Whale Shark (Rhincodon Typus), Praia de Tofo, Tofo, Mozambique
In August 2014, we spent 1 week in Mozambique before heading towards Malawi – The main target was Snorkeling with Whale Shark (Rhincodon Typus), at Praia de Tofo, enjoying Tofo, and discovering the capital city, Maputo – Here you find a selection of 16 pictures of Mozambique
Posing for the picture, Baixa District, Maputo
Back in 2012 Heidi thought this was the toughest country she had ever traveled. Transport is excruciatingly painful, busses and chapas are packed to the rim, with music blasting all through the night. And, Mozambique is an expensive country to travel! This shows with entering the country, when tourists have to dish out 80 Euros for a visa. Simple rooms go for minimum 40 Euro and food is not cheap either. Continue Reading →
The name Tete has a certain ring to it, a place you want to visit. Besides that, who is not interested in visiting a booming mining town all around, with all this coal around it? The other unique attraction is the Cassasso Dam about two hours upriver, the world’s fifths largest dam (hard to believe that Mozambique suffers from regular power breakdowns) and Mozambique’s hottest city. Continue Reading →
Praia de Tofo, Tofo, Mozambique
Every house and every shack is part of the tourist industry. Tofo offers all kinds of accommodation, although the backpackers all seem to huddle together at Fatima’s. You can get cheaper rooms with more comfort, but it is the social center of Tofo, not only for the backpackers. Continue Reading →
Statue of Samora Machel, Mozambique’s First President, Baixa District, Maputo
Mozambique is another example how vulnerable the tourist industry is. Even minor incidents can quickly lead to an exodus of tourists. In Mozambique’s case it was skirmishes near Beira between political parties competing in the upcoming election. This led to traffic restrictions on the stretch between Vilanculo and Beira. Cars and busses had to travel in convoys. All this was dragged through in the South African media and immediately a rush of cancelations set in. With South Africans being the main customers, it is definitely hurting Tofo and Vilanculos. Continue Reading →
Whale Shark (Rhincodon Typus), Praia de Tofo, Tofo, Mozambique
It was the Whale Sharks that made us do the horrid eight hours trip from Maputo, squashed in a small bus. At least in the shuttle of the Fatima Hostel, we were not tortured by blasting 100 decibel music usually played on public busses in Mozambique. Continue Reading →
Baixa District, Maputo, Mozambique
After a very, very long trip from Europe, we breathed the salty air of Maputo, a city Heidi had such fond memories of. Its crazy mix of faded colonial Portuguese architecture and post-colonial precast concrete with slabs (vulgo “Plattenbauten”), left a lasting imprint on her. Continue Reading →
Tofo beach, fishermen's boat- Picture by Jason Risley
Arriving from high-priced Zimbabwe, Mozambique was no relief. Locals claimed it is even more expensive. Those fine nuances remained invisible to me: it simply became another costly country after three weeks in Zimbabwe.
A dorm bed is usually 350 Meticais (13 USD) and a very simply room with shared bathroom starts at 800 Meticais (25 USD), but actually often goes for no less than 1.500 (50 USD).
I had a very rough start. Within hours of my arrival in Chimoio I was cheated by moneychangers, had my laptop stolen in a hostel, had to abandon a horrid bus where we were squashed like sardines with stereo blasting. To top things off I was unable to get cash since ATMs very randomly accept cards in Mozambique. So if my first entries give the impression of Mozambique better being avoided - this is certainly not my message! But even travellers with less traumatic experiences often feel overwhelmed on their first day in the country, especially women travelling on their own.
Beaches of Vilankulo
The rest was a great trip that took me from Chimoio to Vilankulo, Tofo and Maputo. In this part of the country, roads are just fine and tourist facilities very developed. Speaking Spanish gave me an advantage in buses and at local markets. In hostels on the “Backpacker Trail”, English is the main language of communication. The most striking bit was the difference to Zimbabwe, with its Anglophone, well organized and orderly touch. I loved Mozambique for being different, the Africa I knew from previous trips, the colorful Africa, the crowded one, with markets, loud and full of smiles and a capital like nowhere else.
Maputo - Picture by Gerti Brindlmayer
By the time the Intercape Bus left Maputo behind, I had finished most of my food ration. Knowing the border was only one hour away, I figured I could get new supplies there for this nine-hour trip to Johannesburg.
What comfort! I had the front seat, upstairs on a double-decker bus with toilets, staff serving drinks and collecting the litter, no blasting music and a reclining seat. It was heaven! Leaving Maputo, I noticed the first traffic jam in five weeks, commuters driving into the city. Very disturbing to watch was that only single occupancy was the rule: bad habits are spreading fast.
At the border, I lost sight of my bus and quickly tagged on to a passenger from my bus, since borders can always be confusing.
