What you need to know about Mozambique as a travel destination in Africa filled with Sun, Sand and Sea.
Maputo is Mozambique’s largest city with a population of 1.1 million people and is situated on the southeastern coast of Africa. It has eleven provinces with rich natural landscapes from tropical islands, to coastline untamed beaches to dunes and mangroves, rivers, lakes, wildlife, and hilly uplands. The group was hosted by South African Airways Nigeria and Maputo. Some of the hotels we visited for site inspection were;
1. Hotel Cardoso
2. White Pearl
3. Hotel Montebelo
4. Radisson Blu Maputo
5. Southern Sun
6. Hotel Avenida
7. Hotel Polana Serena
8. Hotel Melia
The team from Lagos and Abeokuta arrived Maputo on June 28, 2019. The team flew South African Airways from Lagos to Johannesburg which was 5 hours, 10 minutes and a 3-hour stopover to Maputo. Mozambique is one hour ahead of Nigeria. The weather was a little bit chilly for those who don’t like cold and during the day, it was warm. Their weather is suitable for Nigerians. Here are some important facts you need to know before taking a trip to Mozambique.
Weather
Dry season is May to September, raining season is October to April.
Time
+2 hours
Flight and connection
Destination Maputo is a connecting flight from Johannesburg via Lagos. This route is by South African Airways. You leave Lagos to Johannesburg in the night and arrive in the morning. The next flight takes off to Maputo, Mozambique which is just 45 minutes by air.
Visa
For every Nigerian, you will get your visa on arrival. The visa fee is $50 for tourists. The visa process is smooth once you provide the necessary documents. Once you arrive, you are given a form to fill your details, then you go through the process at the visa stand. The visa given will be a sticker. Once you are done, you can go through immigration, get stamped into the country and then pick your back from the carousel and head out of the airport. For those who have goods to declare, you can do the needful. Visa on arrival is seamless once you provide the documents required which are;
-Hotel accommodation
-Return ticket
-Yellow fever card
-International passport with a validity of six months.
-Invitation from the hotel in Maputo stating that you will be staying at their place.
All countries need a visa except the following countries South Africa, Botswana, Swaziland, Mauritius, Malawi, Zambia, Zimbabwe, Tanzania and Namibia.
Health
You need your yellow fever card.
The distance from the airport to Southern Sun was 15 minutes ( no traffic delay). One of the things you need is the free flow of movement around the city. There are no taxify or uber drivers here so you need to plan your trip with a local tour operator like Dana Tours or MCI Travels.
There are local taxis that can move you from place to place depending on your destination within the city.
They also have keke marwa ( Tuk tuk), bikes (okada) and bicycles. The city is a modern city so don’t think too far.
Currency
The Mozambicans spend Metical (MZN) and you can also spend South African rands (ZAR) and dollars. The hotels accept credit cards includes Mastercard and visa and cash in these currencies. The local market and shopping malls accept only local currency. ATM machines are available at the airport, cities and major towns and villages.
Who does not like food? Raise up your hands like this ????
One of the things I enjoyed on this trip was food. It was not just delicious but also tasty. As a Nigerian, you can have anything on their meal expect you have allergies and other food options. No one on the trip asked to eat a Nigerian meal. One of the delicacies I enjoyed was white rice with crab soup. It was tasty. You know Nigerians love pepper. You need to request for chilli when you order your meal. Piripiri sauce is very spicy so you need to be careful. Mozambique has some of the finest cuisines in Africa. It has the fusion of Portuguese, Indian and African techniques practised with fine prawns, lobsters, crabs, oysters, squid as well as deep-sea and reef fish. The local cuisines vary along the coastline of unique dishes from neighbouring countries. A special delicacy in Mozambique is Matapa – which is made from Manioc leaves cooked with peanut sauce and its served with prawns and crab. Most restaurants offer prawns, lobsters, crayfish, squid etc.
Language
The official language is Portugese. When you go to town, you need a local guide or friend to help you translate so you don’t get lost or feel lonely. English is widely spoken in the cities and as a business language. Local languages are:
Communication
The dial code is +258. You can roam your line. You need a local sim to get internet on your mobile phone. All the hotels are wifi enabled.
Shopping and Cinemas
Shops are opened from 8:00 to 18:30 on weekdays and weekends from 8:00 to 13:30. Shopping centres are opened from 9:00 to 20:00 seven days a week as well as public holidays. You can visit malls like Gloria Mall and Baia Mall. Cinemas are also available in these places.
Smoking
Smoking has been banned in public place and it is a sensitive issue for many accommodation establishments. Restaurants are non-smoking or equipped with extra smoking zones.
Religion
Mozambique has Catholics, Protestants, Islam, Hinduism and other traditional religions.
Population
The country is on the southeast coast of Africa sharing a border with Tanzania, Zambia, South Africa, Malawi, Zimbabwe, and Swaziland. It has a population of 28 million people. Maputo is the largest city with a population of 1 million people. Other cities are Beira (Sofala Province), Matola (Maputo Province), and Nampula (Nampula Province).
Lifestyle
Maputo is a cosmopolitan city with a typical African charm with different cultural influences. The people are friendly and warm. They love to celebrate in traditional styles, ceremonies, birthdays, festivals, delightful cuisines served in family style sitting together and enjoying fantastic Mozambican food and fresh prawns
Where to stay
Hotels in Maputo are budget-friendly depending on what your taste is like. Some guests love the luxurious life which you can find while some want a hotel that is budget-friendly and also meets their taste. There are five-star hotels down to the minimum budget-friendly hotels. Some of the five-star hotels are Polana Serena Hotel which was built in 1922 and it has all the amenities you want which includes the pool, gym, spa, restaurant for fine dining, salon etc. Hotel Cardoso was built 100 years ago and it has amenities like the gym, spa, pool, bar and restaurant etc. Other hotels are;
1. Hotel Cardoso
2. White Pearl
3. Hotel Montebelo
4. Radisson Blu Maputo
5. Southern Sun
6. Hotel Avenida
7. Hotel Polana Serena
8. Hotel Melia
You can contact tour operators like Diamond and Pearls, Saffron Travels, Apeiron Travels, Grandeur Travels, Lifewalk travels, Wakanow for different packages to visit Maputo, Mozambique. Get travel insurance before you set on this trip.
Places to visit
Check out some of the videos from the recent trip below:
https://www.instagram.com/tv/BzZ7Ly2gS43/
https://www.instagram.com/tv/BzYoKDZglLI/
https://www.instagram.com/tv/BzXX8QFAPFQ/
https://www.instagram.com/tv/BzUqNI-g1oU/
https://www.instagram.com/tv/BzTclNqA3hA/
Comments 1