Maputo, Mozambique

Maputo is a capital blend of Portuguese and African influences

Maputo, the once-elegant capital of Mozambique remains in evident disrepair in the aftermath of the war. There are still echoes of the colonial grandeur of what was then known as Lourenço Marques but the appeal of Maputo is now more to the senses than aesthetics; with cafés serving spicy piri piri dishes, local music and bustling markets.

Maputo is very prettily situated on a cliff overlooking the Indian ocean so that it is quite easy to achieve a sea view even if your hotel is not right on the ocean. We recommend the Polana Hotel in the heart of the old city, if you are into colonial grandeur, or perhaps the Holiday Inn Maputo for its great location right on the beach. Most hotels can organise a range of guided excursions or you can explore the broad acacia-lined avenues or street markets.

Behind the seafront area, unlovely concrete tenement blocks on the outskirts of Maputo bear testimony to 1970s economic co-operation of Mozambique with the Eastern Bloc countries of Europe. But the city has successfully reclaimed the beachfront area (and a few blocks back) so Maputo is well worth a visit for a very Latin joie de vivre, reminiscent more of Cuba or Brazil than Africa.

Travel to Maputo

Maputo is only about an hour’s easy drive from the nearest border with South Africa. (This is really the only good stretch of tar road in the whole of Mozambique). So for the more adventurous self driver, it’s relatively easy to combine Maputo with a Mozambique beach resort further to the north and a safari in the Kruger National Park or one of its adjacent private game reserves.