Mozambique Getting There & Away

Getting There & Away

By plane You are most likely to fly in via South Africa, although direct international routes also exist between Mozambique and Swaziland, Zimbabwe, Tanzania, Kenya and Portugal. There are several flights daily from Johannesburg to Maputo, operated by South African Airways (SAA) and the Mozambican flag-carrier Linhas Aereas de Moçambique (LAM). These or other airlines (Kenya Airways, Swazi Express Airways, TAP Portugal) also fly from Durban, Swaziland, Dar es Salaam, Harare, Nairobi and Lisbon. In addition, local carrier Air Corridor may start operating one or more international routes soon. By train to Malawi There is only one train line in Mozambique, which connects Nampula with Cuamba (near the Malawi border). The train carries first, second and third class passengers and is usually packed (when I was in the country there was no second class available). I can only speak of the Nampula-Cuamba itinerary, and if you are travelling the other way you should check for information on the ground in Malawi. From Nampula, the train leaves early - around 5am-6am, although you should arrive earlier to buy tickets from the booking office at the station. The area is packed with people travelling towards Malawi and so expect queues. Once on board the journey is long, slow but fairly efficient and will get to Cuamba mid-afternoon. From here a Shapa ride will take you to the border (Entre Lagos) as only freight trains use this bit of the line. Be warned that even for a hardened African traveller this stretch of road is very rough and you should expect it to take a fair amount of time. Once at Entre Lagos, the border formalities are located within the station building (easy to find as the town is a typical small border town), although be warned that this place doesn't see that many people passing through (when I was there in 2003, the official hadn't seen the new computerised visa). From here it is about a 1km walk to the Malawi side of the border. BE WARNED - the Malawi border closes before the Mozambique one, although there is a guesthouse if you get trapped. The easiest way to get from here to Liwonde is by train, we managed to get a lift in the guards van of a goods train quite late in the evening (fairly common practise it seemed). By car From Johannesburg The highway from Johannesburg to Maputo is very good. From Johannesburg, take the N4 towards Nelspruit. From Nelspruit, continue following the N4 to Komatipoort, the last town on the South African side. Just past Komatipoort is the Lebombo/Ressano Garcia border post. NB: current car registration papers (or good facsimile thereof) are required to get a car past the border. On the Mozambican side, just follow the N4 (now called EN4) for a further 100km or so to reach Maputo. From Swaziland The road from the Swazi border to Maputo is in reasonable condition. Advice is given not to drive during the dark hours, due to the high amount of traffic without proper lights. The border ceremonies are similar to those on the South-African border, although there is less traffic and you should be able to pass quite fast. From Malawi There are a number of border crossings to/from Malawi. By far the easiest and most frequently plied is at Zóbuè. The road is in good condition. Daily chapas run to/from Tete to the border, where you will have to walk about 300m to get to Malawian transport. Daily through buses from Chimoio and Beira also use this crossing. There is another border crossing to the north, at Dedza, which may be more convienient for Lilongwe but the public transport on either side can be sporadic. To leave/enter Malawi to the east, there are two crossings, Milange and Mandimba. Milange is in the south-east of Malawi, and to get there you need to catch one of the daily vehicles that run between Mocuba and Milange. At Milange there is a 2km walk to the border, and then another 1km to where Malawian transport leave. Mandimba is further north, used mainly to get to Malawi from Lichinga. Several vehicles run daily between Lichinga and Mandimba, from where it is another 7km to the border. Hitching this is relatively easy, or bicycle-taxis do the trip for about US$1. From South Africa You can take the Intercape Mainliner from Johannesburg to Maputo. These buses depart from and to Mozambique on a regular basis, are safe and affordable. You can find Intercape at http://www.intercape.co.za/ or 0861 287 287 (calling from South Africa). Three times per week there are bus connections from and to Durban. There is also a service from Nelspruit to Maputo. From Swaziland The border at Namaacha is west of Maputo, and heavily travelled. Minibuses travel direct between Maputo and Mbabane and also Manzini. Otherwise you can do the trip in stages, swapping vehicles at the border. Chapas run throughout the day between Maputo and Namaacha. From Tanzania The border between Mozambique and Tanzania is formed by the River Rovuma. Daily pick-ups connect Moçimboa da Praia with Palma and Namiranga, the border post on the Mozambique side. During the dry season the road continues another 2km down to the banks of the Rovuma, otherwise you have to walk. The crossing is by dugout canoe (although there may be a ferry working now or in the near future). If water levels are low you may have to wade to get to the Tanzanian side, so possessing a heavy-duty waterproof sack may be an idea. Transport carries you on to the Tanzanian border post at Kilambo. There are other crossings to Tanzania, but these all require long walks. Ask around for local information. From Zambia The main crossing is at Cassacatiza, north-west of Tete. This border is in good condition, but lightly travelled. Daily chapas run between Tete and Matema, from there the public transport is sporadic. The best way to travel from Mozambique to Zambia is to go via Malawi. From Zimbabwe There are two crossings - Nyamapanda (south-west of Tete), and Machipanda (west of Chimoio). Both are heavily travelled, especially Machipanda due to its location at the end of the Beira Corridor. By boat Currently there is no scheduled sea travel to and from Mozambique. You might be able to hire a dhow from Tanzania, and then travel southwards along the coast. The best places to ask in Tanzania are the dhow ports of Mikindani, Mtwara and Msimbati. For travel from Mozambique to Tanzania, ask at Moçimboa da Praia and Palma. To/from Malawi, it is possible to cross Lake Malawi (aka. Lake Nyassa), via Likoma Island. Likoma Island lies about 10km off the Mozambique coast, but belongs to Malawi. The route is slow. Local boats make the trip between Likoma Island and Cóbuè, Mozambique, leaving about every other day. Boats also sail from/to Metangula, further south, but they all stop at Cóbuè to take care of passport formalities. Be aware that the lake crossing can be risky, as squalls blow up suddenly.