Enthusiasm for the website began to wane just as we arrived at some of the most amazing beaches we have ever seen. Southern Tanzania and northern Mozambique has really been more than what we expected. White beaches with turquoise water and spectacular snorkelling. Rohan has already been for a beach entry dive and just loved it. After speaking to some divers and a doctor they all said that shallow dives on Larium/Mefliam is not a problem as long as you wait a few days after taking your tablet.
From Dar we drove to Kilwa in Southern Tanzania. Kilwa’s history is in line with that of Zanzibar as being a port dating back before the slave trade. The ruins there are something to see. Forts and palaces with a campsite for the traders. From there we drove towards to the Rovuma to Mtwara. We decided there was no real reason to spend the night and drove to the Rovula Marine Reserve and camped there for 2 nights. It was awesome. The campsite is right on the beach under the palm trees and snorkelling was amazing. First time I have seen coral like that close to the beach. The place is run by a Belgian and his wife, from the Congo. Very interesting people.
Crossing the Rovuma was quite an experience. It was only an hour’s drive from the campsite and we got there for 9 sharp as the ferry is tidal and 9 was high tide. Customs was a breeze; they were rushing us through so we could get to the ferry. Anyway we got down there and found that you basically drive down the river bank and onto the ferry. The ramp of the ferry did not sit exactly plush on the sand, so we managed to get a little stuck. In fact the chassy was pushing the ferry deeper into the Rovuma. Check the photos. Not a problem though, after 5 min of digging, and a tree trunk, the car was safely on the ferry. Then we waited about an hour as the guy realised he was out of fuel and we had to wait for another car to come to bring the diesel from the border post. Why they could not have just sent it with us is beyond me. Anyway around 10 we finally get moving and started the 45 min sail to the other side. Unbelievable how wide the river actually is. Then it was time to drive off and once again it was up and over the river bank again. This time the guys got off and at least dug a bit of a ramp. Lucky for us this time it was quick and easy. Getting to the Moz border, which we nearly drove right past as it is just a hut about 20km from the river. The guys spoke no English and would only deal with Rohan; I had to wait outside while the legalities were dealt with. It was the first border post where they searched the car. Lucky they just checked the cab and we only had to open 2 ammo boxes. Then drove through a dry river bed, which was the road out of town. Not sure why that surprised me. We spent the night at a terrible campsite called Chez Natalie at Mocimeoa da Praia. It had the basics but the shower was literally a bucket and jug. We would have been better off bush camping. Exchanging money was something of an adventure though. The bank was owned by ABSA, but only after all the paperwork was filled out and every note we wanted to exchange was photocopied and Rohan had to sign next to each note were we then sent to another teller who then checked each note under a scanner and did the exchange. This entire process took an hour. To think we usually just draw from an ATM. Crazy. And if you are wandering why we did this was because there are no ATMs before Pemba in Northern Mozambique.
From there we headed to Pangane. We stayed at a campsite at the tip of a palm lined peninsula. It is run by a local who works at a fish factory which comes in handy as they cook you the most amazing fishy meals. We spend 2 nights there, meeting 2 couples. 1 from Sweden and 1 from Zim. The zimbos were sussing out Moz, wanting to buy some land and build a lodge. We really had a great time with them. We hired a dhow and went snorkelling on a reef nearby. Again it was really amazing for me to see. They told us about a really good lodge in Nacala called Bay diving, so it became our next destination.
Bay diving was everything we expected. Really awesome campsite owned by 2 South Africans. They have established the bay as a marine reserve after some serious hard work and when you dive there you can see the benefits. It has become a nursery for so many fish. Snorkelling there is something I doubt I will see anywhere else. I felt like I was in an aquarium. Just seeing everything imaginable, I actually got the fright of my life when a huge bat fish just suddenly appeared in front me. It was here that Rohan did his dive. The wind was pumping so they just went off the beach as the bay is protected. He said it was totally amazing. This is definitely a place to I would recommend to anyone passing through. It has amazing views of the bay, the best food and great company. Sundowners on the veranda of Mary-Ann’s cottage (the chef) was just the perfect way to end a day.
Together with Mary Ann and Wouter who we met at Bay divers, we headed to Ilha da Mozambique. We had a great day wondering around the town seeing the fort and museum. In the fort is the oldest western structure in the southern hemisphere, a church. If you did not already know, Ilha is actually an island with a very long bridge that connects it with the mainland. An amazing little trip if you ever get the chance. There is only a very small channel that looked deep, but besides that you could almost walk right across at low tide. From there we drove to a dreary town called Mocuba where we spent the night before crossing the Zambezi at Caia. We got there exactly at 12 which is the exact time they stop the ferry for 2 hours to have lunch. As usual our timing was impeccable. We met a guy from Maputo while waiting it out and he recommended this place we are stayed at. By the time we got through the ferry it was 3:30 and too late to even attempt to get to Gorongosa National Park. It is in a forest about 30 min from the ferry and cheaper than our hotel room last night. They are in the process of building a bridge across the Zambezi which is ahead of schedule and due to be finished in 2009. Apparently this bridge is going to really unify Mozambique as there is a definite north south divide like they were 2 separate countries. It will be interesting to see.
From here we are heading to Gorongosa National Park towards Beira then onto Vilancoulos and Inhambane where my mom is meeting us for the week. From there we will probably head into SA via Kruger and from there is still undecided.
Till next time.....
From Dar we drove to Kilwa in Southern Tanzania. Kilwa’s history is in line with that of Zanzibar as being a port dating back before the slave trade. The ruins there are something to see. Forts and palaces with a campsite for the traders. From there we drove towards to the Rovuma to Mtwara. We decided there was no real reason to spend the night and drove to the Rovula Marine Reserve and camped there for 2 nights. It was awesome. The campsite is right on the beach under the palm trees and snorkelling was amazing. First time I have seen coral like that close to the beach. The place is run by a Belgian and his wife, from the Congo. Very interesting people.
Crossing the Rovuma was quite an experience. It was only an hour’s drive from the campsite and we got there for 9 sharp as the ferry is tidal and 9 was high tide. Customs was a breeze; they were rushing us through so we could get to the ferry. Anyway we got down there and found that you basically drive down the river bank and onto the ferry. The ramp of the ferry did not sit exactly plush on the sand, so we managed to get a little stuck. In fact the chassy was pushing the ferry deeper into the Rovuma. Check the photos. Not a problem though, after 5 min of digging, and a tree trunk, the car was safely on the ferry. Then we waited about an hour as the guy realised he was out of fuel and we had to wait for another car to come to bring the diesel from the border post. Why they could not have just sent it with us is beyond me. Anyway around 10 we finally get moving and started the 45 min sail to the other side. Unbelievable how wide the river actually is. Then it was time to drive off and once again it was up and over the river bank again. This time the guys got off and at least dug a bit of a ramp. Lucky for us this time it was quick and easy. Getting to the Moz border, which we nearly drove right past as it is just a hut about 20km from the river. The guys spoke no English and would only deal with Rohan; I had to wait outside while the legalities were dealt with. It was the first border post where they searched the car. Lucky they just checked the cab and we only had to open 2 ammo boxes. Then drove through a dry river bed, which was the road out of town. Not sure why that surprised me. We spent the night at a terrible campsite called Chez Natalie at Mocimeoa da Praia. It had the basics but the shower was literally a bucket and jug. We would have been better off bush camping. Exchanging money was something of an adventure though. The bank was owned by ABSA, but only after all the paperwork was filled out and every note we wanted to exchange was photocopied and Rohan had to sign next to each note were we then sent to another teller who then checked each note under a scanner and did the exchange. This entire process took an hour. To think we usually just draw from an ATM. Crazy. And if you are wandering why we did this was because there are no ATMs before Pemba in Northern Mozambique.
From there we headed to Pangane. We stayed at a campsite at the tip of a palm lined peninsula. It is run by a local who works at a fish factory which comes in handy as they cook you the most amazing fishy meals. We spend 2 nights there, meeting 2 couples. 1 from Sweden and 1 from Zim. The zimbos were sussing out Moz, wanting to buy some land and build a lodge. We really had a great time with them. We hired a dhow and went snorkelling on a reef nearby. Again it was really amazing for me to see. They told us about a really good lodge in Nacala called Bay diving, so it became our next destination.
Bay diving was everything we expected. Really awesome campsite owned by 2 South Africans. They have established the bay as a marine reserve after some serious hard work and when you dive there you can see the benefits. It has become a nursery for so many fish. Snorkelling there is something I doubt I will see anywhere else. I felt like I was in an aquarium. Just seeing everything imaginable, I actually got the fright of my life when a huge bat fish just suddenly appeared in front me. It was here that Rohan did his dive. The wind was pumping so they just went off the beach as the bay is protected. He said it was totally amazing. This is definitely a place to I would recommend to anyone passing through. It has amazing views of the bay, the best food and great company. Sundowners on the veranda of Mary-Ann’s cottage (the chef) was just the perfect way to end a day.
Together with Mary Ann and Wouter who we met at Bay divers, we headed to Ilha da Mozambique. We had a great day wondering around the town seeing the fort and museum. In the fort is the oldest western structure in the southern hemisphere, a church. If you did not already know, Ilha is actually an island with a very long bridge that connects it with the mainland. An amazing little trip if you ever get the chance. There is only a very small channel that looked deep, but besides that you could almost walk right across at low tide. From there we drove to a dreary town called Mocuba where we spent the night before crossing the Zambezi at Caia. We got there exactly at 12 which is the exact time they stop the ferry for 2 hours to have lunch. As usual our timing was impeccable. We met a guy from Maputo while waiting it out and he recommended this place we are stayed at. By the time we got through the ferry it was 3:30 and too late to even attempt to get to Gorongosa National Park. It is in a forest about 30 min from the ferry and cheaper than our hotel room last night. They are in the process of building a bridge across the Zambezi which is ahead of schedule and due to be finished in 2009. Apparently this bridge is going to really unify Mozambique as there is a definite north south divide like they were 2 separate countries. It will be interesting to see.
From here we are heading to Gorongosa National Park towards Beira then onto Vilancoulos and Inhambane where my mom is meeting us for the week. From there we will probably head into SA via Kruger and from there is still undecided.
Till next time.....
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