From Barra Reef Resort:
Russel (owner of Barra Reef Divers) and I arrived to SA after a busy week with the Adventure Dive Challenge 9 – 18 May, on the 28th of May in the early hours of the morning at about 01:10 am!! We left Inhambane (500km north of Maputo) on the 27th 13:00 pm and were critically looking at any signs of unrest or aggression in our town. At Verdino’s, Tara & Barry the British Couple’s Restaurant in town, the “foreigners hang out” was full as usual with no sign of anything that is not normal! On the way to Maputo we stopped twice once at a small town to buy some of the “Mother in-Law” Peri-Peri sauce and once in Xai Xai at the Pharmacy. I climbed out both times with loads of vendors around me with no one even blinking an eye in the directions of aggression? Through Maputo that evening around 18:30 it was hectic as always with the traffic and even more so with the darkness!
You are only a good driver once you have driven through Maputo at night! In all that “craziness” we passed without incident & even at the toll gate in Maputo with quite a long queue, widows wined down, next to other cars no one even blinked at us? At the Komati Poort border gate near Nelspruit (Resano Garcia) later that evening there were almost no cars or people even and we passed as if there were never any unrest in SA?
The only negative thing that did occur, happened last week at the height of the unrest in SA clients did drive back and on the way they were shown the finger over the throat and screamed at.
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Maputo, Mozambique, 29 May – Mozambique’s tourism minister, Fernando Sumbana, said Wednesday in Maputo that in 2007 the tourism sector in the country had attracted investment of around US$900 million.
In 2006 the sector saw investments of some US$600 million.
The tourism sector, according to the minister, is developing in a satisfactory way after seeing a recession during the civil war due to destruction of the country’s infrastructure.
O sector is now witnessing high levels of investment based on Mozambnique taking advantage of the Soccer World Cup taking place in South Africa.
Mozambique is expecetd to be visited by around 100,000 tourists during the World Cup and see revenues of some US$500 million.
The tourism sector posted revenues of US$280 million in 2007, as compared to US$163 million in 2006.
Currently some refurbishment and construction of airports is underway in some areas of Mozambique.
Mozambique and the World Bank’s lending arm, the International Finance Corporation, recently signed a U$3.1 billion deal for tourism projects along the southern African state’s 2,500 km (1,553 miles) coastline.
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The area around Pemba offers turquoise seas, palm-fringed beaches, excellent diving, game fishing and thrilling walking safaris. Pemba has a few high-end hotels, beach resorts, a casino, an international airport and proper medical facilities. Up to now tourism has not made a serious impact yet which gives the visiting tourists a true feeling of exclusivity, privacy and adventure in an untouched part of east Africa.
Londo Lodge has an eclectic restaurant that offers the best food in the area. Combining local traditional grilled fish with Asian and European influences puts Londo Lodge restaurant on the map.
The restaurant offers stunning sunset views of Pemba bay, excellent service and a real Mozambique experience of international cuisine standards.
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Travelers should be aware of the risks of crime, poor road safety standards and limited health facilities in Mozambique. With that said, Mozambique is a moderately low-risk country as far as crime is concerned and the vast majority of visits to Mozambique are trouble-free. Keep a close watch on your possessions in busy places and keep all your valuables in a hidden money belt.
Avoid driving at night whenever possible and set off as early as possible so that you have as much time as possible to deal with delays. When dealing with officials, be friendly and patient and treat them with respect. They are likely to reciprocate.
If you are visiting the Bazaruto Archipelago, the only real dangers are razor clams which are exposed at low tides. It is recommended you wear sandals to avoid cutting your feet on these.
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 Pomene Lodge now offers brand new, fully catered Water Chalets with magnificent views over the immaculate estuary. These chalets are built of timber, thatch and reed in true Mozambique style and offer either double or twin accommodation options.
Pomene offers many activities with scuba diving, quad biking, boating and fishing being the most popular. There is restricted transport and guests are encouraged to walk and enjoy the wilderness experience of this untouched peninsula.
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 The food in Mozambique is largely Portuguese with Far Eastern influences. Specialties are peri-peri chicken, Zambesi chicken, shellfish, including Delagoa Bay prawns (which are grilled and served with peri-peri sauce), matapa (sauce of ground peanuts and cassava leaves) with rice or wusa (stiff maize porridge). Restaurants can be found in main towns, as well as hotel dining rooms.
Tipping in Mozambique: Tipping is not normally expected outside of Maputo. In Maputo and other tourist areas, 5 per cent of the bill is normal (depending on standards of service and the place itself).
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 Situated in northern Mozambique covering parts of Cabo Delgado Province and nearly one third of Niassa Province, the Niassa Reserve covers an area of 22 000 Km2 and is bordered by Rovuma River in the north (Tanzania border), Lugenda river in southeast, Luatize River, southwest and Lussanhando River in the west. A buffer area of 20,000 km², which was divided in six management concessions, is also part of the Niassa Reserve. The total area is twice the size of Kruger National Park in South Africa, or is comparable in size to Wales, Denmark, or Massachusetts.
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