Mocambique's Magical Beaches

Mozambique’s empty beaches
By Sally Raikes
Published: May 29 2010 00:25 | Last updated: May 29 2010 00:25

The beach at Tofo on the Indian Ocean, Mozambique
Whatever World Cup surprises await fans in Johannesburg next month, one thing may catch tourists unawares: the temperature. Flying in to a draughty airport and drizzle a few weeks ago, it was hard to believe that our onward destination – Maputo, less than an hour’s flight east – could be much warmer.

But the capital of Mozambique has tropical sunshine, and plenty more besides, to tempt travellers to extend their holiday after the World Cup. The city centre, where modern high-rise office blocks stand alongside elegant 1920s buildings with wrought-iron balconies, has an almost cosmopolitan feel. A bag of Portuguese pastéis de nata (cinnamon-dusted custard tarts), from the Café Continental is a reminder of Maputo’s colonial years; its airy railway station (built in 1910 by Gustave Eiffel – he of the Eiffel Tower) – is another mark of that bygone era. Today, the trains leaving the station are slow and far between; road links (some better than others) are the main way to reach the north of the country.

It is also worth spending an evening at the Costa do Sol to see Maputo’s expatriate scene in full swing. The veranda of this beachside hotel and restaurant – reminiscent of a scene from a Gabriel García Márquez novel – overflows with NGO workers and engineers exchanging gossip over cocktails and plates of giant prawns. The art deco-style rooms upstairs have seen better days but are still a welcome retreat after one too many caipirinhas.

There are convenient and direct flights from Maputo to Mozambique’s islands, such as the five that make up the Bazaruto archipelago in the south, but if you don’t mind a day spent bumping along the dusty EN1 national highway and swerving to avoid potholes, exploring by car is an experience not to be forgotten – even if you travel a mere fraction of the country as a result. Part-Tarmac, part red earth, the road is a constant work-in-progress, much of it financed by the Chinese government, who are backing a variety of infrastructure projects in Mozambique (including the construction of a national football stadium on the outskirts of Maputo). Tree branches used as traffic cones alert drivers to the sections under construction, but just as hazardous are the overloaded trucks that thunder by and stop for no one, and by night the cars missing a headlight (or two).

Roadside hawkers sell cashew nuts, passion fruit, bottles of “peri peri” chilli sauce, fiery enough to singe your lips on first impact and avocados the size of small footballs (the latter two were excellent on oatcakes brought from Britain). And beyond the sugar cane plantations and coconut palms is a sight to soothe the senses: the sea, intermittently visible on the right as you inch further north. With 2,500km of coastline, Mozambique is renowned for its huge, empty sandy beaches, their development impeded by 17 years of bloody civil war following independence from Portugal in 1975.

Beyond Xai-Xai, 200km north of Maputo, a chorus of chirping frogs accompanies us as we drive our 4x4 through thick overgrowth along a 10km-long sand road to Nascer do Sol, a collection of thatched wooden chalets set among sand dunes. Apart from the occasional fisherman, the beach is deserted; fierce surf washes away the grime of a four-hour drive and the lodge’s restaurant, which has plentiful supplies of grilled fish and gin and tonic, has a further restorative effect.

Inaccessibility makes Nascer a place for the quietest of beach holidays: the chalets have no television or mobile phone coverage, there are no bars and, with the exception of fishing and whale watching, limited watersports. Our first day’s entertainment consists of watching the sun rise and set, and a chance encounter with a monkey on the veranda.

A livelier beach scene can be found a few hours’ drive further north, at Barra and Tofo. These adjacent destinations sit on a peninsula about 20km from the town of Inhambane – itself worth a look for its lively market and wide, tree-lined avenues. With soft white sand that squeaks underfoot and a calmer, more emerald sea, it is obvious why these villages have grown. Travellers who visited a decade ago reminisce about having it all to themselves; today builders are busy constructing accommodation for the influx of holidaymakers who arrive at Christmas and New Year. At this time of year, however, most of the lodges are empty, and in Barra, where we are staying at Makolo Bay, a series of newly finished and spotless lodges, we are prime targets for a stream of young vendors selling fruit, bread and “fishy prawns” (fresh, but sold by weight and often bulked out with blocks of ice, so be prepared to weigh your own measures).

Charter a boat and you can catch your own supper to braai (barbecue) in the evening. There is decent, though not spectacular, snorkelling and picnic trips to Pansy Island, a large sandbank with an abundance of fragile “pansy shells” – etched with a natural flower print and bleached white by the sun.

While Barra is more spread out, Tofo has a focal point with a market, restaurants and bars (at Dino’s Beach Bar, the cocktails come in giant jam jars and the “Bloody Mozzies” – bloody Marys – are alcoholic enough to numb any “mozzie” bites). If, after one of these, you are still standing, the candle-lit Casa de Comer has good French-Mozambican food, albeit with slow service.

Rushed waiters, however, would not suit Tofo or Barra. Such is the relaxed pace on the peninsula that many travellers apparently arrive intending to stay a few days, and leave weeks later. This is not an option in our case, but as we begin the bumpy return journey to Maputo, it occurs to me that we are lucky to have seen Mozambique’s beaches so quiet and pristine. Once the upgrade of the main highway is complete, with Tarmac paving the way for regular tour buses, its spectacular coastline will be accessible to many, many more.

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Details

Costa do Sol Hotel, Maputo, double rooms from R300 (£27) per night, tel: +258 214 50038, www.mozcon.com/costadosol

Nascer do Sol, from MZN3,365 (£68) per night for a two-person lodge, tel: +258 282 64500, www.nascer.co.za

Makolo Bay, Barra, rooms from R200 (£18) per night, tel: +2735 550 0592, www.makolobay.co.za

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After the big game – big game

Swaziland

Sandwiched between Mozambique and South Africa, this landlocked country – roughly the size of Wales – is worth a visit for its spectacular mountain scenery. Near its capital Mbabane, a four-hour drive east of Johannesburg, is Sibebe Rock, locally claimed to be the largest granite rock in the world. It’s a steep climb but there are caves and pools in which to cool off en route. The Milwane Wildlife Sanctuary (www.biggameparks.org), the largest national park in Swaziland, offers guided walks, safaris and cycling.

Swaziland’s roads are tarred and in good condition, making possible a tour of its excellent handicraft shops in the Malkerns and Elzuwini valleys, both within easy reach of Mbabane. Coral Stephens (www.coralstephens.com) sells mohair and cotton throws; glass-blowing can be seen at Ngwenya Glass (www.ngwenyaglass.co.sz), and there is also a workshop at Swazi Candles (www.swazicandles.com), which produces candles that burn to create hollow lanterns. Not far from here is House on Fire (www.house-on-fire.com), an arts venue with theatre, live music, poetry, dance and film, much of it shown in an 800-seat amphitheatre.


Kruger National Park
Kruger National Park
Over three days in Kruger, one of the biggest game reserves in the whole of Africa (www.krugerpark.co.za), we saw countless elephants, giraffes and hippos, and four out of the Big Five (only the leopard proved elusive). Other visitors may be less fortunate but patience (drive slowly and stop often), strategically timed safaris (sunrise and sunset) and binoculars will aid your chances. A guided night drive (160 rand, or £14) is a chance to star-gaze and listen to the nocturnal sounds of the park.

There are 13 rest camps in Kruger, with well-equipped shops and facilities ranging from swimming pools to open-air film screenings and a small airport. The daily conservation fee at Kruger is 160 rand for foreigners and a night’s accommodation in a two-person cabin at a rest camp typically costs 315 rand (£28). Southern Kruger is about three hours’ drive from Maputo, or six hours from Johannesburg.