Mozambique Direct (ATOL6062) | Tailor-Made Holidays to Mozambique

QUIRIMBAS ARCHIPELAGO

The extensive Quirimbas Archipelago consists of 32 coral islands strung along the coast parallel to Pemba. The islands are composed of fossil coral rock and have lush vegetation and mangrove swamps. They support a wide variety of wading birds, turtles and terns. Ibo Island is the best known of the islands in the Quirimbas, with opulent architecture and a dark history of slavery. Quilalea Island is immediately to the south of Ibo and is a wonderful place for a longer stay.

BAZARUTO ARCHIPELAGO

If you plan to visit one destination in Mozambique this chain of islands should be it. The main islands are Santa Carolina, Bazaruto, Benguerra and Magaruque. They offer the classic tropical holiday with beaches shaded by isolated palm and casuarinas trees. There are rich tropical reefs, clear warm water and excellent surf, plus rock and fly-fishing.

The archipelago’s islands were formed when sand was deposited here hundreds of thousands of years ago by the waters of the Limpopo River. The estuary of this great river has now shifted several hundred kilometres to the south. During low tide many white sandy islands pop up, covered in shells. Six hours later they will be ten meters underwater again. Legend has it that the Portuguese disposed of prisoners by leaving them on a beautiful deserted island at the mercy of the tides.

Santa Carolina, the smallest and most northerly of the islands, is an ecological divergent from the jungle paradises of the other Bazaruto islands: it is composed of rock and coral. In the 1970s the islands and the channel were declared a national park, and now funding and management are provided by the World Wildlife Fund for Nature, the South African Nature Trust and the Endangered Wildlife Trust. Their rules govern long-line fishermen, the sale of shell-fish and traditional fishing, and conserve the wildlife on the islands.

PEMBA

Local tradition says that if all the ships in the world anchored within Pemba’s 13,000 hectares of land-locked water there would still be room for more ships. Looking down from the town over rolling hills, a mix of modern buildings and wooden huts set amongst thick forests of baobab trees, the view of this beautiful blue bay is not easily forgotten.

The most popular destination here is Wimbe Beach where a resort called Complexo Nautilus has thatched seaside bungalows, a restaurant and an excellent diving and watersports operation. Diving on the coral reefs is superb and there are also boat trips on offer. The fabulous Pemba Beach Hotel also recently opened about 1km from the Nautilus.

Don’t miss a visit to the market, which is nearly 2 km long and has thousands of stalls selling everything from spices to bicycle spares. Pemba being the most important centre in northern Mozambique, there are banks, patisseries, supermarkets and restaurants. Most of the visitors to Pemba fly in to the local airport, or arrive overland from Malawi. It is a cosmopolitan place frequented by a range of people from wealthy businessmen to backpackers.

MOZAMBIQUE

The Republic of Mozambique is located on the southeastern coast of Africa and covers a total area of 799 380 sq kilometres (308 641 sq miles). This includes 13 000 sq kilometres of inland water, mainly comprising Lake Niassa, the Mozambican section of Lake Malawi. Mozambique has incredibly diverse and scenic landscapes and the locals are renowned for being the friendliest people in Africa. The country has some stunning natural attractions, offering 2 500 kilometres of unspoilt coastline and a string of sub-tropical Indian Ocean islands forming an idyllic archipelago. The country also boasts many stunning game parks, lakes, mountains and historical towns. With such diversity and natural splendour, Mozambique is a travel destination second-to-none.

The country was once a coastal trading port for gold, ivory and slaves, mainly between the Middle East, India and Africa. Civil war ravaged the country after the Portuguese colonisation, but today the country is stable and peaceful.

The climate is tropical, with a rainy season from December through to April. Almost every day is sunny, and rainfall is usually in the form of brief, intense showers. Daytime temperatures vary from the mid-30s in the warmer months to the mid-20s in the cooler season from May to September. Water temperatures vary between 24 and 27 degrees celsius, ensuring comfortable diving all year.

BEIRA

Beira is the second largest city in Mozambique. It is a mix of tropical Africa, continental and oriental life. The sprawling city is built on swampy ground at the mouth of the Pungwe River and is a hot and humid place, especially in summer. Many people died from malaria a century ago during the early years of the city and unfortunately this disease is still a problem, so you should take very good anti-malaria precautions before coming here. The city owes its existence to the "Beira Corridor" which is a road and railway line constructed from the coast eastwards, providing Zimbabwe with its main outlet to the sea.

VILANCULOS

Vilanculos is a large town on the mainland is becoming increasingly popular with travellers, not only because it is the main gateway to the Bazaruto Archipelago, but also because there are beautiful beaches, a lively night life and excellent lodges and hotels which offer good value.

In the old days Vilankulo was dominated by the Donna Anna Hotel, built by hotel magnate Leo Alves. Although it needs repair, one can still enjoy its nostalgia the great views of the harbour. There are some excellent restaurants in town, ranging from cheerful Bohemian-style cafés to superb eating houses with finely carved furniture and a rich Moorish feel, offering excellent seafood at very reasonable prices.

MAPUTO

Maputo (previously Lourenzo Marques) is the sprawling capital of Mozambique, with a population of about two million people and a large harbour. Several rivers meet the sea Maputo and two islands (Inhaca and Portuguese Island) lie just off the coast.

Under Portuguese influence, Lourenzo Marques became one of Africa’s most beautiful and fashionable cities with an impressive skyline of tall buildings and a cosmopolitan Portuguese/African atmosphere. Places like the Polana Hotel buzzed with the chatter of socialites and the nightclubs thumped until the early hours.

But the war in the 1970s and 1980s changed all that. When peace finally came, the once proud city was in terrible disrepair. Thousands of immigrants crowded the buildings, litter lay everywhere and major services including water and electricity were out of commission. Today the city is slowly recreating some of its former glory. The rich and famous are once more hanging out at the five-star Polana Hotel, with its grand view over the harbour, its tea gardens and its old-fashioned Victorian lift.

Maputo's most important landmark is the Fort of Nossa Senhora da Conceiao (Our Lady of Conception) which was the nucleus of the original settlement. Another imposing building is the Central Railway Station, an enormous structure looking more like a palace for kings, than a siding for commuters. There are also some excellent - and fantastically expensive - restaurants where you can enjoy beers and peri-peri prawns. The infamous Fere de Populare has dozens of bars and discos where Mozambicans dance well into the night to seductive Latino beats. These places are lots of fun and quite safe, but men seldom escape without at least one proposition from the many prostitutes.

XAI-XAI

The town of Xai-Xai, situated on the Limpopo River, is a sprawling settlement of houses, markets and shops. Tourists generally only stop off for supplies in Xai-Xai, with the real attraction being the beach about 10 kilometres to the east. The bay has a coral reef running about one kilometre off shore which offers protected waters for swimming and snorkelling.

Being so close to the banks of the Limpopo River, Xai-Xai was hit particularly hard by the 2000 floods, with some buildings finding themselves 3 metres deep. But the town was open for busienss almost as soon as the waters receded. You can stay at the Xai-Xai Beach Resort or you can camp at a beach campsite.

VICTORIA FALLS

These immense and awe-inspiring falls are known to the local Kololo people as the ‘Mosi-oa-Tunya’ or Smoke Which Thunders’. The official name for this breathtaking spectacle is Victoria Falls, named by David Livingstone in 1885 when he ‘discovered’ them.

This 2km gorge is spanned by the Victoria Falls Bridge, which was commissioned by Cecil John Rhodes. The bridge was completed by 1905, but unfortunately Rhodes never lived to see it complete. It now provides easy access between Zambia and Zimbabwe and normal form filling and leisurely queuing has to be done at the border post to pass from one side to the other.

Many say they prefer the Zambian side of Victoria Falls, as it is less commercialised than the Zimbabwe tourist hub. The bridge has an amazing view of the Falls and the black shiny basalt rocks opposite, on which sits a lush green mist-soaked rain forest. One special vantage point is the Knife Edge Bridge, which affords views of the eastern cataract, the main falls, and Boiling Pot, where the river turns into the Batoka Gorge.

QUIRIMBAS NATIONAL PARK

The Quirimbas National Park – the first in the world to be established at the request of an area's inhabitants – comprises the eleven southernmost islands of the Quirimba Archipelago in northern Mozambique.

The park's habitats – four of which are officially the most outstanding examples of their habitat types in the world – include coral reefs, sea grass beds, sandy white beaches, mangroves, woodland, savannah, forests, and mountains, and they are home to many of the world's most endangered species, including the extremely rare dugong.

The Quirimba Archipelago is notable for the size and variety of the fish along its reef. Up to 375 species of fish, including Zambezi and hammerhead sharks, plus marine turtles and three species of dolphins have been identified within the sanctuary.