The first half of the year has slipped by quickly. It is now winter in Mozambique, but still an excellent time to visit. The weather on Benguerra Island is very pleasant and guests can look forward to warm sunny days with temperatures ranging between 25 & 30ºC, and hardly any rain.

The lodge was busy in May, with many pre- & post Indaba visitors, who were treated to our unique blend of Benguerra hospitality. The personal atmosphere of the lodge, combined with the warm friendly staff and great location was what impressed most. The spacious Casitas and being spoilt by your own personal butler was also considered a special treat.
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Mozambique’s Airports Company, (ADM) said it wants to expand and improve the Quelimane airport in the central province of Zambezia, 1600 kilometres north of Maputo.

“ADM has issued a multimillion dollar tender to upgrade the Quelimane airport including the building of the new airport shops and office premises,” said ADM’s spokesperson Sandra Garcia in an interview adding that the construction is expected to take twelve months beginning January next year.
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Mozambican national carrier LAM will acquire two 75-seat airliners before the end of the year, company sources report.

It is not known what routes the new planes will be operated on. LAM starts up a Maputo-Luanda service soon in partnership with Angola’s TAAG. LAM has recently hiked its fares due to rising global fuel prices.

LAM’s fleet comprises four Boeing 737-200s and two Jet Stream 41 turboprops, which operate on domestic services and to Johannesburg and Durban.

Mozambique remains the country of friendly people. Numerous recent tourist trips, reported absolutely no problem with regards to retaliation as a result to xenophobia in South Africa!

Mozambican Government officials announced publicly that no such nonsense would be allowed in Mozambique.

The present situation in Mozambique is calm and peaceful towards all foreigners.
From the owners of Light House Reef Resort

Maputo’s publicly owned bus company, TPM, is gradually reopening old routes within the Maputo-Matola connurbation that had been temporarily suspended because of a shortage of buses, reports Friday’s issue of the Maputo daily “Noticias”.

This move is now possible because the company is purchasing 100 new buses, and started receiving them in May. The government plan is to supply 20 buses per month until October.

A first batch of 10 was supplied in May, and another 10 arrived two weeks ago. These 20 Volkswagen buses are already circulating in the streets of Maputo. The South African supplier claims that from now on it will make good its promise to supply the buses in monthly batches of 20.
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LAM-Mozambique Airlines, as part of the ongoing modernization process, has been issuing, as from 1st of June 2008, electronic tickets only.

With this measure, the national airline company complies with the guidelines of IATA-International Air Transport Association, which set 31st of May as the deadline for its members to cease issuing printed tickets, a measure IATA says will enable operators to reduce the cost of processing the historic paper tickets from approximately US$10 to US$1.

About 400 million air tickets are issued through the compensation mechanism, known in the civil Aviation Industry as BSP, every year, and the measure will allow a saving in the region of US$3 billion/annum to the industry, according to IATA.
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The tranquil, romantic Flamingo Bay Water Lodge, in Inhambane, is the only resort in Mozambique built on stilts situated in the water. The main building, connected by a wooden walkway, is set apart from the chalets. The resort offers a golf cart service which will take you to your room, or to the main building which houses the reception, lounge, curio shop, swimming pool, as well as the bar and restaurant.

Santa Carolina Island, part of the Bazaruto archipelago, off the coast of the southern Mozambican province of Inhambane, will soon have a luxury hotel, thanks to a 50 million US dollar investment by the Rani Resorts Group.

The Mozambican Tourism Ministry approved in March a proposal for the building of the new hotel.

Rani Resorts, founded by Saudi businessman Adel Aujan, owns a chain of hotels in Mozambique, including the Indigo Bay Island Resort on Bazaruto, the largest island in the archipelago, the Pemba Beach Hotel, in the northern province of Cabo Delgado, and luxury resorts on Medjumbe and Matemo Islands in the Quirimbas archipelago, off the northern coast.

The group is currently designing the architecture of the hotel on Santa Carolina, which should be presented to the government before the end of this year. In the meantime, work is underway to demolish the ruins of the existing hotel.
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