Overview
Imagine Zanzibar as it was four decades ago. That’s Ilha de Mozambique, with its cobbled lanes lined with 16th-century Portuguese buildings and even more ancient Islamic edifices. The teal-blue Mozambique Channel—swirled with carnation-pink sandy shoals—is studded with islands haloed by jaw-droppingly beautiful beaches. In the Bazurato Archipelago, we’ll explore ramshackle fishing hamlets connected by sandy tracks, and sail on traditional dhows (ancient holdovers from when this coast was a dominion of Arab traders), their pointy sails slicing the shallows like shark fins. And Mozambique culture is as colorful as Crayola! The woman adorned in bright kanga wraps and shawls…. Fishers mending their nets and caulking and adzing their dhows… Youngsters playing mancala in the sand.
Then there’s the raw, unfiltered safari experience…
“This is as wild a place to see animals on safari as you’ll find in this part of the world,” says safari guide Pedro Fonseca, sweeping his arm across the savannah of Maputo Special Reserve. Burchell’s zebra and wildebeest thunder past, the earth trembling beneath their hooves. Fonseca breathes in slowly. “In five or 10 years, Maputo Special Reserve will be spoiled as a genuine safari experience. You’re privileged to enjoy it while it’s still raw.” –C. Baker, Tour Leader
Despite being barely a 90-minute drive south from Maputo, Mozambique’s tranquil capital, the 1,040 sq km (400 square mile) Maputo Special Reserve is about as off-the-map a destination as one could imagine. Recently devastated by a civil war that decimated its wildlife, Mozambique struggles to compete in the big-stakes safari game. Yet rewilding of animals is reaching critical mass. About 650 of Africa’s largest-tusked elephants tramp the ancient pathways of Maputo Special Reserve, rekindling old acquaintances as they roam through dense grass and coastal dune forest.
Although tranquil now for three decades, Mozambique is still off the radar of most North American travelers. Now is the time to visit!
Itinerary
Day 1:
Participants arrive and settle into our hotel in Maputo. Meet with Christopher in the evening for orientation, plus a set-the-scene slide show, then a welcome dinner. Overnight in Maputo.
Day 2:
This morning we’ll take a Mafalala Walking Tour. The visit explains the development of Maputo since the colonial era, when the city was called Lourenço Marques, and recounts the struggle for Mozambique’s independence. Since a large portion of the freedom fighters lived in this neighborhood, namely. During the visit, you also have the chance to learn about the rich cultural diversity found in Mafalala – with different African ethnic groups present in the area, as well as Christians and Muslims living together, in perfect harmony. To conclude the visit, you will witness a performance by a traditional dance group composed exclusively of women called ‘Tufo da Mafalala’ – these women represent the Makua tribe originating from the northern coast of Mozambique – many of them come from the Island of Mozambique (a UNESCO World Heritage Site). Overnight in Maputo.
Day 3:
Fly to Nampula and transfer to Ilha de Mozambique—a 3-hour drive through villages where villagers sell roasted peanuts and cashews, plus harvested sea salt, etc. We’ll stop as photo opportunities arise, including dramatic landscapes studded by immense granitic inselbergs. One of Eastern Africa’s most alluring destinations, Ilha de Mozambique resembles a lesser-known Zanzibar… part ghost town, part lively fishing community and a UNESCO World Heritage Site with cobbled streets lined by Portuguese and Arab buildings dating back to the 16th century. Overnight in Ilha de Mozambique.
Day 4:
Full day photographing on Ilha de Mozambique, in the morning we will take a guided toour in Stone town and afternoon free to explore the Island with its mostly Muslim and super-friendly community. Highlights will include women clad in gaily colored capulanas (shawls and wrap-around skirts) and with faces painted white with musiro paste as a sunscreen. Overnight in Ilha de Mozambique.
Day 5:
Half day photographing on Ilha de Moçambique (Makuti town). Makuti Town is located at the southern part of the island; it is where most of the population live. It is vibrant and bustling with life – there is always lots going on! Sometimes referred to as Grass Town it evolved in response to peculiar colonial era planning rules that prohibited the construction of permanent
housing there. Overnight in Ilha de Mozambique.
Day 6:
We’ll return overland to Nampula where we’ll catch our flight to Maputo. There will be some time for late afternoon photography after arrival. Overnight in Maputo.
Day 7:
An early morning departure via the new Maputo-Ponta do Ouro highway to Salamanga. We enter Maputo National Park and negotiate the sand tracks in 4WDs, accompanied by experienced guides. Created as Maputo Elephant Reserve in 1932, to protect southern Africa’s remaining coastal herd of elephants, Maputo National Park combines grasslands, wetlands, swamp forests, mangroves and coastal lakes, and is a favorite of local safari operators who consider it as wild and untouristed a place to see animals on safari as you’ll find in this part of the world. Tonight we’ll enjoy a night of luxury on the shores of the Indian Ocean at Anvil Bay. Overnight at Anvil Bay.
Day 8:
Optional community visit or parktake in one of the activities that the lodge offers (beach walks, dune forest trails, beach bikes, snorkeling, ocean safari, shore fishing, ocean fishing). Overnight at Anvil Bay.
Day 9:
Return to Maputo via the Maputo National Park—a full day of wildlife photo ops. En-route, we’ll hope to see giraffe, antelope, kudu, hippos, and the park’s legendary big-tusk elephants. Overnight in Maputo.
Day 10:
This morning we’ll fly to Vilanculos. Check in to our lovely boutique hotel. You’ll have time to enjoy an optional spa treatment or simply relax on the beach or poolside. Overnight in Vilanculos.
Day 11:
This morning visit “fish-market beach” and Mukoke market. The balance of the day is free for you to partake of optional activities, such as swimming with whale sharks; a whale-watching excursion; scuba diving; or similar activity. We’ll be there when the warm waters of the Bazurato Marine National Park fill with whale sharks and humpbacks plus Southern right whales for mating and calving. Overnight in Vilanculos.
Day 12:
This morning we’ll thrill to a speedboat transfer to Bazurato and/or Benguerra Island, passing over the turquoise shallows of Mozambique Channel swirled in shoals the color of Valspar Perfection. We’ll enjoy a full day in the astonishingly beautiful Bazurato Archipelago. In late afternoon we’ll take a sunset speedboat safari to return to Vilanculos. Overnight in Vilanculos.
Day 13:
We fly back to Maputo this morning, with the afternoon at leisure. We’ll enjoy a farewell dinner, followed by a slideshow of everyone’s favorite images. Overnight in Maputo.
Day 14: Guests are transported to the Maputo airport to catch their flights home.