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.