For those who would like to take their time exploring Maputo, this overnight tour includes all that the day tour has to offer but at a relaxed pace. The vibrant city of Maputo, once known as Lourenco Marques, is a city steeped in history, both European and African. The Portuguese started trading here in 1545 and the Dutch East India Company in 1720. Then the British tried to set up a trading post in 1776 but the mosquitoes got the better of them! The Portuguese came back again in 1782 but were defeated by the English, the French came in 1792 and the Portuguese came back again in 1799!! You can see all their different cultural influences while you drive around the city but Maputo is overall an African city with a great vibe.

DAY 1
Starting at the border post of Ressano Garcia, this is where the “culture” begins! Crossing here can take 30 minutes or 2 hours, depending on how busy the border is. We do not recommend these tours during public or school holidays as the queues can be several kilometres long! From the border to the city, the drive is an easy one that takes about an hour.

On arrival we stop at a sidewalk coffee house for refreshments before commencing our tour which will include downtown Maputo, the Marginal, the Casa de Ferro (house of iron), which was designed by Gustav Eiffel, the Catholic Cathedral, the Mercado Municipal (Municipal Market), the Railway Station and the Fort of Nossa Senhora de Conceicao (our lady of conception), built in 1781.

We then board the ferry to Catembe, another African experience, which is a 10-minute journey. From Catembe, you get a magnificent view of the Maputo skyline. Lunch is a relaxed affair at a local restaurant overlooking the sea before taking the ferry back to Maputo to check-in at our hotel, The Cardoso. This 4 star hotel, which has recently been refurbished, has stunning views over the bay and the city.

At around 17h00 we visit Café Acacia next door to the hotel for sundowners on the patio overlooking the Marginal followed by dinner at the famous Costa do Sol Restaurant at the other end of the Marginal. After dinner, we take you to the Jazz Bar at the Railway Station for a caipirinha or two!

DAY 2
After a leisurely breakfast, we go across the road to the Natural History Museum. Housed in a beautiful colonial building restored to its’ former glory with sweeping staircases and highly polished wooden floors, it has an interesting collection of artefacts and a very sad, but interesting collection of elephant foetuses, showing the different gestational stages, collected during the “clearing” of land during the 1st World War for agricultural purposes, south of Maputo. Despite around 2000 elephants losing their lives, the area never gained any form of agricultural approval and the land never used. After this we head out onto the EN4 for our journey back to Hazyview.

NB: Visas are required by all passport holders, apart from South Africans, but these can be purchased at the border.