Wooden walkways lead to the unique water chalets of Flamingo Bay Water Lodge, which are built on stilts over the ocean. Panoramic sea views are visible from all windows of your luxurious en suite chalet and looking down from your private deck, you can scuba dive without touching the water!

The main lodge at Flamingo Bay houses a cocktail bar, restaurant, lounge and library and there is also a swimming pool. White sands lace the beaches and the Indian Ocean provides Mozambique with deliciously warm water.

For dedicated diving enthusiasts as well as those seeking a private island sanctuary, Medjumbe Island Resort will provide a private island nirvana unique to Africa and perfect for those romantic holidays.

The luxurious accommodation consists of 13 chalets, pool, restaurant and bar offer a unique private, quaint island destination. Leisure fishing is offered as an activity with the opportunity of hooking a Marlin, sailfish, dogtooth tuna, mackerel, various species of kingfish and the infamous bonefish.

Elegant small beach hotels are a rarity in Mozambique, but the Matemo Island Resort which is located off the Northern Mozambique coast is set to become one of the most popular African island holidays.

Getting there isn’t difficult, you fly into Pemba, and then take a light aircraft to Matemo.

You really do feel you are off the beaten track here, especially as this is a new resort, with absolutely pristine beaches, and a place to really do nothing but recover from a safari.

In terms of what it’s like, there are 24 rooms, on an island that is 8km long, and 3km wide, and whilst it doesn’t have the sophistication of the Maldives[yet], it does have the huge advantage that you can stay for a week, and not walk round it easily.

Matemo is one of the great romantic affordable honeymoon ideas, it’s unspoilt, unexplored, a paradise with miles of beautiful white sand beaches.

Indigo Bay Island Resort and Spa is an amazing island destination situated on Bazaruto Island, the largest island in the Mozambican archipelago of the same name. It offers visitors the quintessential Indian Ocean island holiday as well as a gateway to the unspoilt beauty of the surrounding area. The largest of the archipelago islands, Bazaruto is one of Africa’s premier scuba diving destinations. Divers are able to see over 100 species of coral, thousands of tropical fish species, five kinds of dolphins, four whale species and sharks, all five marine sea turtle species and the largest population of the rare dugong on the African east coast. Owned by Rani Resorts, Indigo Bay offers world-class luxury, with its elegant design making the most of its superb location on the white-sand shores of Bazaruto. State-of-the-art facilities include restaurants, bars, swimming pools, specialist dive pool, and an activity centre, which co-ordinates a wide variety of water sports, as well as diving and fishing activities.

Maputo is the capital of Mozambique. It is a bustling port city, with a population of about two million people and beautiful avenues of trees of various colorful types. Maputo lies only 100kms from its neighbors South Africa and Swaziland

There is a wide variety of tourist accommodation and destinations available to choose from and within the Maputo surrounds, can be found tourist or holiday destinations to meet anyone’s need. Luxury hotels cater for the wealthier tourists and visitors, but there are a host of holiday accommodation and backpacker venues to choose from.

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There is a ferry to serve those tourists or people who wish to cross to Catembe and there are various means to get to Inhaca Island and the tourist, holiday accommodation establishments and fishing destinations that are on offer there. Maputo, formally known as Delagoa Bay and then as Lourenco Marques, or LM, was a very popular tourist destination until the early 1970s. 

Things to see in Maputo

–  The Railway Station on Praca dos Trabalhadores was designed by Gustave Eiffel (after his fall from grace in the Panama Canal scandal), and bears the mark of his genius.

– The National Art Museum has a small but good collection of Mozambican art, including several large canvases by the world-renowned Malangatana.

–  The Jardim Tunduru is a very pretty (albeit small) botanical garden.

–  The Museum of the Revolution chronicles Mozambique’s fight for independence from Portuguese colonialism.

–  The Mercado Central in the Baixa district has fresh fish, crabs, calamari, fruits and vegetables, and many household staples. Safe, lively and recommended, especially if cooking for yourself.

–  Walk up Avenida Julius Nyerere. Start from the Hotel Cardoso or Natural History Museum along R Mutemba to Nyerere then left (north) to the Polana Hotel. Boutiques, restaurants, curio vendors, video stores, etc. to be seen in the relatively upscale Polana neighborhood.

–  Praça dos Trabalhadores is a building built by Gustave Eiffel.

Places to eat in Maputo

Depending on the budget one can go to the many cafes that serve simple dishes that are affordable. One can try out the roadside stalls, which is usually cashews, fried bean cakes called Bhajia, fruits and ice-creams. If you want to eat in a nice restaurant, you can try out Chicken Piripiri which serves mouth-watering grilled chicken and only the best prawns. This place is also a middle-ranged place. But for those who want to splurge there are a couple of good restaurants to try. They include:

–  Restaurante Escorpiao, in the Feira Popular (in the Baixa district). Has a huge menu, good wine list and caters to moderate and high-end budgets. Not fancy, frequented by locals. Slightly better than the Costa do Sol. 

–  Costa do Sol restaurant, in Costa do Sol (5km north of Maputo — take a taxi, they will wait and bring you back). Icon over 50 years old. Great seafood in low-key atmosphere. Great variety too. Excellent service.

Night Life in Maputo

–  Xima’s bar, on Av. Eduardo Mondlane, is popular with the locals and has live music on the weekends.

–  Africa Bar nightclub is on Av. 24 de Julho near Av. Karl Marx.

–  Gil Vicente is a bar attached to the Gil Vicente theatre, across from the ‘Jardim Tunduru.

–  The Centro Cultural Franco-Mozambican has live music and cultural events.

–  The Central Train Station houses a jazz lounge on weekends.

– The Feira Popular is located in the Baixa, and houses many bars and restaurants