Visiting Mozambique

Mozambique is a country in southern Africa with a coastline along the Indian Ocean offering many popular beaches. Maputo is the capital of Mozambique. It is an interesting city with colonial architecture and many turn-of-the-century buildings as well as markets and plazas.

The National Art Museum has an excellent collection of paintings and sculptures by the finest contemporary artists in Mozambique among them Malangatana and Alberto Chissano.

Centro Cultural Franco-Mocambicano is a great place for art exhibitions, music, dance performances, films and theater. There is a craft shop and a cafe.

The Maputo Railway Station has become a landmark and is an impressive building. The dome was designed by an associate of Alexandre Gustav Eiffel. You can see impressive wrought-iron latticework, pillars and verandas. Inside is the Kulungwana Espaco Artistico along with a small exhibition of artworks by local and visiting artists. There are sculptures and paintings for sale.

Praca dos Herois Mocambicanos along Avenida Acordos de Lusaka near the airport is well-known for its 95m-long mural which commemorates the revolution. This star-shaped structure is made of white marble and in its center are the remains of Mozambique’s revolutionary and poet-independence heroes among them Eduardo Mondlane and Samora Machel as well as the remains of national poet Jose Craveirinha. Photography is forbidden. The public can only visit on Mozambican Heroes’ Day February 3.

The Portuguese built the old fort in the mid-19th century near the site of an earlier fort. Inside visitors will find a garden and a small museum. Here is the sealed, carved wooden coffin of Ngungunhane the final ruler of the famed kingdom of Gaza on display.

The neo-Classical City Hall hovers upon a low hill. It was built in 1947 and is still in use today. It is a building that is still in use today so it cannot be visited but is worth taking a look at from the outside.

The Cathedral of Nossa Senhora da Conceicao is one of the city’s most attractive buildings and has a lovely, white spire. It was completed in 1944. Inside is beautiful altar work, stained-glass windows and impressive paintings.

The Iron House historical building was designed in the late 19th century as a governor's residence. It has a metal-plated exterior.

Exploring Mozambique

The Bazaruto Archipelago is a speckling of elongated islands in the Indian Ocean. Here you’ll find sparkling seas and coral gardens, windblown sand dunes and coastal hills with scrub and coconut palm groves.

The largest island is Bazaruto with sandy bays, karst hills and boulders. To the south is Ilha de Benguerra with luxurious honeymoon hotels, white sands, swinging hammocks and sunning decks.

Pemba is the capital of the province of Cabo Delgado. Here you can see lovely colonial architecture and Portuguese-style frontispieces. Along the shore are white sand beaches. There are swaying palms along the waters of Pemba Bay. It is a great area for scuba divers.

You’ll find Gorongosa National Park at the very heart of Mozambique. There are rolling savannahs and grassy hills. You can see bouncing bushbucks, elephant herds, waterbucks, crowned cranes, wild warthogs and more.

The Quirimbas National Park counts as the natural jewel of Cabo Delgado Province. Here the northern mountains slope down toward the waters of the Indian Ocean. Along the way, you can see montane forests, savannah plains and endless mangroves. Along the shoreline are sparkling coral reefs. It’s a great place to see African leopards, elephant herds and crocodiles.

The Island of Mozambique became an important hub for commerce for European traders and merchants during the 16th century.

Here you can see impressive colonial buildings and the lovely Church of Santo Antonio. This has become a UNESCO Heritage site.

Lake Cahora Bassa extends all the way to the Zambian border. The lake waters represent one of the largest freshwater lake systems in all of Africa.

At one end is the huge Cahora Bassa Dam a wall of concrete and steel rising 171 m high. All around the banks of the reservoir are fishing lodges and houseboats. You can see some Baroque churches from the time when the Portuguese were here.

The Niassa Reserve is part of one of the largest international conservation areas on the planet. There are vast areas of miombo woods and rugged rock bluffs.

It is home to animals like the African lion, African elephant and packs of wild dogs. All around are breathtaking landscapes with eco-lodges and tourist camps.

The Limpopo National Park has amazing landscapes and fascinating biodiversity. It stretches out along the bends of the Limpopo River where lions, elephants, waterbucks and more wander along the banks. Safaris are popular here.