Archive for the ‘Mozambique’ Category
December 31st, 2005 | 
Author: The day we left for Maputo we got a Dhow (with motor) back over to Maxixe where we sat in a restaurant and waited for our coach to arrive. At some point I took a walk to the toilet block which was located outside. As I did so I passed this guy who was doing something with this half oil drum which was placed on a fire. As I got closer I could see him holding something he was cooking and as I got even closer I could see he was manhandling a whole bull’s head by its horns in this pot. He took it out but when I returned both he and the bull’s head had disappeared. I wasn’t sure whether this was someone’s dinner or going to be a boiled down souvenir!
The coach arrived about an hour and a half late which we’d expected given our previous journey’s arrival time. It had obviously been involved in an accident at some point as the upper windscreen (see photo’s) was smashed. Inside they used sticks, blankets and luggage to prop up what was left of the window. At least I knew we would both get some ventilation on this journey!
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The twin room we stayed in was located on the ground floor. It was clean and tidy and each bed had its own mosquito net. The shower facilities were not particularly good when compared with other accommodation. This was disappointing since it cost twice as much to stay here as it had done in the place we’d just come from which had better facilities. Unfortunately we decided not to use the showers as they would be considered a danger back in the UK (see photo’s). The downstairs bathroom had a door which you could neither shut nor lock which is nice when using the toilet! We both felt that the accommodation costs should perhaps have been reinvested back into the property.
Inhambane looks quite a pretty town as you approach by boat. Unfortunately most tourists don’t stay here for long, catching a minibus directly to Tofo’s beaches frequented by South African holidaymakers. As we had done enough beach stuff in Vilanculos we were happy to give Tofo a miss and to see what Inhambane had to offer. We stayed in a place called Pensao Pachica (see later) which is one of only two places to stay here.
Inhambane is a quiet and fairly picturesque town which doesn’t seem to have much going on, you can cover what you need to in a day. There’s not a great deal to see and do but it is quite pleasant just to walk around and relax. Our accommodation was located on the water’s edge and gives good vantage points from which to see the sun go down. From here you could also see the locals doing a spot of fishing from the jetty/pier. Strangely they do this with a mackeral line without any lures or bait but the fish still seem to go for it.
Inhambane is another town on Mozambique’s east coast. Inhambane itself is actually located on a piece of land that is separated from the mainland by a small bay, unsurprisingly called Inhambane Bay. You have two choices – you can cross on the traditional dhow boat with a sail or a modified one with a motor. The people without a motor try to secure your custom at the top of a small ramp which leads to the water’s edge and jetty/pier. Although we chose the motorised option (about 20-25 minutes) the sailing dhows looked to be making good progress too. Travelling on these dhows is a bit like catching a Matatu minibus in Uganda, it doesn’t leave until it’s full and I mean really full! The pricing system seems to vary from day to day and by boat to boat, and there appears to be one price for locals and one for tourists. You get charged more for your rucksacks because they supposedly take up more space, just as they would do in a Matatu. Given that they stick them under the wooden seat plates they dont actually take up any room and they still cram as many people on there as normal. They’d be better off saying it’s an extra charge due to increased fuel consumption because of weight which would seem more fair.
In order to break up our travelling on our return leg back to Johannesburg, we scheduled a stop half-way between Vilanculos and Maputo in a town called Inhambane. Our supposedly luxury coach didn’t actually come into Vilanculos itself, so we needed transport to Pambara which was the coach’s collection/stop-off point. As the transport situation was thin on the ground we chatted up Juni from the Dolphin Dhow to give us a lift which we would pay him for.
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The Bazaruto Archipelago consists of five main islands, approximately 10km – 25km offshore from Vilanculos. Most traditional Dhow trips make their way to the closest of these islands which is called Magaruque (Santa Isabel) so we booked a trip there. However, the idyllic image which one conjures up in one’s mind of sailing off in a traditional Dhow across to a paradise island was shattered right at the beginning. Read the rest of this entry »
Located on Mozambique’s East coast Vilanculos is approximately 10 hours coach drive north of Maputo. It is one of the main places from which to base yourself for visiting the Bazaruto Archipelago. The town itself is relatively sparse and quite spread out although it is quite manageable to cover the main part of town on foot. There are three ATMs which take visa which was just as well as we were relying on getting money on arrival. There were at least two internet cafe’s with the best one being located below Complexo Anchora which has several terminals. I have to say that whilst nice, the beach setting didn’t quite match our imaginations. Other beaches may have well been different but we thought the beaches were fairly uninviting. The best stretches of beach are located near Vilanculos Beach Lodge where the more upmarket places to stay are located. There’s not a lot happening here but it does appear to become more busy on a Saturday night when the locals go out to let their hair down. Opportunities for eating and drinking are a little thin on the ground. There are a few local places such as ‘Tize’ (or “Tease Me” as we liked to call it) which has local cuisine and a couple of places which also cater for more international tastes. All in all it is quite nice but just not the picture postcard setting you tend to imagine.
We did really well with this place as it was well positioned not far from the beach and was brand new! In fact this was the first week it was open for business, result!
It is located on a hill which overlooks the beach and has six detached chalets each with a double bed and their own veranda, very nice. The dorm was the best one we’ve seen so far. The complex has a good shower and toilet facilities although it doesn’t have hot water but in this climate you don’t really need it. The only negative here is the mosquitoes, they give you a serious chomping but this is not different to anywhere else in Vilanculos!
We had two contacts for accommodation in Vilanculos – one from the guide book and one a recommendation from the staff at Base Backpackers in Maputo. The chap who gave us the lift was called Juni and he owned this company called Dolphin Dhow. We hadn’t pre-booked any accommodation so we asked Juni (Junior) to take us to the first place (as recommended in our guide book) – fully booked! So we tried the second place which was also fully booked except for some space where we could be squeezed into a dorm. When we told Juni he said not to stay there as it would be grim. He told us of this new place run by a German. Well, we landed on our feet here (see following post).
Given that we were spending just under a forthnight in Mozambique it would only be possible to cover the Southern most area and its coastline.
Vilanculos is located about 10 hours by coach north of Maputo on Mozambique’s East coast (not that it has one on the West side). It is supposed to be one of the main locations with nice beaches and a popular haunt of South Africans on their summer holidays. Read the rest of this entry »