A holiday in Mozambique sound exotic and it is. It is also still a very basic and poor country but there is hope that one day it may develop into what it deserves to be. Endless kilometers of unspoiled beach and sea, one of the best diving in this world, an interesting history and its people stand for it. We drove from Johannesburg to Tofo over Christmas for a 2 weeks beach cum diving holiday.

Despite what you may hear, you can drive safely and in a normal car to many places, provided you stay on the main roads. Some roads are very good, some have big potholes and rain can change a good road into a swamp in minutes. If you want to venture into more remote places, a 4&4 is advisable. Once you have your trip planned, enquire in advance as the status of the roads can change all the time. It is safe to drive, just take it easy, don’t speed and don’t drive at night. As a woman I drove alone with my kids and had no problem whatsoever. Just be warned, stick to the speed-limit in every village as policemen are stationed everywhere and stop you to ask you for a “fine”. Corruption is widely spread?Also fill up your tank in every big city (Maputo, Xai-Xai etc.) as in the smaller places there are no petrol stations or fuel is not available. I do speak of experience; I almost had to push my car?

From Johannesburg we left very early in the morning and had a great drive (+-5 hours) to the boarder. As it was a holiday period, the boarder can get very busy and I heard of 7 hours to pass it. We had left early and it took us “only” 2 hours in the cue and to do all the formalities. It is advisable to enquire prior about import, visa and customs regulations to avoid any delays. Visas are needed for most, South Africans and some other African nationals are exempted. You may consider staying overnight near the boarder to pass it early if traveling during a busy period. Our onward trip to Bilene (+- 4 hours) was uneventful and the slow drive through the outer skirts of Maputo gave us an idea of the poverty of this country. Despite having lived for years in Africa we had never seen so much dirt and chaos?

Once we had left Maputo, the road was excellent and we arrived well in Bilene where we stayed for 2 nights. Bilene is a little village situated next to a huge lagoon with the sea on the other side. We stayed in a wonderful luxurious lodge and enjoyed swimming and other water activities.

On to our last stretch to Tofo, most of the road was excellent and only 40 km were full of potholes (on the way back even these had been filled?.until the next rain). Tofo is a small, remote little village in a beautiful bay with many places to stay, a few restaurants and just a little market. Be warned there is no supermarket there but most goods can be bought at the market or in Inhambane. It is very laid back and the sea is just fantastic. Barra is nearby where one can find simple to 5* accommodation. The beach counts as one of the best in this world and diving from Tofo or Barra is fantastic. Most roads around this area are good but some can only be accessed with a 4&4 and when it rains, access can become a problem.

On the way back we stopped over in Maputo after a +- 8 hr drive. The seafront provides many good places to go but generally it is very poor and dirty.

Back on the road to Johannesburg early in the morning we passed the boarder after an hour’s drive and “flew through” in 20 minutes continuing our way back to Joburg. We had a great time in this unspoiled country and I can only recommend it, if you like places off the beaten track with basic comfort and the warm sea. Go there while it lasts.

For more information and enquiries about accommodation, car rental, diving, and more please visit Travel-Window.

Andrea Gastaud
Travel Window

Andrea Gastaud has been working in and around the travel and tourism industry for more than 15 years. She is the founder and owner of Travel-Window and Auto International -offering worldwide travel services.