Mozambique

Maputo:

Despite the slight disappiontment we all felt due to the cold front that arrived the day before us, Maputo ended up begin a night of luxury at the famous Polana Hotel. Unfortunately not in the main building designed by Sir Herbert Baker, as it is undergoing extensive renovations. In fact most of Maputo is riddled with construction and is certainly a city in transformation. A city on the rise.

Xai-Xai:

Our first day of camping. The full force of the cold front made it a chilly stay. Maybe because of the cold or our arrival in an off-season period we felt a sense of abandonment when we arrived. Evidence of a once thriving holiday distination can be seen skeletal frames of abandoned hotel buildings. For us it was sad to see an area so greatly affected by the Civil war, however at the same time a lot of investment to the development of resorts along the coast line can be seen as a renewed interest in the area emerges. A very nice place with a beautiful strengh of beach.

Tofo:

Our original intention was to stay at Barra lodge, however, almost the entire resort was booked at for a conference so we made a decision to head down the coast to Tofo. After considering a couple options we settled on Bamboozi Backpackers. We had a fantastic straw chalet right on the beach and conveniently close to the sea-view bar. It is definately a place not to be missed! With its vibrant local market, pristine stretch of beach (good for running), top quality restuarants and plenty of bar-hopping potential. We also managed an ocean safari, which mum enjoyed especially as she had the chance to put on her goggles and dive into the DEEP ocean, to view dolphins and hump-back whales!

Vilankulo:

With all of us expecting the city to be a major tourist attraction over saturated with resorts, we were pleasantly surprised to find that it is more like a sleepy beach town. One thing is for certain, it is not worth visiting Vilankulo without at least a day trip to one of the islands of the Bazaruto Archipelago on a Mozambiquan dhow. Tomorrow we are going to the island of Magaruque for a day of snorkelling and relaxation.