Mozambique
Route
We took 29 days to travel south to north in June 2007, entering over the
Komatipoort/Lembobo border from South Africa and exiting over the Rovuma
River car ferry (more of this later!) into Tanzania. Generally we stuck
to the coast, with stays on both Ilha do Mozambique and Ibo, plus a quick
diversion into the hills in Gurue.
We
found Mozambique far more relaxed, friendly and safe than we had expected
from the literature/warnings we had received. The people are open and
generally honest, although the poverty does mean you shouldn’t leave
things around (as anywhere). We experienced no hustling and on the odd
occasion when someone quoted a mazungo price they quickly gave it away
by laughing!
General driving conditions
Speed limits (60 and 120 km/hr, plus signs) should be stuck to as there
are a lot of traffic police, particularly in villages on the southern
part of the EN1.
Road
conditions were much better than expected and better than many other African
countries. There is a massive road-building programme going on so the
main problem was getting forced onto dust roads alongside the roads being
built - these were well-maintained but may be a problem in the rain.
There
are people everywhere but they seem to run/cycle scared from the car (apart
from the roadside sellers who jumped in front with chicken/intestine/bananas
in hand!). Other traffic was minimal and polite when encountered –
yes, even the chapas!
Specific
driving conditions
Out of the 29 days we had 12 main driving days:
Komatipoort to Bilene – an easy 5.5 hr drive on good roads
· Praia do Bilene to Barra (nr Tofo) – a tiring 6 hr drive
due to pot-holed roads between Xai-Xai and Quissanga and some deep sand
at the end (get advice from your accommodation in Barra about the best
route in)
· Barra to Vilanculos – OK 4 hours, with pot-holes Massinga
to Nhachengue
· Vilanculos to Gorongosa NP – 6 hours. Road very good but
track into the park is terrible
· Gorongosa NP to Quelimane – took all day due to the Caia
ferry breaking down! EN7 quite pot-holed and roads in Quelimane itself
pretty bad
· Quelimane to Gurue – a mixed 4.5 hours. Some brand new
roads and some bad dirt roads
· Gurue to Ilha (via Nuela) – 8 hours due to dusty but scenic
road
· Nacala to Pemba (via Memba) – 6 hours. Good dirt and good
tar roads
· Pemba to Tandanhangue (for Ibo) – 3 hours on really terrible
roads. Look out especially for the sunken concrete troughs used as bridges
over streams – real axle breakers!
· Tandanhangue to Pangane (via Macomia) – 3 hours. Rough
dirt road from Macomia to Pangane
· Pangane to Mocimboa do Praia – 5 hours. DON’T take
the coast road as there is no bridge over Marere!!! Whooops.
· Mocimboa to Rovuma – 3 hours rough dirt road
Rovuma
River crossing
We struggled to get any information at all about this crossing and so
ended up just going and then having to spend a day by the river and a
night at the border post. Anyway, the situation as at June 2007 is this:
There
is a ‘regular’ car ferry across the river which sits on the
Tanzanian side. Generally it will only go once a day (i.e. the high tide
that falls in daylight) but it may not go at all at the neap tide point
of the month. For an idea of when this is you can take a look at these
tide tables:
Click
here for Tide Tables for Rovuma river (Note that the times
on these tables are Tanzanian and so an hour ahead of Mozambique.)
If
you’re coming from the Tanzanian side it should be OK to just turn
up and tell them you want to go that day/next day. If you’re coming
from the Mozambican side however it’s best to book ahead by contacting
this mobile number: 255 744 869357.
As
the signal is so bad in northern Mozambique it may be easier to text (in
English) and they will reply with when you need to be at the river. Reception
near the border is particularly bad so do this before you leave Mocimboa
do Praia at the latest. And leave 3-4 hours if driving from Mocimboa do
Praia – the border is easy but the roads are terrible in places.
We paid 30 USD but the car coming the other way paid 50 USD – possibly
because we had 3 vehicles on the boat and they were on their own?!
Finally, the boys on the Mozambican side are all for getting people to
pay to go on a motorboat over to the other side and tell the captain they
need the ferry (one quoted us 50USD for the ride!). This shouldn’t
be necessary and will definitely not be if you’ve texted ahead.
Note:
Philip from Mtwara no longer runs the ferry and he doesn’t seem
to appreciate the calls interrupting his afternoon drinking sessions….
Accommodation
Generally accommodation, including campsites, is expensive in Mozambique.
We paid an average of 300 Meticais per night for 2 people camping (approx
6 GBP as at June 2007) However we managed to camp 23 out of 29 days, with
the days in hostels mostly when we were on the islands.
Some exceptional (bad & good) sites:
· Bilene makes a good break in the journey from the border north.
We ended up staying 3 days instead of 1.
· We couldn’t find a campsite at Tofo so stayed at Barra
lighthouse. Expensive but beautiful spot and if Dennis (the owner) is
there he’ll keep you entertained and feed you fresh fish! The beach
is lovely and there is a very good dive shop across the bay at Barra Lodge.
Maybe phone ahead to find the easiest route as the signs take you a very
4x4 way!
· Camping Causarina just before the causeway onto Ilha do Mocambique
was surprisingly pretty and peaceful given the proximity to the village
behind. Run by Helen who has lived all over, including Brazil, so it has
a real beach bar vibe.
· Vilanculous was generally quite unpleasant to stay in as you
don’t seem to be welcome unless you have plenty to give away…possibly
something to do with all the AID work after the storms?
· Fim do Mundo, outside Nacala, was another place we ended up staying
longer than planned. Snorkelling, diving, kayaking and a good restaurant/bar.
· Pangane was as beautiful as the guide books say but we really
didn’t feel welcome, either from the village or the staff. The guards
just kept telling us to lock everything away so it wouldn’t get
stolen.
· If you’re going to Ibo, Casa do Isufo provides good secure
parking in Tandanhangue for minimal cost.
Food
and water
Market stalls have very limited fresh produce so buy what you can when
you see it by the side of the road. The produce changes as you go north
and probably with the season as well. When we were there we found cashews
in the south, chickens in the middle and potatoes and onions in the north!
Best price for cashews was 100 meticais per kilo.
Good
(Portuguese-style) bread is everywhere – we paid 1 meticais per
roll or 4-6 per loaf. Coffee in cafes is also generally good and in an
expresso style.
Water
supplies became dirtier and less reliable as we went north.
Money
Diesel cost us 28-35 meticais per litre with the cheapest we found in
Maputo and the dearest in the north. We had a hairy moment in the centre
of the country as we drove from Ilha to Gurue as there were no petrol
stations and we had to buy at inflated prices from a makeshift stall.
If you go via Beira I imagine you won’t have this problem.
Overall
we spent 40 GBP per day as a couple, mostly camping, cooking about half
of the evenings and doing most activities (diving, boat trips etc) as
we pleased.
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