As we said yesterday we went to Bazaruto Archipelago for a snorkel trip. The Bazaruto Archipelago is a protected National Park that consists of multiple islands that are pristine and undeveloped, no roads, no shops, no tourist attractions, just unbelievable natural beauty! The main island is the Bazaruto island were we snorkelled around. We left around half past 8 with a rubber motorized boat to the Bazaruto island for a small stop before heading to the “2 mile” reef for an hour of snorkelling. It was quite nice and we saw lots of fish, just the sea was a bit rough. It was also a bit scary as we were just dropped somewhere in the ocean. But the boat stayed nearby.

Around 12 we were brought back to the island to have lunch and some afternoon snorkelling on our own while the scuba divers were going for their second dive. It is absolutely astonishing on the island; a huge dune in the middle of the ocean, crystal clear water, beautiful white sand, etc. Of course we took some time to take some good pictures as well.

Around 2h30 in the afternoon we headed back to Vilanculos with the boat. On the way back we saw some dolphins jumping up from the water. Flipper and his family!

Today we woke up early. We packed all our camping stuff and left on or way to Vilanculos. It was a 4 hour trip. We continued our trip the EN1 northwards. Again there was a lot to see next to the road; little villages, people driving on bicycles, children playing, women doing their laundry or fetching water at the central village tap …

When we arrived in Vilanculos we looked for “Beach Village”; the place where we were going to stay. Very soon it was obvious that it wouldn’t be easy to get there. Most of the roads in Vilanculos are sand roads, even almost that sandy as the beach. And off course we got stuck because our car isn’t made to drive on these kinds of roads. We were lucky that a lot of children came to us and started pushing the car. We got out of the sand and eventually we got at the “Beach Village”. We hope we will still get out of here on Tuesday.

The “Beach Village” is a very nice place. We have a nice little house almost on the beach. It is beautiful here. The view is unbelievable and we are really enjoying it.

Tomorrow we will go to Bazaruto Archipelago where we will do some snorkelling.

Mozambique is such a beautiful country!

Early in the morning we left in Xai-Xai, on our way to Praia do Tofo, one of the nicest beaches in Mozambique. The road was quite amusing as everywhere there were children playing and running next to the road they call the “highway”; just a 2-lane road that runs through amazing landscapes and very small villages. Everywhere you can find cashew nut sellers and all kinds of markets next to the road. We passed the city Inhambane, well we thought it was a nice city with some supermarkets where we could get some groceries and some nice meat or fish for a braai. Well, Inhmabane is just the same as any village next to the highway. You can only find local markets, no supermarkets.

When arriving in Praia do Tofo, you can see high palm trees everywhere. This is really what some call paradise on earth. I booked a backpacker called Turtle Cove, but our car would never make it on that road, as most roads here are extremely sandy. So then we decided to go to our second option: Bamboozi beach lodge. This was an extremely good choice as it is located just behind a high dune. We pitched up our tent and walked to the village where they told us we could find some meat. But the same problem here again; no meat and only fish that had been lying on the table for hours, or maybe even days. Hehe. No problem for us as we then decided to go for a nice big seafood platter with prawns, fish and calamari at the Bamboozi restaurant on top of the dunes with an awesome view. After a campfire we went to bed very early, so as everybody here. We just woke up a few times as our inflatable mattress has a puncture somewhere. So we had to pump up about 4 times last night.

Today we tried to arrange an ocean safari (snorkelling with whale sharks and dolphins), but unfortunately the sea was too wild. No problem, we’ll just do it in Vilanculos. We then relaxed on the beach and had a swim in the sea and the swimming pool. After that we walked on the beach to the other side of Tofo. In the evening we made some food on our gas stove and we went to bed early.

Bom dias!

After staying in Mozambique for 3 days, it is clear that not a lot of people speak English. Almost everything is in Portuguese.

This morning we left early in Maputo. After a good breakfast in our nice guesthouse we loaded the car and left the busy centre of Maputo. We took the EN1 highway to Xai-Xai. When we drove out of Maputo we noticed little shacks and townships and we saw the very poor side of Maputo. We were quite surprised about the small amount of potholes on the EN1. Also the speed limits are very strict. The people in general drive very slow. A taxi is only allowed to drive 70 and a bakkie 80. Every 50 km there is a police roadblock. Luckily they never pulled us over yet.  On the way to Xai-Xai we took the exit to Praia do Bilene, a huge lake where we took a small break and were astonished by the beauty of the white sand and the crystal clear water.

Arriving in Xai-Xai we dropped our valuables off at the Honeypot, a place where we stay overnight in a wooden chalet. As there is absolutely nobody, they gave us an en-suite room. Then we went to have a look at the beach in Xai-Xai. It’s absolutely deserted, as there are no, but really no tourists around. It’s probably the quietest period of the year here. After out visit to the sea we wanted to do some groceries. At the local Shoprite they don’t have meat and bread, so we went to a local bakery, just like we are used to in Europe. Well the meat was a big problem. Nowhere you can find meat at a supermarket, only frozen weird looking meat. So after a search we ended up at a “fresh meat market”. Well yeah, it was fresh at least, as they were bringing in bleeding cow heads and a bakkie in front of the shop was loaded with dead stinky cow bodies. So after our shoes had stains of blood, we just turned back and decided not to braai tonight. Instead Hanne made us a nice pasta outside on the gas stove. Tonight was just relaxing next to a big campfire together with some Dois M (2M), one of the nice beers Mozambique has to offer!

The morning started quite nicely with a good breakfast; freshly baked bread, croissants, eggs, fresh fruit etc.  After breakfast we headed towards the Mercado Municipal, a local market in the middle of Maputo. The variety of goods is huge; from tropical fruits, fresh fish and prawns to real African curios. Unfortunately we were not able to take any pictures here, as the people would not have liked it.

We then took a tuk tuk (a 3-wheeled vespa used to drive people around) through Avenida Marginal next to the coast to Costa do Sol which is at the northern end of Maputo. Here we walked around on the amazing beach. On the side of the beach are several cottages (shacks) that are all very little restaurants where the locals like to have a quick bite.

What do you eat at the sea? Fish of course! So we both had a nice prawn platter at Restaurante Costa do Sol, famous for their fresh fish. And fresh it was; we could still taste the sea!

After having a nice lunch, we took a taxi back to the centre of Maputo. We walked around some more and had a drink in a cosy bar outside a new shopping mall, next to the harbour. In the late afternoon we went back to our guesthouse.

After being in Mozambique for 2 days it became clear that Mozambique has a lot more in common with Europe than South Africa has. We don’t have the feeling that we are in Africa but in Spain or Portugal.

We really enjoyed the 2 first days of our trip. Tomorrow morning we will go to Xai-Xai, a nice town at the beach.

You will hear from us soon!

Around 5 in the morning we left in Bela Bela. The trip was quick and already around 10h30 we arrived at the Lebombo border. At the South African side we realised that everything was a bit chaotic. But it was very quick at that side and after only a few minutes we could move on to Ressano Garcia, the border to enter Mozambique. Here a lot of guys were trying to help for a tip. But luckily I read that we had to get third party insurance and that Hollard Seguras is a good company for getting it, so we stopped at their office, and their guys kept the other ones away.

One of the insurance guys led us around to all the different stations to obtain a visa, a vehicle export permit, etc. He even wanted to bribe the officers, but we kindly declined and moved to the exit ourselves. We just drove into Mozambique without any car checks or whatsoever. Ironically nobody even checked our visas, so it is perfectly possible to drive into Mozambique without any valid visa. On the way to Maputo, we were pulled over a few times by the police, but they never checked anything. Maputo, the capital, is quite close to the border as it is only about one hour drive. Next to the roads was almost nothing, just a few shacks made out of grass and wood.

The city itself is extremely chaotic, very humid, everybody just drives somewhere, cars are parked on the most ridiculous places, the lanes are way too small, cars are crashed everywhere, etc.But thanks to our good GPS we arrived safely at our guesthouse. It’s a small guesthouse in the centre, painted in bright yellow colours, with a nice

atmosphere. Just the parking is quite small, but ok, it’s safe so we’re not complaining. Because we we’re unexpectedly early, we decided to take a walk in the centre. It feels quite safe walking around here, nobody really notices us, just some souvenirs sellers, but that’s fine as long as they offer us good prices. Of course I had to taste some of the nice beers that Mozambique has to offer: 2M (Dos M) and Laurentina blond/black. After a good walk we returned back to our guesthouse.