Mozambique Travel Guide

What travelling Mozambique is actually like

Mozambique is a long, thin country on the south-east coast of Africa, with one of the longest coastlines on the continent. Portuguese is the official language, and four centuries of Portuguese rule left their mark on the food, the architecture and the café culture, mixed with African, Arab and Indian influences.

Most travellers stick to the south and centre of the coast, which is the easiest and safest part of the country to explore. Maputo, the capital, is a lively city of jacaranda-lined avenues, art deco buildings, seafood markets and live music. A day or two north, Tofo is a small beach village famous for diving and snorkelling with whale sharks and manta rays. Further north, Vilanculos is the base for the Bazaruto Archipelago, a marine national park of dunes, reefs and turquoise water.

In the far north, Ilha de Moçambique, a small coral island and UNESCO World Heritage site, was the colonial capital for centuries. Its stone town of churches, palaces and a huge fortress is one of the most atmospheric places in East Africa.

Distances are long and transport is slow. Buses and chapas (minibuses) link the coastal towns, but a trip from Maputo to Tofo takes most of a day, and the north is best reached by domestic flight to Nampula.

Mozambique also has serious security problems in parts of the far north. The UK advises against all travel to most of Cabo Delgado province and parts of Nampula and Niassa, because of an Islamist insurgency. The southern and central coast, and Ilha de Moçambique, are outside those areas.

Two to three weeks lets you travel from Maputo up the coast to Tofo and Vilanculos, with a flight north to Ilha.