Finally, I settled on a route which would take us through Zimbabwe, Mozambique (Tete), Malawi and finally Mozambique again.

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Lorena Jefferson
5 years ago
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1 1 MOZAMBIQUE JULY 2011 My planning for the trip consisted of many hours of web browsing and staring at maps and Google Earth, tracing roads and tracks to establish viable routes. Finally, I settled on a route which would take us through Zimbabwe, Mozambique (Tete), Malawi and finally Mozambique again. Us consisted of Marianne and I and our good fiends Tjeerd and Jannie Kiuken. We left Johannesburg on 25 July 2011, heading for Beit Bridge and ultimately the Lion & Elephant Hotel at Bubi River. Day 1 Beit Bridge was chaotic. The problems started on the SA side of the border with hundreds of bus passengers lining up for several hundred meters. Astonishingly (or then perhaps not, given the general state of tardiness and laziness of our government officials) the SA officials, unlike all the other border posts we subsequently crossed, do not reserve a counter to serve its own citizens! This meant standing in the queue behind the hundreds of Zim citizens, clogging up my own country s services! The Zimbabwe side was worse with countless touts, runners and self-appointed assistants offering their help, turning somewhat aggressive when the help is declined. After standing in a not too long queue for about 20 minutes, I realised that the queue was not moving at all, despite obvious hectic activity at the front of it. I then realised that the touts were merely going the front of the queue, processing their customers, leaving the rest of the people to remain standing in one spot! The security guard who was supposed to ensure order in queue was idly standing by, probably on the take not to do anything I realised that were I to interfere, it might be perceived as a white man telling the locals what to do. Fortunately there was a very soft spoken but very insistent lady behind me who took matters into her own hands and within a few minutes the touts were prevented from pushing in. Each of us in the queue was issued a number and then matters progressed remarkably quickly and smoothly. The whole process took 3 hours. We camped at the Lion & Elephant as the hotel was fully booked for a 21 st birthday party. After an excellent hamburger, we went to bed. Day 2 The next morning we left for the Nyamapanda Border post via Harare. We spent the night at Mutoko Lodge near the town of Mutoko, some 80 kilometres from the Border.

2 Lunch en route to Mutoko This Lodge is not to be recommended and is best avoided. The manager and staff were very friendly. When asked if there was hot water, we were assured that it was the case.

I discovered that the main switch to the geyser was in the off position The next morning there was indeed hot water. The linen on the beds were not clean and showed signs of having been slept in.

2 2 Lunch en route to Mutoko This Lodge is not to be recommended and is best avoided. The manager and staff were very friendly. When asked if there was hot water, we were assured that it was the case. However, the water remained cold and the toilet was leaking. Suddenly a plumber appeared to maintain the problem. I discovered that the main switch to the geyser was in the off position The next morning there was indeed hot water. The linen on the beds were not clean and showed signs of having been slept in. The one bed even had maize pips in it. It was amaizing! Marianne and I elected to sleep in the rooftop tent. Later that evening whilst sitting around the fire, we discovered why the beds were not clean as suddenly at least 20 people ascended on the neighbouring chalet to spend the night. Probably a nice little side business privately run by the caretaker. Day 3 We left early for Nyamapanda. The Border was quiet and upon our arrival we were the only customers. The immigration and customs procedures were dispatched with in no time and the only remaining hurdle was the Police. The officer in charge asked for the registration documents of our vehicles. When he swa that all of that were in order, he played his trump card by asking for our police clearance document. I responded that we do not need such a document. He then enquired if was saying that he was just sitting around, doing f all? I replied that he should refrain from putting words in my mouth. The conversation continued along these lines for several minutes, ending with the officer telling me I should stop speaking like Jesus. This apparently meant that my style of conversation and my resistance to take his bait did not suit him. He then produced a blank copy of the SAPS clearance document and again insisted that I should indeed be in possession of such a document. This was my saving grace. I then read the document to him from which it was patently clear that I in fact do not require the document. He then realised that whatever it was that he was trying was not going to work with me and he then sullenly allowed us to proceed. View over Cahorra Bassa

3 At the spur of the moment, we decided to spend the night at the Cahorra Bassa Dam. The town of Songa was a pleasant surprise and must be one of the best-kept and run towns in all of Mozambique.

Day 4 We left Ugezi reluctantly, changed some money at Millenium Bank in Songa and proceeded to Malawi via Tete.

3 3 At the spur of the moment, we decided to spend the night at the Cahorra Bassa Dam. The town of Songa was a pleasant surprise and must be one of the best-kept and run towns in all of Mozambique. We spent the night at the Ugezi River Lodge which has campsites as well. Here we unexpectedly ran into our friends John and Pam Barry and we spent a pleasant evening with them. Day 4 We left Ugezi reluctantly, changed some money at Millenium Bank in Songa and proceeded to Malawi via Tete. The border crossings at both the Mozambique and Malawian sides proceeded without incident, although I thought that the almost R700 required to enter Malawi is rather very expensive. We headed for the Zomba plateau and spent the night camping at the Trout Farm Campsite. Earlier the day it was 30º C. Suddenly it was 2º C! And there virtually was no water coming out of the hot water taps in both the men s and lady s showers, despite a roaring fire in the boiler. Very disappointing! Day 5 We left Zomba for Mozambique via the Nayutchi / Entre Lagos Border Posts to Cuamba. A most pleasant drive along a road that is decidedly less travelled.

4 At Cuamba we spent the night at the Pensoa Zé.

That evening we had an excellent dinner at the Restaurante San Migual.

The road is a fair dirt road winding its way through a very scenic countryside interspersed with very spectacular insel

4 4 At Cuamba we spent the night at the Pensoa Zé. Very clean and acceptable with a very decent breakfast included in the deal. That evening we had an excellent dinner at the Restaurante San Migual. Day 6 We left Cuhamba after filling up, direction Marrupa. The road is a fair dirt road winding its way through a very scenic countryside interspersed with very spectacular insel bergs. At Marrupa we turned east, direction Montepuez. The road is nothing more than a bad track, although there is presently road construction underway from both the Marrupa and Montepuez sides. It will still be several years before these road works shall be completed. The average speed is around 30 km/h and the distance to be covered just over 200.km.

5 Due the longtidude, it was getting dusk at around 17:00 and completely dark by 17:15. At around 16:30 we found a very nice camp site next to the road some 70 km before Montepuez.

Nearer to Montepuez there are again roadworks underway. The detours roads are terrible, covered in thick powder dust.

5 5 Due the longtidude, it was getting dusk at around 17:00 and completely dark by 17:15. At around 16:30 we found a very nice camp site next to the road some 70 km before Montepuez. We had a nice fire going in no time and soon some juicy steaks were sizzling on the grid. Days 7 and 8 We proceeded along our track, direction Montepuez. Nearer to Montepuez there are again roadworks underway. The detours roads are terrible, covered in thick powder dust. It feels like driving through water with waves of dust billowing from underneath the wheels. When we eventually reached Montepuez, we found it to be a poor and most uninspiring town. We bought some fuel and bottled water to replenish the water tanks and proceeded along our journey, intending to reach Mocimboa de Praia that evening. Then we discovered that the road to Pemba is an excellent tarred road and we immediately changed our route! We arrived in Pemba in no time. I could hear the car thanking me all the way In Pemba we stayed at Pemba Dive and Beach Camp owned by Brenda a fellow Overland Forum member. This is a very well appointed and run resort, beautifully situated along the beaches of Pemba Bay. We stayed two nights. We also hired a dhow for a day of excellent sailing and snorkelling in these clear and warm waters.

6 I bought fresh fish at the Pemba market

6 6 I bought fresh fish at the Pemba market and we had a fantastic fish braai. Day 9 We proceeded on our journey north towards Mocimboa de Praia via Metuge. The road was bad and slow, the scenery beautiful. I was surprised to see how the locals have converted the may swamps into rice paddies. We arrived in Mocimboa towards sunset and overnighted at Shay Natalie Campsite. The facilities were basic but acceptable.

7 7 Day 10 We left Mocimboa, direction Quionga after drawing some money at the ATM and buying fresh fish at the market.

8 8

9 9 A nice drive through spectacular countryside along a sand track. The idea was to reach the Ravuma River Border Post, the border between Mozambique and Tanzania. At Quionga, the last village in Mozambique, we had an interesting (and our only) interaction with the local police. We were required to register with the policia de fronterra. Our details and the details of

10 10 the vehicles were studiously entered into a 2009 diary and after some 30 minutes of very careful writing down of said details by the Commandante, we were allowed to proceed.

11 11 The last few kilometres of road towards the Ravuma border post was covered in about 50cm of water with signs of vehicles getting stuck and we decided to turn around, heading back to Mocimboa, again camping at Shay Natalie. Day 11 This day was spent travelling back to Pemba where we again stayed at Brenda s place. We attempted the coastal road, direction Qiussanga. This turned out to be a sand track through the various villages with the occasional swamp thrown in to make matters interesting. Whilst traversing a swamp the left front wheel of my car fell into a deep mud hole and had to be tugged out with a snatch strap. At one of the various villages, we were stopped by the locals. After some sign language indicating that we should turn around and elementary Portuguese phrases like grande aqua we gleaned that crossing one of the few rivers ahead would be impossible. We turned around and followed the main route from which became clear that there were in fact many fairly large rivers we would have had to cross on our original route. For me, this was the disappointment of this trip: The fact that the coastal roads are mostly impassable and where passable, takes up much more time that I had at my disposal. This meant that we missed out on undoubtedly very beautiful parts of the Mozambique coastline Day 12 We left Pemba, aiming for the Ilha de Mozambique.

12 12

13 13 The road is in good condition, even if uneven in places. The Ilha is connected via a bridge almost 3 kilometres long and is a place of great historical significance. The various buildings on the island have clearly been neglected during the decades of civil war but several have been already been restored.

14 Most of them pre-dates the oldest buildings in Cape Town and in fact, the oldest building in the southern hemisphere, the Chapel of Nossa Senhora de Baluarte, built in 1522 is located on this

After spending a few hours on the island we decided to head towards a town called Monapo and take potluck on accommodation for the night.

14 14 Most of them pre-dates the oldest buildings in Cape Town and in fact, the oldest building in the southern hemisphere, the Chapel of Nossa Senhora de Baluarte, built in 1522 is located on this island. Vasco da Gama visited the island in For more information on the island see here: After spending a few hours on the island we decided to head towards a town called Monapo and take potluck on accommodation for the night. We ended up spending the night in a Pensoa called Cantina D Heroina. Day 13 We departed early, direction Nampula. Nampula is the northern commercial capital and a surprisingly large and busy town. At Nampula we drew money from the ATM, filled up with fuel and replenished stock. From Nampula we decided to see how far we could get for the day before looking for a place to spend the night. Surprisingly, we reached Quillemane and decided to head for Zalala, small holiday village some 30 kilometres further. A few kilometres before Quilemane it started raining! This was to be a feature of the rest of the trip The GPS shows three camping options. This information is incorrect as two of the options are in fact the same place and is nothing more than a filthy beach bar run by some local youngsters with no sense of hygiene. We decided not to stay due to the appalling state of the place. I jokingly rated place as 2 stars one for being there and one for having a toilet. We were unable to locate the other option as the position mapped on the GPS is in the middle of nowhere. On the way in we noticed a restaurant and decided to have dinner before returning to Quilemane and look there for a place to stay. Marianne spoke to the waiter about accommodation options and it turned out that the camp we were unable to find is literally around the corner from the restaurant. I am still unsure of the name of this camp as no signage is displayed and the caretaker could not understand what I was on about when I enquired after the name of the place. It is not a camp in the conventional sense of the word. It seems as if it was originally designed to be a beach restaurant. Camping is in the parking lot. The toilets are spotless. The only shower is an outside beach shower which was not enjoyable in the rain and cold.

15 Day 14 We left Zalala after a walk on the beach. It was still raining intermittently. We crossed the Zambazi at Caia where an impressive bridge has replaced the ferries.

15 15 Day 14 We left Zalala after a walk on the beach. It was still raining intermittently. We crossed the Zambazi at Caia where an impressive bridge has replaced the ferries. The road was in good condition and we made good time, arriving at Nchope just before dark where we stayed at the Complexo Arcos Iris Hotel. A decent hotel at reasonable rates. Days 15 and 16 We headed for Vilanculos where we arrived at lunch time. I bought fresh barracuda at the fish market and we headed towards Blue Water Beach resort. Here we spent two lovely rest days, despite the intermittent rain. The baraccas saved the day as we cpould find shelter from the rain. The resort is beautifully situated. It was also here that we for the first time encountered South African holiday makers. Day 17 We left Vilanculos for Bilene. After Xai-Xai at a town called Chicombane, we decided to have a look at the Limpopo river mouth. This road is bad and very muddy from all the rain. We later heard that 65mm of rain fell earlier that day.

16 16 After reaching Zingoene Lodge we were informed that we had to a M400 (R100) entrance fee to see the river mouth. I do like to be held at ransom and we declined to enter. We took the very scenic dune track to Bilene where we stayed at Complexo Palmeiras. We had dinner at a restaurant/pizzeria run by a South African. I will not visit this place again it is just not Mozambique to listen to loud, swearing, inebriated afrikaans speaking South Africans. Day 18 It was still raining the next morning and we decided to head home. Thus came to an end a wonderful trip through some of the best African landscapes. Summary We travelled km during the last 18 days. Fuel (diesel) was readily available at every town we needed to fill up. In Mozambique the cost varied between M33 to M40 per litre. In Zimbabwe we filled up in Harare at $1.33 per litre. The most expensive camping accommodation was at Blue Water Bay at R135 per person per day. For the rest, rates varied between R50 to R70 per day. Hotels and guesthouses rates were around R170 per day. Will I do it again? Yes but only if have at least 6 weeks available.

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