Maputo | Mozambique
The south of Mozambique has more to offer than merely beaches. You could, for example, visit Limpopo National Park, which forms part of the Great Limpopo Transfrontier Park, allow yourself to become submerged in the culture melting pot of Maputo, or go diving at Inhaca.
Limpopo National Park in the south of Mozambique is the story of a hunting concession that became a protected nature reserve. The game population decreased dramatically during the war, but since 1990 a lot of work has been carried out (as it has across all of Mozambique) to restore this national park. A German donation of 42 million Rand was used to keep poachers at bay.
Limpopo National Park forms part of the Great Limpopo Transfrontier Park, which is a reserve that crosses the border of Mozambique into South Africa (Kruger Park) and Zimbabwe (Gonarezhou National Park). The wealth of animals and plant life in this cross-border park is enormous: there are at least 147 different types of mammals, 500 bird species and at least 2000 varieties of plants. Since 2001, rangers have also been relocating elephants from the overcrowded Kruger Park to Limpopo National Park. A decision was made in 2004 to expand the Transfrontier National Park to encompass an area of almost 100,000 km2.
The most important activities in the capital of Maputo (formerly known as Lourenço Marques) have always taken place in and around the port. This is where Portuguese, African, Indian, Chinese and Arabian cultures met - each of which has left its mark on the city. The cuisine in Maputo is refined and has strong Portuguese and Arabian influences and for many years Maputo has been famed for its Laurenço Marques Prawns, which are caught in the river and often served as peri-peri prawns. Peri-peri chicken is also a delicious dish.
The Portuguese built Maputo to be one of the most stunning cities in Africa, with high buildings and - up until the 1970s - an atmosphere that predominately reflected its Portuguese and African influences. Little was left of this after the war however, but gradually some of it is being restored to its former glory.
The most important place of interest - after the port - is the Fort of Nossa Senhora da Conceião, around which the original settlement was built. The station now resembles a palace rather than a place where an important lifeline - the rail link with South Africa - was established. The stately, gleaming white Polana Hotel (5-star) offers exquisite views across the port. You can drink tea in the hotel's gardens or play chess in the shade of the rubber trees.
The Associação Núcleo de Arte, which consists of painters, sculptors and potters, is established in an old villa in the centre of Maputo. The Núcleo is particularly famed for the project to make weapons into tools and art that was carried out at this location after the war.
Inhaca Island is located around 40 kilometres off the coast of Maputo and is very popular among South African divers. As on most of Mozambique's islands, an unspoilt paradise awaits you here with untouched coral reefs on which no less that 160 different types of coral have been recorded, sandy white beaches and untouched forests. The four coastal areas on the island are completely different, with grass plains and mangrove trees to the north, wooded sand dunes to the east and mudflats to the south and west. No less than 300 species of bird have been identified on Inhaca. It's not without reason that large parts of the island have been a protected nature reserve for the past thirty years.
