Mozambique was a different place then the cities in South Africa – the roads were full of potholes, the most buildings in state of disrepair and the shops not as well stocked – well that was the reason I went to Mozambique, wasn’t it???


I stayed just for two days in Maputo, ‘The Havana of Southern Africa’, because I had the feeling that I don’t had that much time left till I would meet my sister in Arusha. I left Maputo for Tofo where you are able to see whale sharks and manta rays. For the first two days in Tofo, the sea was a bit rough and there were no tours to the whale sharks or dives to the manta rays – well, at least not from the Dive-Center I asked. I learned then that the Dive-Center in town had tours every day.

The next day I went to the Dive-Center in town and arranged my dives. Because I had not been diving for some years, I had to do a ‘refreshing dive’ in shallow water in the afternoon to be allowed for the manta dive the next morning. I did not mind it that much since there was a good chance to see whale sharks on the way to the dive spot and we did!!! It was really an amazing thing to be in the water with this great and wonderful animal. Although it was just a small whale shark – 4 to 5 meters long – you feel so small and clumsy trying to follow him with your mask and flippers. Having seen a whale shark on the way to the dive site paid more then off for the rather bad dive itself.

After a good dinner and good night sleep the next morning I went with all my stuff to the Dive-Center so that I could leave direct after the manta dive. Though the way to the dive site passed again the area where the whale sharks are normally seen, we were not lucky that day and saw none. Were we unlucky on the way, we were lucky by the dive itself. The visibility was incredible and we saw hundreds of fishes and some lobsters. Then, nearly at the end of our dive, the dive master gesticulated that we should turn around and as we did so, there he was – a manta ray.

Similar to the whale sharks, this animal is so majestic while ‘flying’ through the water. Ever time I see a ray I get this image of a flying carpet and I could stay there for hours watching. Unfortunately our dive time was over and we had to go back up. I kept watching the ‘flying carpet’ on the way up and I would have gone on other dive at the manta reef if there would have been one.

Instead of another dive to the manta reef I went on my way north again. Not knowing how much time I would need for traveling in the northern part of Mozambique, I intended to go quite a distance in a block.

From Tofo I had first to go to the main North-South road in Mixsise. I thought I have to stay there for the night and to get an early bus to Beira. After another night there, I might would be able to get an other bus to Nampula – if I would be lucky that was.

More out curiosity and to learn when the busses would leave, I went to the bus station instead of checking into a hotel. After being first pointed into different direction for different destinations I did not intend to go to, I finally was shown a bus with a sign in the windscreen saying ‘Nampula’. I was really surprised to see a bus that would bring me all the way to Nampula I one go. First I thought the bus was due to leave the net morning but after some inquiries I learned that the bus would leave in 5 minutes. Not knowing what exactly it meant, I boarded the bus and that is how I ended up spending the next 50 hours of my life bumping over Africans roads – well, that way it was at least good for a other entry in ‘Geni’s Book of Records’.

As we finally reached Nampula it was already 5:00 PM and there were no buses leaving for Illa de Mozambique, my final destination, anymore – just another 4 hours, peanuts – and so I had to wait till the next day to get to the island.

The island was once the capital of Mozambique and is known for the old colonial buildings and there are really many of them. Unfortunately the most are in a bad state of disrepair and it needs a lot of money to restore them. Nevertheless, I spend some days on the island, watching the women digging for mussels while the men were sitting in the shade – I like that way of sharing the work – or observed the fisherman selling the catch of the day to the villager.

I left then for, the further in the north laying place, Pemba. After the wonderful dive in Tofo I intended do some more diving there but because of a cyclone over Madagascar the weather was bad and so was the viability. I stayed for some days, hopping the weather would improve but that did not happen. Without having done any diving I left Pemba and went on the final way to the Tanzanian border, some other two days bus and pickup rids away.

At the first day I managed to get all the way to Palma were I spend the night. Early the next morning I placed myself on the side of the road, awaiting some mean of transportation. After about an hour an already with peoples packed pick-up came along the way and I thought there would be no place for me anymore. Once more I had to learn that there is always some space and me and my big backpack was loaded into the truck. The ride was over small field paths, through rivers and mud holes and some villages were we got our breakfast-lunch, fried fish on a stick – everything in Africa you get on a stick!!!

Driving along this road I sometime really had doubts whether I was on the right way – after all this is the main border crossing between Mozambique and Tanzania. But soon we stopped by a small house and we all had to get of the car and into the house were we had to show our passports – after all we probably were on the right way! After the Mozambique Immigration we re-bordered the care and were driven onto the bank of the Ruvuma River which makes the border between the two countries. Per boot we were brought to the other side and bordered the awaiting Jepps – after all, it is the main border crossing!

Another hour drive and we finally reached Mtwara, the major town in southern Tanzania. Life here was different then in Mozambique. It is actually hard to pinpoint what was different but somehow it just felt livelier, busier and somehow there were more shoes with more goods. Not that there was a shortage in Mozambique, no, but somehow there was more in Tanzania – it almost felt like coming in western country.

I was really glad I as I got to Mtwara because it meant that Dar Es Salaam was not that far away anymore. Well, it was more hours away then I thought. But then I also thought that there were no busses to Dar but just air plains and that was what I intended to take. While talking to persons I shared the pick-up and Jeep with, I learned that the road to Dar was currently not one big mud hole and that there are buses to Dar. “What the heck, another 16 hours-bumpy-bus-ride won’t kill me”, and so I went per bus. It was then not a 16 but 26 hours ride – you can read more about this bus ride here – and somehow I survived it but I’m not going on another such ride for a looooooong time!!!!!