Getting There
Fly
Most international flights arrive from South Africa, but there are also flights from Portugal, Zimbabwe, Tanzania and Kenya.
Road
The N4 national road from Gauteng (Johannesburg and Pretoria) in South Africa to Maputo is good. The Lebombo/Ressano Garcia border post is near Komatipoort. Make sure you have registration papers for your vehicle or a letter of permission to use the vehicle if it is not your property. Maputo is just over an hour’s drive from the border crossing.
If you drive from Swaziland, you will also find the road in good condition, but look out for heavy traffic. The border at Namaacha is west of Maputo.
If you prefer to take the bus, the Intercape Mainliner from Johannesburg to Maputo is reliable, safe and cheap. There are also bus services between Durban, Nelspruit and Komatipoort to Maputo.
There are also minibus taxis to and from various destination in South Africa.
There are a number of border crossings from Malawi. The easiest is Zóbuè. The road is good.
From Tanzania you can cross the border over the Rovuma River via Mtwara in Tanzania to Palma in Mozambique. The road is bad and you can give yourself up to two days for the trip – especially if you are going to use public transport and minibus taxis, known as chapas (literally translated from Portugese as “sheets of hot metal).
There are other crossings from Tanzania, but these all require long walks.
From Zambia the crossing is at Cassacatiza, north-west of Tete and from Zimbabwe there are two crossings – Nyamapanda to the south-west of Tete and Machipanda to the west of Chimoio.
If you can lay your hands on a four-wheel drive in South Africa, it is a good idea to drive to Mozambique. A drive through the Kruger National Park is spectacular where you can drive past the Letaba Camp to the Giriyondo border post. You then enter the Limpopo National Park in Mozambique.
Boat
From Malawi you can cross Lake Malawi to the Likoma Island, which is only 10km from Mozambique. Local boats make the trip between Likoma Island and Cóbuè in Mozambique where there is a border post.
Getting Around
Fly
Domestic flights are the fastest and best way to get
around the country. Linhas Aereas de Moçambique and Air Corridor fly
between major cities.
Road
There is general consensus between visitors to Mozambique that the road network can be described as “adventurous”. Some land mines planted during the civil war are still undiscovered and could be active on some remote roads in the central parts of the country. Never wander off the beaten track.
Although the government is doing its best to rebuild roads, they remain in poor condition.
Public transport in the form of buses and minibuses are fairly reliable, but long-hall trips can take days.
