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Mozambique General Information |
- Area: 801 590km²
- Capital: Maputo
- Currency: Metical
- Climate: The climate is tropical & humid. The rainy season is in summer with hot temperatures and afternoon rains from November to March and the winters are mild with cool sea breezes from April through to October.
- People: African (99%, including Shangaan, Chokwe, Manyika)
- Official language: Portuguese
- Time: GMT plus two hours
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Mozambique - Compared to other Southern African countries, Mozambique has lower numbers of wildlife. This is due to Mozambique’s civil upheaval - during which a large-scale organised poaching movement systematically removed almost all the big game from the bush. Mozambicans were therefore unfortunately reduced to hunter-gatherer status and in some areas even locusts and ants were harvested almost to extinction... Birdlife has recovered to some extent but only the most remote areas offer the chance to view African wildlife, including the Big Five – but it must be on foot and with experienced guides.
Maputo Elephant Reserve is home to about 400 elephants, which migrate between South Africa and Mozambique. The birdlife is varied and abundant and the infrastructure is minimal with poor roads. Camping is an option at either Ponta Milibangalala or Ponta Dobela - and always remember that the water in the wells there needs to be purified before drinking.
Reserva do Niassa is a remote area that has provided refuge to around 12,000 elephants and the last of Mozambique's buffalo, sable and roan herds. Independent visitors are not encouraged to visit here as this area is currently being redeveloped however, it is possible and advisable to go into this area with a game guard ranger. The nearby Jurege River proves excellent game viewing (though it is dry from June to December).
Although the Bazaruto Archipelago consists of five islands (in size order: Bazaruto, Benguerra, Magaruque, Santa Carolina and Bangue), only Bazaruto and surrounding reefs are officially within a National Park. These waters are home to over 80% of all marine fish families of the Indo-Pacific. Resident Minke and Southern right whales are plentiful in this area, alongside the common spinner and bottlenose dolphins and the highly-threatened dugong - this is a wonderful area not to be missed.
History & Background: Mozambique was developed as a coastal trading port between Africa, the Middle East and India - mainly for gold, ivory and slaves. The Portuguese colonised Mozambique and by the time of the independence in 1975 , the country was in a bad state - followed by a terrible civil war. This coupled with the fact that the country is prone to periodic natural disasters, has contributed to Mozambique being one of the poorest countries in the world... In the last five years Mozambique has experienced a vast economic recovery due to the returning of some Portuguese to the region, as well as, South African investors and tourists that help to build the economy.
Best Time to travel: Mozambique is the ideal beach, island and diving getaway. In the Winter months from April to October the temperatures are cool and the weather is dry. The summer months are from November to March with hot temperatures and afternoon rain showers. Diving in Mozambique has to be one of the world’s best kept secrets. Garth Jenman, who has dived in many areas around the world including Australia’s barrier reef, South East Asia and even the Cayman islands says that the diving in Mozambique is far superior, simply because it has more big game fish than all these other places combined! You can view Humpbacked whales from April to October, whale sharks from October to April and Manta Rays and turtles throughout the year. Conditions for diving are as follows: June to August the weather is warm and dry and the sea is calm, September to November can be windy and the sea choppy, December to February can be rainy and the sea can be choppy or even calm at times and then March to May the air temperatures are cooler with little wind and thus the sea conditions are usually calm. If you want to view game in the Mozambique parks the best time is from April through to October.
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Main Attractions in Mozambique |
PRAIA DO TOFO
Stunning beaches - Praia do Tofo is one of Mozambique's most beautiful areas with an expansive and wonderful beach. It is developed enough so that visitors can get there easily and enjoy the surf, mangroves and palm groves all around the area! The trees are filled with parrots and monkeys which provide some entertainment while relaxing on the beach. The bright clean sand is spectacular, and it is an area that is still isolated enough so that there will be plenty of privacy for anyone who visits.
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MORRUNGULO
One of the best diving spots in Mozambique -
In Morrungulo, visitors will find one of the most stunning beaches to be seen... Along this stretch of coastline you will find palm and casuarinas trees abound.
Located 7km north of the town of Massinga, this isolated area features a well-established dive center offering diving instructions, snorkeling, swimming and excellent big game fishing! 40 km north is a perfect peninsula with a pristine mangrove forest on one side and the sea on the other.
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PRAIA DE XAI XAI
Lovely coral reef -
Located near the provincial capital of Gaza, Xai Xai has one of the single most beautiful beaches in the world. Enjoy the great expanse of the cleanest sand along these warm tropical waters.
A great reef runs parallel to the beach, providing a natural protection against strong waves and this forms several small pools at low tide. This is a great place to search for shellfish at low tide, and this place is an overall area that beach lovers cannot miss it out on!
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GORONGOSA
Approximately 90% of the world's terrestrial biodiversity can be found in this eco-region, which represents only 2% of the earth's surface. Gorongosa National Park is one of these regions with a high species diversity and ecological features found nowhere else in the world.
Situated in the middle of the country in the Sofala province between Tete and Beira the park covers 5300 square km, including a 1500 square km sanctuary.
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Before the civil war in the 1980s - which destroyed 95% of the fauna - the park was famous for its quantity and diversity of wildlife and was seen as equal to the Kruger National Park. While the Kruger National Park becomes a quasi-zoo, Gorongosa convinces one with exciting game experiences, making you feel you've relocated to the years of Hemingway.
The park harbors several small herds of elephant, an increasing lion population, rhinos, leopards, zebras, kudus, cheetahs, warthogs and the rare roan and sample antelope. But its real attraction are the over 500 different bird species including some which only can be found in the Gorongosa area - the green headed oriole, white breasted alethe, bluethroated sunbird, blackcap tchagras, Livingstone's Flycatcher, Vanga Flycatcher, chestnut fronted Helmut shrike, singing cisticola, blackheaded apalis, redwinged warbler, moustached warbler, Eastern saw-wing swallow, mascarene martin, Nyasa seedcracker, Mozambique batis, oliveheaded weaver, green tinker barbet, Bohm's bee-eater and sooty tern. The habitat of these birds distinguishes itself through its variety and beauty.
The Park comprises dry plains dropping away from Gorongosa Mountain range at the southern end of the Great Rift Valley. Comprised of a great diversity of grasslands, tall miombo woodlands, Afro-Montane forests, valley thickets and seasonally inundated flood plains. The Urema Lake, which is fed by rivers originating from the Gorongosa Mountain, is the main ecological feature of the park. Situated right in the center of the park, it is the main source of water in the peak of the dry season.
The Eastern side of the Park is, the Cheringoma Plateu, an extensive natural forested area considered to be the richest in the country.
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MAPUTO ELEPHANT PARK
The Maputo Elephant Reserve is potentially one of Mozambique's most important natural treasures. Its coastline, unique plant, animal life and it's closeness to the capital makes this area a tourism highlight. Situated in the southern part of Mozambique in the province of Maputo where the rolling hills meet the sea the reserves covers an area of 104 000 hectares! The park has also had to recover from hard times during the civil war.
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In 1975 it was famous for the vast numbers of wildlife it had as well as its 65 white rhino. Today the Park harbors again some leopards, antelope, crocodiles, hippos, side-striped jackals, duiker, zebra, kudu, baboons and bushpigs. It is renowned for its herds of elephants and large flocks of flamingos as well as a variety of other waterbirds. The elephants are larger than the usual African Elephants and have succeeded in surviving the years of war by moving down the Futi channel into South Africa. It is one of nature's miracles that they have now returned in large numbers to this area. The wildlife habitat is typical of the Maputaland Coast and the soils are sandy and acidic.
The northern part is mainly covered by Mangrove and reed swamps while dense dune scrubs and forests are crossed by the lakes that dominate the rest. The park possesses amazing plant diversity and contains numerous endemic plant species. The three large saline lakes are also important nesting sites for sea turtles along the west coast. The best time for game views and bird watching are the cooler, drier months from April to September.
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MARROMEU
The Marromeu National Park is located at the mouth of the Zambezi River and is currently trying to replace the 30000 buffalo that once lived there.
The Marromeu Complex consists of the 1500km² Marromeu Special Reserve and is surrounded by an 8252 km² hunting concession that extends from the edge of the buffalo reserve into the adjacent Cheringoma highlands.
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The area is an open grassland with many rivers and streams - which is part of the Zambezi Delta. It holds diverse array of wildlife including the African Elephant, Lichtenstein's Hartebeest, Sable Antelope, Eland, Burchell's Zebra, Hippopotamus, Waterbuck, and Reedbuck. Predators include Lion, Leopard, Cheetah, Wild Dog, and Spotted Hyena.
The park supports the highest density of water birds in Mozambique, with large nesting colonies of Great White and Pinkbacked Pelicans, Yellowbilled and African Openbill Storks, Glossy Ibis, and Whitebreasted Cormorants. It is also sanctuary to 120 breeding pairs of endangered Wattled Cranes and if there are extreme dry seasons the wetland is refuge for up to 30% of their global population! Other bird species of international concern include; Grey Crowned Cranes, Saddlebill Storks, Woolynecked Storks, Goliath Herons, African Skimmers, Redwing Pratincoles, and Caspian Terns.
Furthermore Humpback and Minke Whales can be seen at the coast, along with Bottlenosed, Roughtoothed, and Humpback Dolphins. But the main attraction is the huge Cape Buffalo which was historically the largest population in Africa and that is why the park is also known as Marromeu Buffalo Reserve.
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