mozambique
A Journey to Pristine and Quaint Beaches
When it comes to tropical getaways in Africa, Mozambique often flies under the radar. But the country’s coastline is undoubtedly its best attribute. With azure waters gently kissing white sandy beaches, Afrobeat music wafting through the air, and an array of fresh seafood waiting to be devoured, Mozambique is a paradise worth a visit.
With over 2,500 km of pristine coastline, Mozambique has clawed itself up several bucket lists. The country is home to some of the best dive spots and big game fishing on the planet. Mozambique’s beaches also give off a rustic and secluded vibe making them the ideal spot for romantics looking to get lost in paradise.
Its capital, Maputo is like a sensory overload in the best way possible. Colonial architecture mingles with modern buildings, creating a skyline that’s as eclectic as the city itself. Here’s more detailed information on Mozambique;
Its capital, Maputo is like a sensory overload in the best way possible. Colonial architecture mingles with modern buildings, creating a skyline that’s as eclectic as the city itself. Here’s more detailed information on Mozambique;
History of Mozambique
Mozambique’s history goes far back to the migration of Bantu-speaking Iron Age people into the region from west-central Africa around the 3rd century CE. These early inhabitants practiced agriculture and animal husbandry. They created nyika, or social units, with an emperor as their head.
By the 10th century, the Mapungubwe settled in Mozambique. They were known for their stone enclosures (zimbabwes). European settlement began when Vasco da Gama’s voyage docked on the Cape of Good Hope in 1498. The Portuguese took over Sofala, a seaside town, and the island of Mozambique early in the 16th century.
By the 10th century, the Mapungubwe settled in Mozambique. They were known for their stone enclosures (zimbabwes). European settlement began when Vasco da Gama’s voyage docked on the Cape of Good Hope in 1498. The Portuguese took over Sofala, a seaside town, and the island of Mozambique early in the 16th century.
They later expanded inland, establishing trading posts along the Zambezi River. By the 18th century, Mozambique’s export trade was heavily centered on slavery, with Yao traders forming extensive slave networks. The 19th century saw increasing involvement from other European powers, notably the British and French.
By mid-20th century, anti-colonial ideologies became widespread across the continent These were spearheaded by the Front for the Liberation of Mozambique (FRELIMO) in that country. In 1964, FRELIMO began a rebellion against Portuguese control. After a decade of anarchy across the country and the Carnation Revolution in Portugal, Mozambique gained independence on June 25, 1975.
By mid-20th century, anti-colonial ideologies became widespread across the continent These were spearheaded by the Front for the Liberation of Mozambique (FRELIMO) in that country. In 1964, FRELIMO began a rebellion against Portuguese control. After a decade of anarchy across the country and the Carnation Revolution in Portugal, Mozambique gained independence on June 25, 1975.
Capital of Mozambique
The capital of Mozambique is Maputo. Perched along the Indian Ocean, the port city offers a unique blend of African, Portuguese, and Arab influences, evident in its bustling markets, historic buildings, and delicious cuisine. While here, you should explore the grand Maputo Railway Station, designed by Gustave Eiffel.
After that, take a leisurely walk down the tree-lined Avenida Julius Nyerere, which is lined with quaint shops and cafes. The city also has numerous galleries and music venues, showcasing its lively arts scene. However, Maputo’s infrastructure leaves a lot to be desired. In the last few years, the government has embarked on a campaign to change the narrative by working with Chinese contractors on several projects.
After that, take a leisurely walk down the tree-lined Avenida Julius Nyerere, which is lined with quaint shops and cafes. The city also has numerous galleries and music venues, showcasing its lively arts scene. However, Maputo’s infrastructure leaves a lot to be desired. In the last few years, the government has embarked on a campaign to change the narrative by working with Chinese contractors on several projects.
Language in Mozambique
In Mozambique, Portuguese is the official language. It is used for government official business and transactions Even so, only about half of people speak it. Most locals prefer to communicate in local languages in their day-to-day lives. These include; Makhuwa, Changana, Nyanja, Ndau, Sena, Chwabo, and Tswa.
Currency in Mozambique
The official currency of Mozambique is the metical (MZN or MT In 1980, the Mozambican escudo was substituted with the metical. It is nominally divided into 100 centavos, although centavo coins are rarely seen in circulation today. Currently, $1 equates to around 63 MZN. Most local shops, markets, and restaurants transact in MZN. However, many high-end hotels accept USD for transactions.
itinerary
- Arrive at O.R Tambo International Airport
- Meet our Discover ME Representative
- Discover ME Partner Driver will pick you and drive you to the Hotel
- Discover ME will host our daily group dinner at the Hotel
Batik Workshop (8:30 to 10:00)
Our two batik masters Matola and Sergio will lead us through the first workshop session. All our guests will have a chance to design, create and make their own batik under the guidance of the batik masters. When it’s all done and we have the final product, you can take your own batik home as a souvenir. We will then have a 10 mins break so that people can refresh.
Arame workshop (10:10 to 11:30)
This session will be led by Jose, In the artistic community. This session will also last close to 1 hour and a half and detail by detail our guests will learn how it is done from the arame guru himself. Again, remember to take your piece of art home when you are done.
Our two batik masters Matola and Sergio will lead us through the first workshop session. All our guests will have a chance to design, create and make their own batik under the guidance of the batik masters. When it’s all done and we have the final product, you can take your own batik home as a souvenir. We will then have a 10 mins break so that people can refresh.
Arame workshop (10:10 to 11:30)
This session will be led by Jose, In the artistic community. This session will also last close to 1 hour and a half and detail by detail our guests will learn how it is done from the arame guru himself. Again, remember to take your piece of art home when you are done.
At the starting point of the Elephant Special Reserve tour, we will leave Maputo from Mussiro’s ONice at Av. Kwame Nkrumah, number 417, at 6 AM and drive for 1hr to 1hr 30 mins to the main entrance of the reserve called Futi Gate.
A game drive and bird watching Safari will enable you to get a real touch of the Fresh air that the reserve has. Freshwater lakes, marshlands, riverine woodlands, lagoons among many more just show how diverse the nature of the reserve is. This means there is a lot of variation in bird species from water birds and marshland species.
Maputo Special Reserve is home to about 334 bird species that have been spotted for so far. We are talking about Spotted Ground-Thrush, Neergaard’s Sunbird, Pink-throated Twinspot, African Broadbill, Livingstone’s Turaco, Eastern Nicator, Southern Banded Snake-Eagle, Black-rumped Buttonquail, Rosy-throated Longclaw, Denham’s Bustard and Chestnut-banded Plover among more. If you are a bird watcher you probably know what we are talking about, if not book with us and leave the rest to us and we shall teach you this unique way of enjoying your time in nature.
A game drive and bird watching Safari will enable you to get a real touch of the Fresh air that the reserve has. Freshwater lakes, marshlands, riverine woodlands, lagoons among many more just show how diverse the nature of the reserve is. This means there is a lot of variation in bird species from water birds and marshland species.
Maputo Special Reserve is home to about 334 bird species that have been spotted for so far. We are talking about Spotted Ground-Thrush, Neergaard’s Sunbird, Pink-throated Twinspot, African Broadbill, Livingstone’s Turaco, Eastern Nicator, Southern Banded Snake-Eagle, Black-rumped Buttonquail, Rosy-throated Longclaw, Denham’s Bustard and Chestnut-banded Plover among more. If you are a bird watcher you probably know what we are talking about, if not book with us and leave the rest to us and we shall teach you this unique way of enjoying your time in nature.
The Itinerary would be as below :
1-Independence square – with the: Big white cathedral (starting point): oNicially called Nossa Senhora da Conceição, the cathedral (as it is mostly known) or demon’s cathedral was built in the 1930’s – 1940’s by Marcial Simões Freitas e Costa, who was a deputy director of the railways at the time and worked free of charge. The construction was a major feat for the catholic church of the time, which was still reeling under the eNects of the revolution of the 1910 in Portugal and had a very weak presence in Mozambique. Inside we have nice models of the old Lourenço Marques (present day Maputo) and a nice hall to see. a)Statue of the first president: The Samora Machel Statue is a bronze sculpture located in the center of Praça da Independência. The statue depicts Samora Machel (1933-1986), military, revolutionary, and the first President of Mozambique. The statue was designed and constructed in Pyongyang, North Korea, by the Mansudae Overseas Projects, an arm of the Mansudae Art Studio. It stands 9 meters and weighs 4.8 tons.
2-French Mozambican Cultural Center: The French Mozambican cultural center is today one of the busiest cultural centers in town, with lots of cultural events (live music, photo expositions, etc.).
3-Iron house: Designed by Gustave EiNel, the building was brought pre-fabricated from Belgium in 1892 and assembled outside what was the town by those days. He liked neither the building (lets imagine why – an iron house in a hot country like Mozambique + no air conditioners) nor the isolated site.
4-Tunduro Garden: One of the most beautiful and green spaces in Maputo. If you do the tour on Saturday you will find it even more interesting as you will see a lot of wedding celebrations going on – a lot of dancing, singing and happiness. 5-Central Market: The best market in Maputo –fresh and clean– was built in 1901 by David Carvalho with iron elements imported from Belgium. Come here if you want to get ingredients for a very Mozambican dish. You can buy here Cassava leaves to prepare the famous Matapa with prawns and even get tips from the ladies on how to make it.
6-Mosque – The mosque on Rua da Mesquita was the first mosque in Maputo, stated in wood and zinc as most of the constructions in this area. The lower facade is of 1887, with parts added on in 1902, the mosque itself is new. This was the area where the Indian population lived.
7-Train station: It is sometimes said to be the most beautiful in the southern Africa. The Maputo central station is on an America magazine list of the most beautiful train stations worldwide as the 3rd most beautiful. We are not going to tell you which ones make the Top Ten list and will keep it as a surprise for when we go in the train station and see the photo exposition of the list.
8-Bagamoyo street: New Orleans in Maputo, that is the feeling most people who have been to New Orleans have when they walk through this street. Called Araujo street before independence, the street started as a residencies street, but because of its location –close to the harbor– it started to become a bit busier with lots of hotels, bars, most of them run down nowadays. It is a treasure of French colonial architecture with buildings with their iron pillars and decks during the day, and the street that doesn’t sleep during the night.
9-Fortress: Nossa Senhora da Conceição or Fortaleza was originally built of wood in 1787. In 1811 the wall towards the sea was erected in stone. A plan of 1851 shows that the whole fortress was now made of stone. In its present form, it is a renovation and part reconstruction following a 1945 proposal of Joaquim Areal Silva of the Direcção de Monumentos Nacionais.
1-Independence square – with the: Big white cathedral (starting point): oNicially called Nossa Senhora da Conceição, the cathedral (as it is mostly known) or demon’s cathedral was built in the 1930’s – 1940’s by Marcial Simões Freitas e Costa, who was a deputy director of the railways at the time and worked free of charge. The construction was a major feat for the catholic church of the time, which was still reeling under the eNects of the revolution of the 1910 in Portugal and had a very weak presence in Mozambique. Inside we have nice models of the old Lourenço Marques (present day Maputo) and a nice hall to see. a)Statue of the first president: The Samora Machel Statue is a bronze sculpture located in the center of Praça da Independência. The statue depicts Samora Machel (1933-1986), military, revolutionary, and the first President of Mozambique. The statue was designed and constructed in Pyongyang, North Korea, by the Mansudae Overseas Projects, an arm of the Mansudae Art Studio. It stands 9 meters and weighs 4.8 tons.
2-French Mozambican Cultural Center: The French Mozambican cultural center is today one of the busiest cultural centers in town, with lots of cultural events (live music, photo expositions, etc.).
3-Iron house: Designed by Gustave EiNel, the building was brought pre-fabricated from Belgium in 1892 and assembled outside what was the town by those days. He liked neither the building (lets imagine why – an iron house in a hot country like Mozambique + no air conditioners) nor the isolated site.
4-Tunduro Garden: One of the most beautiful and green spaces in Maputo. If you do the tour on Saturday you will find it even more interesting as you will see a lot of wedding celebrations going on – a lot of dancing, singing and happiness. 5-Central Market: The best market in Maputo –fresh and clean– was built in 1901 by David Carvalho with iron elements imported from Belgium. Come here if you want to get ingredients for a very Mozambican dish. You can buy here Cassava leaves to prepare the famous Matapa with prawns and even get tips from the ladies on how to make it.
6-Mosque – The mosque on Rua da Mesquita was the first mosque in Maputo, stated in wood and zinc as most of the constructions in this area. The lower facade is of 1887, with parts added on in 1902, the mosque itself is new. This was the area where the Indian population lived.
7-Train station: It is sometimes said to be the most beautiful in the southern Africa. The Maputo central station is on an America magazine list of the most beautiful train stations worldwide as the 3rd most beautiful. We are not going to tell you which ones make the Top Ten list and will keep it as a surprise for when we go in the train station and see the photo exposition of the list.
8-Bagamoyo street: New Orleans in Maputo, that is the feeling most people who have been to New Orleans have when they walk through this street. Called Araujo street before independence, the street started as a residencies street, but because of its location –close to the harbor– it started to become a bit busier with lots of hotels, bars, most of them run down nowadays. It is a treasure of French colonial architecture with buildings with their iron pillars and decks during the day, and the street that doesn’t sleep during the night.
9-Fortress: Nossa Senhora da Conceição or Fortaleza was originally built of wood in 1787. In 1811 the wall towards the sea was erected in stone. A plan of 1851 shows that the whole fortress was now made of stone. In its present form, it is a renovation and part reconstruction following a 1945 proposal of Joaquim Areal Silva of the Direcção de Monumentos Nacionais.
1.Kruger
In the this private tour to the Kruger Park we will go from Maputo to Ressano Garcia border, arriving there at around 6:30.
2.Swaziland (Eswatini)-Cultural Experience
Eswatini boasts of cultural immersion unique to its history like no other southern African country. There are many similarities in African countries but none is quite unique in its cultural flavours like Swaziland. Remember its the only remaining absolute monarchy in the world! This means in Eswatini things definitely happen diNerently as compared to the rest of the world. “Handcraft market, Mantenga Cultural village, House on Fire and Swazi Candles” are the unpublicized treasures we have prepared for you.
In the this private tour to the Kruger Park we will go from Maputo to Ressano Garcia border, arriving there at around 6:30.
2.Swaziland (Eswatini)-Cultural Experience
Eswatini boasts of cultural immersion unique to its history like no other southern African country. There are many similarities in African countries but none is quite unique in its cultural flavours like Swaziland. Remember its the only remaining absolute monarchy in the world! This means in Eswatini things definitely happen diNerently as compared to the rest of the world. “Handcraft market, Mantenga Cultural village, House on Fire and Swazi Candles” are the unpublicized treasures we have prepared for you.
Discover ME Partner driver will be ready to drive you to the Airport-please be on time or you will have to make personal arrangements for your airport transportation.
