Blogs from Mozambique, Africa

June 2002 Our first trip to Ponta Malongane, Mozambique The long civil war in Mozambique had ended in 1992 and at the turn of the century, tourism was slowly becoming a popular means of income for the Mozambicans again, with lots to offer and South Africans were starting to explore this country again and we were fortunate to be amongst those that did. After such a devastating war, in 2002 it still needed plenty of finance and work to recover from the destruction of war, though. Earlier in the year Paul and Philip went to Ponta do Ouro for a long weekend with my brother, for a diving trip. Jacques and I had to stay behind as Jacques was writing exams for his Matric year, the last year of school. They did some sightseeing while they ... read more

Resumo: Pessoas tentando passar a perna, 11hs em um caminhão de carga, dormindo no chão do hotel, quase 30hrs para chegar ao meu destino, estou bem. Vou comentar apenas o que ocorreu após cruzar a fronteira de Malawi para Moçambique. Comecei bem .. pessoas sorrindo, dizendo “Boa Tarde” “Boa Viagem” (Aqui as pessoas falam Portugues!), carona de moto da fronteira até próxima cidade. E daqui começou a ‘palhaçada’ (na sequencia): · * Em torno de 15 homens me cercaram ao tentar trocar o restante de Katcha (MWL-Malawi) para Meticais (MZN-Moçambique), a confusão era tanta que eles tentaram me dar MZN 1070 ao invés de 1700. Enquanto eu refazia a conta na calculadora, eles “sumiram” com 5,000 MWK e diziam que eu tinha que dar mais dinheiro. Sorte a minha que o meu “Nao vou dar mais ... read more

Mozambique/Kosi Bay 20th Feb to 3rd March 2013 Clothes and food packed, check! Trailer packed, Check! Early start, got up at 4 am and left at 5. Managed to avoid most of the early morning traffic of Johannesburg which was great as I am sure it would add an extra 2 hours to our trip – not want you want to contend with at the start of your holiday. Mostly the road was good with all the road works just about completed although the road through Piet Retief still needs attention. We only had 1 stop and go just on the other side of Pongola. As we approach Pongola the vegetation changes – signs of a different climate – warmer sub tropics. Seeing my favourite fever trees, gives me that special thrill that we are heading ... read more

Another present time blog, although I will have no internet till we get back, so the rest of my blog will only be published after the trip. A touch of the Moz bug. It's that time of the year again. 2013 looms ahead of us and we need some goals to work towards before the rat race digs its claws into us. Time to plan our trips for the year ahead, so we sit with a calendar and see how we can fit in our travelling and holidays. After all, we need something pleasant to look forward to, don't we? Most years we decide to have a short break around February/ March and head for a destination where we can relax and do just what we want. This is 'our' time! But of course we want ... read more

13 april bazaruto archipelago family outing ( maputo islands ) The Bazaruto Archipelago is one of the most beautiful places on earth. Set just off the coastline of Mozambique, the weather along the coast remained sunny throughout the day, benguerra bay resort islands had excellent accommodation, they had small and intimate rooms were we slept for the weekend, they offered genuine hospitality, personalised service and an intimate knowledge of the natural environment. It had a rich East African/Arabic feel – evinced in both the décor, and the unique and delectable food. We were spoilt for choice with the luxurious options on the menu. The Bazaruto Archipelago is a crystal clear paradise for snorkelers and scuba divers, i experienced and novice the feeling with my family, the following day conditions were Excellent, the dive centers offered world- ... read more

I was up at 5 a.m. to pack my tent away and get the bus to Tofo, just under 400 km up the coast. Fatima's Nest where I was staying in Maputo, also had a place in Tofo and provided a shuttle bus, door to door. Except this wasn't exactly the case. They picked us up in a minibus and brought us to the bus station, where we were transferred on to the local bus to Inhambane, about 20 km from Tofo. The local bus usually only goes to Inhambane, but this one brought us all the way to Tofo. It was a long, uncomfotable 8 hour journey though. Tofo is all about the beach and even though it was late afternoon when we got there, I still had time to have a swim after putting ... read more

After getting my passport back from the Mozambique Consulate, with the visa inside, I got a minibus from Mbabane to Manzini, where the buses to Maputo leave Swaziland from. Unfortunately, I arrived just as one had filled up and was about to leave. This meant I had to wait for another one to fill up, which took about 2 and half hours. The one advantage of having to wait this long was that I got the pick of the seats and got a seat up front, a lot more comfortable than being squashed in the back. It was 5 o’clock before we got going and I was sitting beside a guy from Tanzania who lived in Maputo. He warned me as we approached the border that we could be there a while, depending on whether the ... read more