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Although many members have done this trip there might be something new and helpful for those of you still planning to make the trip.
The trip was made in the first two weeks of July and was made in my Datsun Safari. I had mounted a double seat in the back complete with seatbelts and as a safety precaution I had a rear roll bar fitted. The intention was also to stabilise the roof carrier. The Safari went in for a full check-over, service and tune up .
Our party consisted of my son, my daughter-in-law and my two grand children - a boy aged five and a girl aged fifteen - as well as girlfriend of the same age as companion for my grand daughter. They flew in from Cape Town, spent a night with me in Johannesburg and we left the next morning for Mozambique.
We had just cleared the South African side of the border when my son drew my attention to water leaking from below the Safari. The water pump had given in. Fortunately the radiator had not been damaged. I removed the fan belt and we decided to return to Komatipoort where we booked in to the Border Country Inn. As it was Sunday afternoon nothing could be done until the following day. The next morning we opened the yellow pages and discovered Hi-Tech Service Center - "Toyota Specialists all other makes welcome". The establishment was run by a very capable Andre van Aarde. He was quickly onto Nelspruit and a new water pump was delivered four hours later, quickly fitted and we were on our way.
In hindsight although my 22-year-old Safari is in excellent condition and would only turn over 100,000 km on this trip the early replacement of something like a water pump would be a wise precautionary move. I had been using antifreeze and failure was unexpected. The repair came to R469.68.and I can only imagine the challenges we would have faced had it happened the other side of the border and we had already made use of our visas.
While waiting for the repairs my family hired a car and made a trip into the Kruger Park and I explored the Komati Oasis. There is a very good supermarket which carried everything from towing triangles, fishing tackle and all types of food and non-alcoholic drinks. It is also the last fuel stop before the border. Petrol on the South African side, depending on the rate of exchange, is approximately 80 cents per litre cheaper.
We had been informed that the Mozambique customs would only except Meticais but this was not the case they gladly accepted Rands. We had exchanged Rand from a female money changer stationed just before entering the SA side of the border although we had been advised not to do so. The official rate of exchange was 3700 to the Rand she gave 3400. There is a bank on the Mozambique side of the border however we had arrived after banking hours.
The border crossing was uneventful and with the good toll road Maputo was reached during the peak hour traffic. This was a new experience. No streetlights to talk of, very heavy traffic, minibus taxis, motor cars and the odd truck as well as a detour. We took it cautiously and made our overnight stop at Casa Lisa.
We were now running a day late but Ranu of Mozambique Connection had rearranged our bookings and we therefore did not have to pay for an additional night. At this stage I would like to thank Mozambique Connection for the excellent service they gave before and during our trip.
The Casa Lisa stop was very pleasant, the owner and manager very helpful. The drinking water was very good, the showers were adequate and there was plenty of hot water. Electric power is provided by generator which is shut off at 10 pm. There is a very pleasant bar and the meal we had was most enjoyable.
The next morning we took the road north to Tofo for the main stay of our holiday. We had been booked into the Albatroz Lodge for eight nights.
We had booked into an eight-sleeper to avoid having anyone sleep in the lounge which appears to be the normal practice throughout Mozambique. However Albatroz is different in that the eight-sleeper has four bedrooms and the six-sleeper has three bedrooms. The staff were very accommodating and went out of their way to help. They also have a very good restaurant for when you don't feel like cooking and their bakery makes the best loaves of bread we tasted throughout our trip. The water was very drinkable and there was plenty of hot water.
The first three days were spoilt by intermittent rain and when the weather cleared sun block became essential. The swimming area was excellent and the youngest spent hours in the water. There were trees to provide shade but they are inconvenient and it would be best if you provided your own shade.
There has been a lot of development at Tofo. Accommodation is available to suit all pockets - from camping to luxury chalets. The chalets advertised as luxury, however, are a longish way from the main beach.
The fourth day we went to Inhambane for supplies, petrol and to draw money from a bank using my credit card. When drawing money it appears that the minimum you should change is R1000 as the bank charges kick in and reduce the amount you receive.
We were able to get most of the basic supplies at Tofo but the main source was Inhambane where you could get the rest. The hawkers were everywhere and the girls had a great time buying shell jewellery which was very attractive and somewhat different.
Both of the garages at Inhambane had run out of petrol although diesel was available. At the Petronas filling station a very helpful 'official looking chap' advised me and other waiting travellers to go to what turned out to be the Petronas bulk filling facility which supplies petrol in two hundred litre units. As I still had three eighths of a tank I took 50 litres while the two Land Rovers, one of which had towed the other in, took the rest. Due to lack of space I had left my jerry cans at home. I do however feel that for the type of trip we made, the adage of keeping your tank full, not letting your tank fall below half, is all that is needed. There is at present no unleaded petrol at Inhambane, the nearest unleaded supply is at Maxixe 55 km away. I was told that there might be unleaded petrol at Lindela where the EN1 forks off to Inhambane. Regretfully I did not confirm this.
The fifth day we made the trip to visit Coconut Bay, Guinjata Bay and Pandane. The road definitely requires high ground clearance and having four-wheel-drive made it easier. I did however did not use low range or let air out of my tyres. There was access to all of the beaches limited to the immediate area of access. From a snorkelling point of view Pandane had the better reefs. At Pandane a small boat would assist in getting to the deeper parts of the reef about 200 metres offshore. All the campsites looked comfortable and the chalets varied from rustic to fairly solid.
We left Tofo after a week and started our return journey back to Maputo and finally home. Our first stop was to be at Chidenguele. Paraiso De Chidenguele is a very attractive beach resort 5km off the EN1.The countryside undulates gently and I was told that there were 18 freshwater lakes, the one being 23 km long. All water sports can be carried out - no crocks or hippos!
The self-catering chalets are very comfortable and are well isolated from each other, set out in clearings in the bush with wonderful sea views. The weather had changed to strong winds and intermittent rain and we saw two wonderful rainbows one being complete horizon to horizon.
Chidenguele is very well supported by the angling fraternity and trophy photographs were plentiful in the pub. The restaurant and pub were most pleasant and the two meals we had were excellent. We made a trip to the nearby Boa Paz lighthouse 4 km away. The last 300 meters up to the lighthouse was a great dune type ride attacked in 2nd gear low range and completed at the second attempt. The view was impressive. The next challenge was to climb the lighthouse ladder. The lighthouse was probably 10 meters high and the ladder was divided in two with a platform halfway. There were no safety rungs on the ladder, the wind was blowing strongly and the youngsters climbed only up to the first level.
As elsewhere, driving on the beach is not permitted at Chidenguele but the officials turn a blind eye if you are staying at the resort. The resort has a fairly well equipped workshop with lots of loose bolts, nuts, screws and pop-rivets as well as gas and arc welding equipment. There is also a compressor to pump up your tyres.
The owners are upgrading the access road to make it more comfortable for two-wheel-drive cars. During our stay there was a Golf pulling a trailer, however the middle-mannetjies were rather high and one could see in places where they had been scraped.
The owners claimed that the snorkelling was very good at the shipwreck some kilometres up the coast. With the bad weather we could not confirm this, but there was a number of good looking reefs about 2 km down the beach that looked promising.
After a quick trip to Xai-Xai beach, which looked ruined, we proceeded on to Maputo. We had booked two nights at the Hotel Cardorso. The Cardorso is a smart hotel and the bedrooms were very comfortable and after our trip, a real pleasure. There is a good bar and restaurant and sundowners in the setting sun were great.
As we were to be in Maputo for only one day we decided we would make the trip to Inhaca Island with a stop for an hour at Portuguese Island. The trip is 40 km and takes about a 1¼ hours. Although it was a sunny day the wind chill factor was very high and we were supplied with Southwesters. Portuguese Island is a nature reserve. My son tried to snorkel but the visibility was poor after the storms. We watched the local fishermen catching grunter using longlines twirled around their heads before being released out over the water. There were also netters operating between the shore and a boat about 30 meters offshore. It was very energetic work but as it was time to leave for Inhaca I was unable to see what they were catching.
Inhaca Hotel and the accompanying bungalows looked very comfortable and the gardens were very green with lots of flowers. It was bit of a shock when passing through the gates into the dusty dry village with its sandy roads on our way to the restaurant where we going to have lunch.
On the trip over we had met a chap who had introduced himself as Lucas and the owner of Lucas Restaurant. We had told him that we intended to visit his well-known restaurant and he reserved a superb table for us decorated with flowers. The setting was charming. The walls were full of complimentary letters from customers and colour copies of articles that had appeared in South African magazines. The restaurant has been operating for fourteen years and has built up a very good reputation. The seafood was excellent but not cheap. The seafood platter seemed very expensive so we avoided it only to find out later that the serving was for two people - which was not stated on the menu or by the waiter! On the high tide that evening we caught our ski-boat back to Maputo. There are other operators and most go straight to Inhaca Island. All in all the trip was well worth it.
As we were returning to Johannesburg the next day to link up with a return trip to Cape Town we were unable to explore the city but on our last night we decided to visit the Polana Hotel. The hotel is full of old world charm and has the only casino in Mozambique. The casino was rather small and it was strange to see all the money in US dollars. The 50 cent machine was in fact a R3 machine! No coins or tokens are used, only cards.
During our stay in Maputo we decided to use the local taxis and park our heavily-loaded Safari. The taxis were something else, mainly old 200 series Mercs, and all extremely dilapidated. The night we made the trip to the Polana an elderly Jetta was called up. I asked for something bigger (there were six of us) but I was informed that it was the Jetta's turn. We piled in and the driver started the car by crossing two wires. We had gone about six blocks when the engine stalled and would not start. We pushed the Jetta off the road onto a parking island. The driver was already on his cell phone and a few minutes later another taxi joined us to take us the rest of the way.
An unusual thing about the traffic system was that traffic lights are positioned on the nearside corner and not the far side as in SA. As the road markings were in need of a coat of paint one tended to overshoot and consequently could not see them when they changed, however the traffic behind soon let you know.
We made an early start for our journey back to Johannesburg and after being 'assisted' through the border on the Moz side by a young guy (we made a donation to him of R30) we had a leisurely trip to Johannesburg Airport with 1½ hours to spare.
Reflecting on the trip.
The trip was thoroughly enjoyed by all. It was a first visit for most. My son had not been to Moz for 30 years. I've made four trips since independence and notice how the country is improving. The EN1 is a bumpy tar road linking Maputo with Beira with frequent potholes and in places they are quite numerous. The verges in places are only three meters wide with thick bush on the side. In places the shoulder has been washed away leaving a 400 mm drop. One finds it very difficult to hurry as the speed drops at every small cluster of buildings and there is the constant threat of speed traps. (We, however, only saw one during the entire trip).
Prawns and crayfish were about 2/3rds the price in SA. The prawns were not very big but were very fresh. The fruit and veg do not look very good but were very tasty they are certainly very 'organic'!
The official exchange rate was 3700 Meticais to the rand. Outside the banks it varied between 3000 and 3500. It decreased the further you travelled away from Maputo. The rate at Tofo was 3000. I feel it is best to use Meticais in your transactions - just make sure you use them up when filling your tank for the trip home.
We had a great time and think you will too.
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