Maputo

Maputo, the Mozambican capital, is beautifully located at the mouth of three rivers on the Indian Ocean’s Bay of Maputo and boasts a lively nightlife and some of the most vibrant markets in Africa.

Maputo (previously called Lourenzo Marques) is an attractive and bustling port city on the Indian Ocean with a population of approximately 1.5 million. A compulsive and endlessly rewarding city, it is considered a must for any tourist itinerary of Mozambique.

Special Features:

• Crafts and Curios
  Within the city the is a good crafts market, the Mercado Artesanato, based at Praca 25 de Junho, every Saturday morning.  The market is the perfect place to buy souvenirs in the form of batiks, wood carvings and items crafted from semi-precious stones. In response to the increased tourist traffic to Maputo, arts and crafts salesmen have been setting up shop outside the main hotels and places of interest. As a result, some of the best crafts and curios can be found outside of the Hotel Polana and main shopping complexes.
  
  
• The Baixa
  The Baixa is the business district of Maputo and is situated at the edge of the a wide river to the left and to the right of the main shopping street, the Avenida 25 de Setembro. Almost all major shops in the city are in or near this street, as are the main banks, airline offices, the main post office, central market, cinemas and the botanical gardens.
  
  
• Maputo Elephant Reserve
  Located 30kms southeast of the capital, this little known game reserve covers a lake-dotted stretch of coastline. The reserve has suffered greatly as a result of poaching in recent years, and many large mammal species including cheetah, leopard, buffalo and white rhino are now unfortunately locally extinct. Hippos and crocodiles may still be seen in several of the freshwater lakes and small antelope are still present although their numbers are diminished. The reserve is still home to elephants, however the 1970 population of 350 individuals has now been reduced to just 60 which is split into two breeding herds, both of which spend long periods out of the reserve. On a more positive note, the reserve boasts 350 recorded bird species where aquatic and coastal scrub species are well represented. Due to ongoing financial issues and negotiations, the reserve facilities remain severely limited.
  
  
• Beaches
  Macenata is the closest beach resort to Maputo and a popular weekend destination for those wishing to escape the buzzing capital. Macenata boasts excellent game fishing and an attractive clean beach, however the ocean here is not particularly suitable for swimming, diving or snorkeling. Ponto do Ouro and Ponta Malongane are two beach resorts to the south of the city near to the border with South Africa. The beach at Ponto do Ouro is perfect for swimming, surfing, line fishing and various other water sports. There are also diving centres at both resorts for hiring equipment or arranging diving packages.