Cheap Flights to Mozambique

Mozambique (Moçambique) is a country on the Indian Ocean coast of Southern Africa. It is bordered by South Africa to the south, Tanzania to the north and has inland borders with Malawi, Zambia, Zimbabwe and Swaziland. Mozambique’s eastern coastline along the Indian Ocean is more than 1,000 km long, a fantastic draw for scuba divers, fishermen, sailors and beach lovers. Almost five centuries of Portuguese colonization came to a close for Mozambique with independence in 1975. Large-scale emigration by European inhabitants, economic dependence on South Africa, a severe drought and a prolonged civil war hindered the country’s development. The ruling party formally abandoned Marxism in 1989, and a new constitution the following year provided for multi-party elections and a free market economy. A UN-negotiated peace agreement with rebel forces ended the fighting in 1992. Heavy flooding in both 1999 and 2000 severely hurt the economy. It’s now slowly working towards building stability and an economy, and is slowly positioning itself as a major tourist destination. With all it has to offer, the future looks bright.

Cities

• Maputo - the thriving capital in the far south of the country.
• Beira - a busy port town and capital of Sofala Province.
• Inhambane - a pretty historic town on a bay.
• Nampula - an industrial city in the north and capital of Nampula Province.

Get In

Visas

All visitors (except citizens of Swaziland, South Africa, Tanzania, Botswana, Malawi, Mauritius, Zimbabwe, & Zambia) need a visa, and while there are rumors that some borders and airports may issue them on arrival, don’t count on it and obtain a visa before arrival. At the South African land border (Lebombo/Ressano Garcia) you can choose the currency in which you want to pay for your visa, meticais being slightly cheaper than rand.

Applying for a visitor visa, valid for 90 days, before arriving costs $20 (single-entry) or $40 (double/multiple entry). A letter of invitation is required. A transit visa, valid 7 days, is also an option for travelers as only a visa for the final destination is required.

By plane

There are plenty of airlines offering flights to Mozambique from major UK airports including London Heathrow, Birmingham, Manchester, Aberdeen, Belfast, Glasgow, Cardiff, New Castle, London Gatwick. Most international flights arrive from 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 and other airlines such as 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.

There are also several flights during the week from Johannesburg, Dar Es Salaam, and Nairobi to Pemba in the North, operated by either South African Airlink (SAA) or LAM. TAKE NOTE: LAM is known to cancel bookings, do confirm your flight at least 72 hours before departure. After checking in you need to get a tax stamp on your boarding card. For internal flights the tax is 200 Mts and for International flights 500 Mts to be paid in cash.

Talk

The official language of Mozambique is Portuguese, though many people speak English in the capital Maputo and in touristed areas. The further north you travel the less likely you are to encounter English speakers, and as you enter more rural areas even Portuguese is limited.

Swahili is useful in the far north of the country as you get close to Tanzania, especially along the coast. Some native words from the Shona language can be useful if you are traveling near Cabora Bassa.

Stay Safe

Risks are much the same as many other countries in Africa (and significantly less than some, including parts of South Africa). Nevertheless muggings, robberies, rape and murder do occur, so the normal precautions should be taken. Women absolutely should never walk alone on beaches, in recent years, attacks on women have grown in tourist areas. In particular it’s worth checking with local hostels and other travellers as to where dangerous areas are. But in general the Mozambican people are extremely warm and friendly and you will encounter far less hassle than in almost all of the countries surrounding it. Since Mozambique recovered from a brutal civil war that ended in the early 1990s there have been occasional reports of people being maimed by landmines or unexploded ordinance.

Stay Healthy

• Malarial prophylaxis is essential in all parts of Mozambique. Chloroquine/Paludrine are now as ineffective as in other parts of east Africa, and it’s worth going to see your doctor to get decent protection.
• Get all your vaccine shots before arriving Medical facilities in Mozambique are now generally reasonably stocked, but it is always worth getting a range of vaccinations before you leave. Prevention is better than cure. It is worth considering carrying some clean needles if you are visiting out of the way areas, purely as remote medical facilities may have problems getting hold of them.
• Mind what you eat. As common in most countries in the world, if you are concerned about the standards of hygiene in a place, don’t eat there.
• Do not have unprotected sex. As in many parts of Sub-Saharan Africa, there is a very high HIV incidence, currently at 16% or 1 in 6.
• Do not drink tap water or use any ice. South of the Zambezi river that divides the country, Mozambique is much more developed, especially around Maputo, tourist areas such as Inhambane and the industrial city of Beira. Here, especially in built-up areas, it is safe to drink the tap water, hence water in this area is marketed as “mineral water” and not “drinking water” and is sold at an inflated price as a semi-luxury item (sometimes for as much as 50 or 60 Meticais in backpackers lodges and restaurants). The infrastructure in the north of the country is much less developed and, as such, caution must be exercised, especially in rural areas and the area near Palma and bordering Tanzania. The tap water is usually safe to drink in the main cities such as Nampula and Pemba, and on Mozambique Island. If you are ever unsure about the quality of the tap water, water-purifying liquids (normally chlorine-based) are widely available and very cheap - normally much cheaper than buying bottled water, also consider bringing puri-tabs if you are planning on going well off the “beaten track”.
• Private clinics. There are a few private health clinics in Maputo that will also arrange repatriation in emergencies. Clinica da Sommerschield (tel: 21 493924) Clinica Suedoise (tel: 21 492922).
• If staying in more basic accommodation, check the shower fitting. A rather dangerous type from Brazil is popular, which contains an unearthed 4kW electric heater. DO NOT touch the fitting when in use, they have been known to give severe electric shocks. Better still, switch the power off (there should be a nearby circuit breaker) and have a cold shower.