads, coleus, flamboyant, jacaranda, bouganvillea, etc.) to give an overall pleasing if shabby feel.
The city provides a range of accommodation, from many-star hotels (Polana, Cardoso, Holiday Inn, etc.) to comfortable backpackers (Base and Fatima's) and reasonable options in between (Mozaic Guest House).
Get in
By plane
Most international flights are from/to Maputo's airport. See the the Mozambique page for more. Local airlines LAM [1] and Air Corridor [2] operate a high number of domestic flights within Mozambique.
By train
By car
The highway from Johannesburg to Maputo is very good. From Johannesburg, take the N4 towards Nelspruit (about 400km). From Nelspruit, continue following the N4 to Komatipoort, the last town on the South African side (about 100km). Just past Komatipoort is the Komatipoort/Ressano Garcia border post. NB: current car registration papers (or good facsimile thereof) are required to get a car past the border. On the Mozambican side, just follow the N4 (now called EN4) for a further 100km or so to reach Maputo.
By bus
By boat
Get around
Walk center city by day.
Metered (yellow-roofed) taxi longer distances or at night but agree to a fare beforehand as many don't have meters...ask hotel desks or locals for guidance on reasonable fares (e.g., Hotel Cardoso to Feira Popular or Mercado Central is around Mts 80 - 90,000 (USD 4 - 5).
See
- The Railway Station on Praca dos Trabalhadores was designed by Gustave Eiffel (after his fall from grace in the Panama canal scandal), and bears the mark of his genius.
- The National Art Museum has a small but good collection of Mozambican art, including several large canvases by the world-renowned Malangatana.
- The Jardim Tunduru is a very pretty (albeit small) botanical garden.
- The Museum of the Revolution chronicles Mozambique's fight for indepedence from Portuguese colonialism.
- The Mercado Central in the Baixa district has fresh fish, crabs, calamari, fruits and vegetables, and many household staples. Safe, lively and recommended, especially if cooking for yourself.
- Walk up Avenida Julius Nyerere. Start from the Hotel Cardoso or Natural History Museum along R Mutemba to Nyerere then left (north) to the Polana Hotel. Boutiques, restaurants, curio vendors, video stores, etc. to be seen in the relatively upscale Polana neighborhood.
Do
Visit some beautiful beaches, such as Catembe and Ponta d'Oro. It is very jovial in these atmospheres and it is not dangerous in the least bit.
Learn
Work
Work is now available to the locals, but if you are a foreigner and thinking about taking a sabbatical, it is a perfectly safe and comfortable place to do it.
Buy
- African fabrics both waxprint and woven in the fabric shops along the Avenida de Guerra Popular
- Cashews all over the place, roasted, salted, plain, any which way and nearly anywhere. The number two export of the country, selling for about USD 3.20 per pound (Mts. 140,000 per kg).
- Wood carvings, boxes, picture frames from curio vendors.
- Batik cloth ranging from the tacky animal stuff to glorious works of art. Most of what is on offer is on the lower quality end, but persistent searching will yield some gems among the dross.
Eat
The local cuisine is a mixture of Middle Eastern, African, Indian/Pakistani/ Portuguese, Hispanic, and African. All these different cuisnes are served at various areas in the city.
Budget
Mid-range
Chicken Piripiri near the corner of Avda. 24 de Julho and Avda. Nyerere serves grilled chicken and also very good prawns.
Splurge
- Restaurante Escorpiao, in the Feira Popular (in the Baixa district). Hhas a huge menu, good wine list and caters to moderate and high-end budgets. Not fancy, frequented by locals. Slightly better than the Costa do Sol.
- Costa do Sol restaurant, in Costa do Sol (5km north of Maputo -- take a taxi, they will wait and bring you back). Icon over 50 years old. Great seafood in low-key atmosphere. Great variety too. Excellent service.
Drink
Fruit juice is (sadly) usually sweetened nectar and not fresh 100% juice. The usual selections of fizzy sugar water in a bottle (soft drinks) can be found too. Pressed sugar cane juice is available in some markets.
The wine selection is quite poor with cheap, low-end South African wines sold at obscene prices, and wine by the glass generally comes from a box. Better are the cheap Portuguese wines, but availability is limited.
Beer is widely available, with 2M ('dosh-em'), Laurentina (brewed by 2M), and Manica being the common selection.
Drink water from a bottle, not the tap.
Sleep
Budget
- The Base Backpackers, 545 Avenida Patrice Lumumba, nice rooms, balcony with a view over the sea, 2 computers with fast internet, a small room with a tv and news 24, a self-sevice fridge and kitchen facilities.
- MAPUTO B&B, BACKPACKERS is the very affordable alternative for hot city places, at very reasonable prices, like other backpackers, and ultra clean, little bar, free pool table, restaurant with best/freshest home cooked seafood, garden space to sit, secure parking in and outside, meet great travellers get all info on trips to Tofo, diving, culture, and very important great location close to the beach. Find it at 3km from Polana Hotel, 1.5 km before Costa do Sol restaurant, off Marginal at Triunfo, 4 Avenida, House 98, look for saure blue sign with yellow letters. Call your host Mimi to book +258824672230 We take long term residents for special conditions and can point you to administrations of government, university, business. city tours, Inhaca-Portuguese Island boat tripslive music bar visit
Mid-range
Splurge
- Catembe Gallery Hotel, [3]. 14 luxurious rooms that are individually decorated by leading Mozambican artists. It is situated about 10min by boat from the CBD. It has a bar, beach, library, pool table and swimming pool. Internet access is available. Rates start from about €20, up to €380, depending on type of room selected.
- Cardoso Hotel, [4]. Opposite the traffic circle from the Natural History Museum and is a solid 4-star hotel with professional staff fluent in English. A great garden to have a drink in and watch the sun set over the Baixa and Rio Santo. Doubles with a river view and airconditioning were USD 105.00 in January 2006. Suites were USD 150.00. Recommended.
- Hotel Polana, [5]. The grande dame of Maputo hotels, a colonial era masterpiece by Sir Herbert Baker, famed South African architect (who also did the Mount Nelson Hotel in Cape Town). As close to perfection in service, food, pool, view, etc. as can be found in Maputo. Small casino can be a fun diversion. Doubles start at USD 217.00. Good place to have a drink, or to have lunch in the Tea Room.
Contact
Stay safe
At daytime, violent crime is not a problem. However, occasional pickpocketing attempts do occur and are almost garanteed on busy streets. At night, it is better not to walk around alone. Regardless of the hour, be smart when walking around -- don't carry much around in the streets with you, and if you have a bag, keep it close to you. If you have a cell phone, do not flaunt it -- pickpocketers have been known to take cellphones right out of people's hands when talking on them. Local police also apparently target foreigners in the area around popular backpacker hostels. Carry a copy of your passport (not your real one), and a copy of your VISA too so that there is no potential problem with the police (you are legally obliged to carry both at all times). Also, very obviously, do not carry drugs or knives (penknives) around with you at all.
Stay healthy
- Malarial prophylaxis is essential in all parts of Mozambique.
- Do not drink the tap water. As Fatima puts it: "Your stomachs are not used to it."
- There is high HIV incidence. For your own safety, do not have unprotected sex.
Cope
Get out
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