We woke up early and headed to the Zimbabwe border where we crossed into Mozambique, along with many of the locals. Mozambique is a well-known destination for beaches, diving and cheap seafood, but it is also a very poor country recovering from decades of civil war after achieving independence from the Portuguese.
We had a long drive ahead of us the next day as we needed to reach the town of Vilanculous. It’s a small town with a local market, a few garages and some banks. Our main reason for going there is the Bazaruto Archipelago, which consists of 4 main islands with sandstone bases surrounded by coral. Once we arrived we charted a local dhow and headed for the islands for some snorkelling, sun-bathing and a delicious fish braai. We discovered that it really does taste a lot better if you see the chef catching the fish a few minutes before it goes on the coals!
We then headed south and reached Tofu, which is located at the very tip of Inhambane… Long endless beaches with coconut palms and local sellers with their colourful goods is what you can typically expect in this beautiful area. Inhambane is also famous for its beautiful reefs and the opportunity to dive with whale sharks… You can snorkel or dive with the whale sharks, but if you are not too adventurous, you can also relax on the boat and watch these giants. There are also fantastic markets and beach walks, which the clients enjoyed (though we also enjoyed the wireless at a local juice bar just as much…)
Massingir was our next stop in Mozambique. The most exciting thing about Massingir was driving over a dam wall to our camp. The dam was only finished in 2006 after being started in 1971… with the war and independence from the Portuguese – construction kept getting postponed. The damn is 150 square kilometres… We then headed out of Mozambique and into South Africa where we spent some time in the world-famous Kruger National Park!
– Chantel, Jenman Safaris’ Guide
