Ponta do Ouro to Maputo
Ponta do Ouro
Ponta do Ouro is located at the southernmost point of Mozambique. I was told to go there mainly for excellent diving. It is a nice area with pretty beaches, but I didn't like the vibe. This small village attracts mainly a crowd of South African family.
For a solo traveller, it is boring to be among families. Thus, after one day and one fairly boring dive, I started to drive north. Surely, there will be places that are more interesting. After all, it is still more than 3000 km before reaching the border with Tanzania. Of course, since I will be making detours, it will be far longer.
Reserva Especial de Maputo
Parks and reserves in Mozambique are in a bad state. During the civil war, animals were hunted for money or as food. Nowadays, the animal density is very low even if things have improved in recent years.
However, However, elephants are still victims of poaching for the ivory traffic. Since the last 5-6 years, the elephant population went down by about 50%.
Thus, I visited the Maputo Reserve more for the adventure than for seeing animals. In fact, I saw very little animals. The only elephant I saw was outside the reserve and very aggressive. He came near the van during a night in the bush.
Road toward Maputo
Catembe
Facing Maputo, on the other side of the river, is the village of Catembe. It's a chaotic and very busy fishing village.
Indeed, a bridge will soon link Catembe to Maputo and a few port developments are going on.
As you can see, cars are tightly packed on the ferry. I can't even get out of my car.
Maputo
Maputo, capital of Mozambique, is a typical city of Africa. It's chaotic, run down, dirty, and noisy. In Mozambique, everything is more run down than neighbouring countries (except Zimbabwe).
I must admit the first time I visited such a city, I really liked it. Now, I don't have the patience or the eagerness to visit such locations.
