From Wikitravel

Mozambique (Moçambique) is a country on the Indian Ocean coast of Southern Africa. It is bordered by South Africa to the south, Tanzania to the north and has inland borders with Malawi, Zambia, Zimbabwe and Swaziland. Mozambique possesses a very long eastern coastline along the Indian Ocean, a fantastic drawcard for scuba divers, fishermen, sailors and beach lovers.

Contents 1 Regions 2 Cities 3 Other destinations 4 Understand 5 Get in 5.1 Visas 5.2 By plane 5.3 By train 5.4 By car 5.4.1 From Johannesburg 5.4.2 From Swaziland 5.5 By bus 5.5.1 From Malawi 5.5.2 From South Africa 5.5.3 From Swaziland 5.5.4 From Tanzania 5.5.5 From Zambia 5.5.6 From Zimbabwe 5.6 By boat 6 Get around 7 Talk 8 Buy 9 Sleep 10 Learn 11 Work 12 Stay safe 13 Stay healthy 14 Respect 15 Contact

Regions

10 Administrative divisions, called Provinces:

• Maputo Province
• Gaza Province
• Inhambane Province
• Sofala Province
• Manica Province
• Tete Province
• Zambézia Province
• Nampula Province
• Niassa Province
• Cabo Delgado Province

Cities

• Maputo - capital
• Beira - port town and capital of Sofala Province
• Nampula - capital of Nampula Province

Other destinations

• Ponta d'Ouro - an excellent dive spot, more easily accessible from South Africa than from Maputo
• Inhambane - A pretty historic town on a bay
• Tofo Beach - A backpacker haven on the coastline east of Inhambane
• Bazaruto Archipelago - a beautiful island resort geared to high-end tourism
• Ilha de Mozambique - a UNESCO World Heritage Site
• Pemba - in Northern Mozambique, a popular holiday destination for Mozambiquans, although yet to be on the regular tourist route for Western visitors.
• Vilanculos
• Cahora Bassa dam - Hydro electric scheme in the Zambezi river.

Understand

Almost five centuries as a Portuguese colony came to a close for Mozambique with independence in 1975. Large-scale emigration by European inhabitants, economic dependence on South Africa, a severe drought and a prolonged civil war hindered the country's development. The ruling party formally abandoned Marxism in 1989, and a new constitution the following year provided for multi-party elections and a free market economy. A UN-negotiated peace agreement with rebel forces ended the fighting in 1992. Heavy flooding in both 1999 and 2000 severely hurt the economy.

Mozambique Tourism includes some information about visiting.

Get in

Visas

Anyone may acquire a tourist visa on arrival at the airport or land border. As of January 2006 this costs USD 25.00 and takes 30-60 minutes. You can also acquire it in the Mozambican embassy of your own country. At the South African land border (Lebombo/Ressano Garcia) you can choose the currency in which you want to pay your visa. Paying in Metical is slightly cheaper than in Rand.

By plane

You are most likely to fly in via South Africa, although direct international routes also exist between Mozambique and Swaziland, Zimbabwe, Tanzania, Kenya and Portugal.

There are several flights daily from Johannesburg to Maputo, operated by South African Airways (SAA) and the Mozambican flag-carrier Linhas Aereas de Moçambique (LAM). These or other airlines (Kenya Airways, Swazi Express Airways, TAP Portugal) also fly from Durban, Swaziland, Dar es Salaam, Harare, Nairobi and Lisbon. In addition, local carrier Air Corridor may start operating one or more international routes soon.

By train

By train to Malawi

There is only one train line in Mozambique, which connects Nampula with Cuamba (near the Malawi border). The train carries first, second and third class passengers and is usually packed (when I was in the country there was no second class available). I can only speak of the Nampula-Cuamba itinerary, and if you are travelling the other way you should check for information on the ground in Malawi.

From Nampula, the train leaves early - around 5am-6am, although you should arrive earlier to buy tickets from the booking office at the station. The area is packed with people travelling towards Malawi and so expect queues. Once on board the journey is long, slow but fairly efficient and will get to Cuamba mid-afternoon. From here a Shapa ride will take you to the border (Entre Lagos) as only freight trains use this bit of the line. Be warned that even for a hardened African traveller this stretch of road is very rough and you should expect it to take a fair amount of time.

Once at Entre Lagos, the border formalities are located within the station building (easy to find as the town is a typical small border town), although be warned that this place doesn't see that many people passing through (when I was there in 2003, the official hadn't seen the new computerised visa). From here it is about a 1km walk to the Malawi side of the border. BE WARNED - the Malawi border closes before the Mozambique one, although there is a guesthouse if you get trapped. The easiest way to get from here to Liwonde is by train, we managed to get a lift in the guards van of a goods train quite late in the evening (fairly common practise it seemed).

By car

From Johannesburg

The highway from Johannesburg to Maputo is very good. From Johannesburg, take the N4 towards Nelspruit. From Nelspruit, continue following the N4 to Komatipoort, the last town on the South African side. Just past Komatipoort is the Lebombo/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.

From Swaziland

The road from the Swazi border to Maputo is in reasonable condition. Advice is given not to drive during the dark hours, due to the high amount of traffic without proper lights. The border ceremonies are similar to those on the South-African border, although there is less traffic and you should be able to pass quite fast.

By bus

From Malawi

There are a number of border crossings to/from Malawi. By far the easiest and most frequently plied is at Zóbuè. The road is in good condition. Daily chapas run to/from Tete to the border, where you will have to walk about 300m to get to Malawian transport. Daily through buses from Chimoio and Beira also use this crossing. There is another border crossing to the north, at Dedza, which may be more convienient for Lilongwe but the public transport on either side can be sporadic. To leave/enter Malawi to the east, there are two crossings, Milange and Mandimba. Milange is in the south-east of Malawi, and to get there you need to catch one of the daily vehicles that run between Mocuba and Milange. At Milange there is a 2km walk to the border, and then another 1km to where Malawian transport leave. Mandimba is further north, used mainly to get to Malawi from Lichinga. Several vehicles run daily between Lichinga and Mandimba, from where it is another 7km to the border. Hitching this is relatively easy, or bicycle-taxis do the trip for about US$1.

From South Africa

You can take the Intercape Mainliner from Johannesburg to Maputo. These buses depart from and to Mozambique on a regular basis, are safe and affordable. You can find Intercape at http://www.intercape.co.za/ or 0861 287 287 (calling from South Africa). Three times per week there are bus connections from and to Durban. There is also a service from Nelspruit to Maputo.

From Swaziland

The border at Namaacha is west of Maputo, and heavily travelled. Minibuses travel direct between Maputo and Mbabane and also Manzini. Otherwise you can do the trip in stages, swapping vehicles at the border. Chapas run throughout the day between Maputo and Namaacha.

From Tanzania

The border between Mozambique and Tanzania is formed by the River Rovuma. Daily pick-ups connect Moçimboa da Praia with Palma and Namiranga, the border post on the Mozambique side. During the dry season the road continues another 2km down to the banks of the Rovuma, otherwise you have to walk. The crossing is by dugout canoe (although there may be a ferry working now or in the near future). If water levels are low you may have to wade to get to the Tanzanian side, so possessing a heavy-duty waterproof sack may be an idea. Transport carries you on to the Tanzanian border post at Kilambo. There are other crossings to Tanzania, but these all require long walks. Ask around for local information.

From Zambia

The main crossing is at Cassacatiza, north-west of Tete. This border is in good condition, but lightly travelled. Daily chapas run between Tete and Matema, from there the public transport is sporadic. The best way to travel from Mozambique to Zambia is to go via Malawi.

From Zimbabwe

There are two crossings - Nyamapanda (south-west of Tete), and Machipanda (west of Chimoio). Both are heavily travelled, especially Machipanda due to its location at the end of the Beira Corridor.

By boat

Currently there is no scheduled sea travel to and from Mozambique. You might be able to hire a dhow from Tanzania, and then travel southwards along the coast. The best places to ask in Tanzania are the dhow ports of Mikindani, Mtwara and Msimbati. For travel from Mozambique to Tanzania, ask at Moçimboa da Praia and Palma.

To/from Malawi, it is possible to cross Lake Malawi (aka. Lake Nyassa), via Likoma Island. Likoma Island lies about 10km off the Mozambique coast, but belongs to Malawi. The route is slow. Local boats make the trip between Likoma Island and Cóbuè, Mozambique, leaving about every other day. Boats also sail from/to Metangula, further south, but they all stop at Cóbuè to take care of passport formalities.

Be aware that the lake crossing can be risky, as squalls blow up suddenly.

Get around

Transport leaves early in Mozambique - 4 AM is not unusual, particularly as you go further north. Roads are generally in poor condition, especially when compared to South Africa, although significant work is ongoing to improve these. It needs to be pointed out that connections away from the main cities may not be in the best condition, and breakdowns cannot be ruled out. Be sure you are carrying a safe load of water!

Air travel (with Linhas Aereas de Moçambique or Air Corridor) is by far the best way to travel between cities in different parts of the country. It is not cheap though, and it's quite possible to travel overland providing you aren't too fussy about how you get there.

Talk

The official language of Mozambique is Portuguese, though many people speak English in the capital Maputo and in tourist areas. The further north you travel, the less likely you are to encounter English speakers - in the more remote areas you are equally unlikely to encounter Portuguese speakers, so picking up a few local phrases helps.

On the northern coast, towards Tanzania, Swahili may be helpful. Some native words from the Shona language can be useful if you are travelling near Cabora Bassa.

Buy

The currency of Mozambique is the Metical (plural: Meticais, pronounced 'meta-caysh', abbreviation: Mts.). Prices are often given verbally with the thousands dropped, e.g., Mts 150,000 would be 'one hundred fifty'.

From March 2006 all prices have to be displayed in both Meticais (old currency - Mt) and Neuvo Meticais (new currency - Mtn). The practical effect of this is to just divide everything by 1000. From the end of June 2006 the new banknotes and coins will start being issued, and the old currency will cease to be legal tender at the end of December 2006. However you can exchange old currency for new at any bank up to the end of December 2012.

Sleep

Mozambique has many beach resorts. Some top class and some very primitive. What you choose depends on what you go there for. If you are going to dive, save your money for the diving (not that its expensive in Mozambique), but if you want just a beach holiday, choose one of the big resorts.

Learn

Work

Stay safe

Risks are much the same as many other countries in Africa (and significantly less than some, including parts of South Africa). Nevertheless muggings, robberies, rape and murder do occur, so the normal precautions should be taken. Women should never walk alone on beaches. In particular it's worth checking with local hostels and other travellers as to where dangerous areas are.

But in general the Mozambican people are extremely warm and friendly and you will encounter far less hassle than in almost all of the countries surrounding it.

Stay healthy

• Malarial prophylaxis is essential in all parts of Mozambique. Chloroquine/Paludrine are now as ineffective as in other parts of east Africa, and it's worth going to see your doctor to get decent protection.
• Get all your vaccine shots before arriving Medical facilities in Mozambique are now generally reasonably stocked, but it is always worth getting a range of vaccinations before you leave. Prevention is better than cure. It is worth considering carrying some clean needles if you are visiting out of the way areas, purely as remote medical facilities may have problems getting hold of them.
• Do not drink the tap water. Bottled water is readily available in the cities and is cheap. If you are travelling in very remote places carry some form of water purification kit. Bear in mind that chlorine tablets are not effective against giardia.
• Mind what you eat. As common in most countries in the world, if you are concerned about the standards of hygiene in a place, don't eat there.
• Do not have unprotected sex. As in many parts of Sub-Saharan Africa, there is a very high HIV incidence.

Respect

The rules are pretty much the same for any country - find out about the local customs before you go, follow them as closely as you are able to and above all remember that the people you meet and have dealings with are human beings just like you. I'll illustrate by repeating a story I was told by a European who's lived here for over 5 years.

"I met a couple of Germans who were riding motorbikes in Nampula, and ran across them again a few days later at a border post. They had exceeded the import visas on the bikes by five days and were being fined 5000000 meticais each (the legally applicable fine). I asked the customs guys about them and was told that when the Germans had been told about the overstay and the resulting fine, they had responded by being extremely rude and obnoxious and had refused to pay, so the bikes were confiscated (again as allowed for under Mozambique law).

"The customs guys said that they'd decided amongst themselves to keep the Germans there for another five days to learn to control themselves a little better, after which they'd be allowed to go on to Malawi with their bikes."

Yes, there will be times when people try it on with you, but if you do break the law then you should expect to pay the penalty, just as you would back home. And just as you do back home, it's best to keep your cool - losing your temper will only inflame the situation. Just because you're not Mozambican, you don't have the right to behave like you're better than they are.

Contact

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