Mozambique
Mozambique has has a turbulant recent history, from civil conflict to country-wide floods, but it is slowly reopening and emerging as one of the most fashionable and fascinating of destinations. It consists of beautiful beaches, small villages and wonderful scenery. If you wish to relax at a beach there are many new resorts on the coast and the islands off the coast. The diving is excellent, the Indian Ocean has pleasant warm temperatures and water sports like sailing, surfing and snorkeling are very popular. If you would like to be among the first tourists to visit this unspoiled country, now is the time to do it.
When to go
The climate ranges from tropical to subtropical. The rainy season broadly coincides with the hot months, between November-March, though most provinces have some rain over 7-9 months of the year. Winter is in July-September, but in the coastal areas the average temperature does not fall below 12C.
Bazaruto Archipelago.
This idyllic archipelago consists of four islands (Bazaruto, Benguera, Magaruque and Santa Carolina). They are one of Mozambique's most famous national parks and the facilities on the islands are geared towards luxury tourism. Bazaruto, the largest of the four islands, has a number of freshwater lakes and exotic butterflies. Benguerra, south of Bazaruto, is smaller but with similar geography and wildlife. The closest island to the mainland is Magaruque and is small enough to make a day trip worthwhile as you can walk around the island in a couple of hours. Santa Carolina is the smallest island and is surrounded by the deepest waters of the islands making it ideal for game fishing. For wildlife lovers one of the chief attractions must be the prospect of seeing dugong, now threatened with extinction in many other parts of the world. These mammals are seen regularly in the waters around the islands as are dolphins, turtles and humpback whales. For those with an interest in the history of the islands, there are the ruins of a 19th century fort on Magaruque and a lighthouse on Bazaruto, which is just over one hundred years old. With the exception of Santa Carolina, all the islands have accommodation.
