Mozambique
- Tania
- 8 dic 2017
- 8 Min. de lectura
A handcraft sailboat sails the Indian Ocean in Tofo
We spent 25 days in Mozambique, from June 3 to June 28, although it is perfectly possible to cover the route we did in less time. Note that we only travelled through the south and center-west of the country. We did not go to the north, which we heard is beautiful.
We had read wonders of the Mozambique, but the truth is that it is not one of our favorite countries in Africa. In our humble opinion, it was expensive for the quality of services, probably because tourism is aimed at South Africans who cross on the weekends or in the summer to the Indian Ocean’s beaches (in southern Mozambique you can actually pay everything with South African Rand ("ZAR").
I spent around USD$655, which includes the visa and two dives. USD$26 per day, which is not bad, but neither is ideal considering that we did not do safaris, or anything that cost a lot of money (except diving), and we couchsurfed 7 days.
The official language is Portuguese and the currency is the Mozambican Metical ("MZN").
VISA ON ARRIVAL
From Nelspruit (South Africa) we started what would be a great land crossing through East Africa, and our first stop was Mozambique. We took a van ("CHAPA") from Nelspruit to Maputo –the capital of Mozambique-, and in 6 hours we were already in the city.
The ideal would be to take a bus, but we did not have a visa to enter Mozambique, so the bus companies in South Africa would not sell us a ticket. According to several sources, it is best to obtain the visa for Mozambique in advance, because the police have a reputation for being corrupt and it can be difficult to go through the process at the border. We obtained the visa upon arrival without major problems, but only because we were couchsurfing in Maputo and our host sent us a letter in Portuguese signed by him, noting that we were entering the country to visit him, along with a photocopy of his passport. The Visa cost us ZAR$892 (US$67) and they gave us a receipt for a smaller amount, so we probably paid more than what was appropriate, but hey!, it served as a lesson for the future.
Before we arrived at the border, several of the passengers got off and the minibus was left with half of its occupants. We passed through the International Police and after advancing about a kilometer or so, the passengers who had gone down earlier got back into the minibus to continue the journey. The truth is that the borders in Africa are not very well controlled, so for locals it is very easy to move from one country to another without having a passport.
MAPUTO
The San Antonio Puano Church, in Maputo
Our hosts in Maputo were Luis and his girlfriend Irene. They lived together in the house of one of Luis' three mothers (who was in Portugal at the moment), in the best neighborhood of Maputo, next to all the embassies. It surprised us that there was one guard posted at the front of every house. Luis did not see much sense in having a guard, because they were easily bribed, so he opted for a big pair of dogs to intimidate the thieves. The dogs were not necessary either, because Luis and Irene were national and African karate champions and I would not have dared to cross their way.
Luis was a Muslim and Irene a Christian, both extremely educated (they spoke English as if it were their mother tongue), tolerant and progressive. We had some interesting chats with them about the difficulties experienced by professional athletes in Mozambique. They broke their back working and training to compete and the Government did barely help them. They showed us the contrast between the people who live in the city and we talked about the current government and the problems they face as a country.
The day we arrived was the end of Ramadan and we were invited to eat an exquisite feast at the house of Yara -a Mozambican woman whose father was Chilean- and her boyfriend. Yara's father was a Chilean pilot, who had 9 children, all with a different woman in a different country. Still not sure if I should be proud or embarrassed of this fact.
In Maputo - as in most of our destinations in Africa – we mostly ate. We went to the Mercado do Peixes, where there is a display of seafood products. We chose a fish and Celia-a local cook-prepared it. The fish, the preparation with French fries and a beer cost us MZN$1,350 (USD$22). We also went to eat to Inter Thai, a very nice Thai restaurant. Curry with rice cost MZN $ 400 (USD$6.50). With our hosts, we also tried the local food: MATAPA, a sauce made with coconut and cassava leaves, very similar to the Malagache Ravitoto.
The city doesn't offer much, but the weather is nice to walk around. We can highlight the FEIMA, a large handicraft market, and the San Antonio Pulano church, whose architecture captivated us.
TOFO
After 5 days in Maputo, it was time to go to the beach. The most popular way to get to Tofo, on the coast of Mozambique, is with shuttle from Fatima’s Hostel. The minibus departs at 5 o'clock in the morning with tourists, then stops at the bus station until the empty seats are occupied (we waited 2 hours) and then leaves for Tofo. It costs MZN$900 (USD$15) and arrives at 3 in the afternoon. It is very expensive and a shitty deal to be honest, but it’s the only “reliable” tourist transportation towards Tofo.
In Tofo there is a wide variety of accommodation available (airbnb, couchsurfing, hotels and hostels). We stayed at Fatima Hostel, where the bed in the dorm cost MZN$400 (USD$6.50). The hostel has a restaurant, bar, wifi, is just meters from the beach and also has a communitarian kitchen.
Amazing sunset near Tofo
Tofo’s beach is wonderful; the sand stretches for several kilometers, in the mornings there are no waves, and in the afternoon the waves are perfect for beginner’s surfing lessons. There are restaurants for all tastes and a good offer of bars. We recommend a visit to GUJU'S. This restaurant is on the road to Fatima’s Hostel, and although it does not seem like a big deal on the outside, the food is spectacular. It is prepared by the owner, a very handsome Pakistani of about 30 years - who is also the DJ of the town - and his talent in the kitchen is evident in the dishes.
Along with a Portuguese guy and a couple of Germans we hired a sailboat to take us on a day trip to the Ilha do Porcos (Pork’s Island). We paid MZN$1,700 (USD$28) each, which included transportation (van and craft sailboat), snorkeling equipment, breakfast, lunch and a visit to the island. The snorkeling was pretty bad, there was not much wildlife, (if you have to choose between Ilha do Porcos and Bazaruto, we recommend snorkeling in the latter), but we enjoyed the ride on the craft sailboat and to be able to share with the children of the island.
One afternoon we also ventured to surf. The boards were MZN$300 (USD$5) for half a day in Surf's Shack.
DIVING
One of the reasons why I really wanted to visit Mozambique was that I had heard that diving in the Mozambique Channel was wonderful and Tofo was supposed to be one of the best places to dive. There are around 5 diving centers (all charge the same price) and I opted to dive with Liquid, because I liked Ricardo, a Colombian instructor. The best wildlife is found at depths below 24 meters and I was only certified to dive up to 18, so I had to hire a "special dive", which allowed me to dive deeper. The fixed price was MZN$6,000 (USD$98), but I was offered a 20% discount and so the final price came to MZN$4,800 (USD$78).
We went to Manta Bay and Rock's Bottom. My experience was pretty bad, but I would like to dive there again because I really want to see whale sharks.
VILANCULOS
Together with Paula -a very funny girl from Madrid- and Emma -a 19 yo Danish- we set off towards Vilanculos, a coastal town located 300 km north of Tofo. The fastest way to get there is: Minibus from Tofo to Inhambe (MZN$50), ferry from Inhambe to Maxixe (MZN$15) and finally minibus from Maxixe to Vilanculos (MZN$400).
In Vilanculos we stayed at the Baobab Beach hostel, where the bed in the dorm cost MZN$500 (USD$8). It had a bar, restaurant, wifi, communitarian kitchen, kayak rental and was located right on the beach.
Paula and Emma went on a sailboat to the island of Bazaruto. They negotiated directly with the fishermen and cost them around MZN$3,000 (USD$50), which included the artisanal sailboat, the food, the natural reserve’s fees, snorkel gear and -of course- snorkeling. As they told us later, the place is amazing and they saw hundreds of fishes. We were a little out of budget, so we rented a kayak for half a day at MZN$500 (USD$8) at the hostel and went exploring on our own.
CHIMOIO
In Mozambique there are three ways to move by land: by bus (we recommend NAGI), with a Chapa (minibus full of people that stops every two minutes to leave or pick up someone), or "boleia" (hitchhiking). We chose this last option to travel to Chimoio (469 kms north of Vilanculos), because it was faster and cheaper. We rode in two cars, in the pickup of a truck and on a bus. It took us about 9 hours, but finally we arrived at Pink Papaya hostel in Chimoio.
Paula's first time hitchhiking
The bed in the dorm cost MZN$500 (USD$8), it had no wifi, no restaurant, no bar, but it did have a well-equipped kitchen. In addition, they keep excess baggage if you go trekking to Chimanimani and rent sleeping bags and mats. (We will write about our adventures in Chimanimani in another post.)
Chimoio is a pleasant city, but there is not much to do. It serves as an intermediate stop to cross to Zimbabwe, to go trekking to the Chimanimani mountain range, or to travel to the province of Tete.
TETE
Our original plan was to enter Zimbabwe from Chimoio, but upon arriving at the border they informed us that -because we are Chilean- we needed a pre-approved visa.
Sad, without many more days of visa left in Mozambique, we returned to Chimoio, where thanks to a conversation with Jimmy Knox (a 72-year-old backpacker) we discovered that there was a Malawi consulate in Tete, where we could get a visa to enter the "Warm Heart of Africa". We took a Chapa for MZN$300 (USD$5) to Guro, and from there a Nagi bus for MZN$200 (USD$3.5) to Tete.
There weren't many accommodation alternatives for backpackers, except for the camping "Jesus é bom" (Jesus is good), but we found it expensive for a campsite, so we treated ourselves to two nights in the Hotel Anif (MZN$2,300 or USD$37 for a double room per night).The following days we were hosted by Mark, a South African teacher who worked in an international school.
Tete has been developing at a fast pace, thanks to the tobacco industry and the discovery of mineral, but there really isn’t much to do in the city. We were lucky to be hosted Mark, who cooked us some delicious pizzas and sandwiches during our stay, and with whom we could talk a lot about education in Africa.
Tete was our last stop in Mozambique, as we crossed from that city to Malawi.
You can find more pictures and videos of our adventures in our instagram account @travesia_al_infinito
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