Maputo, Mozambique

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The lasting memories of my trip to Mozambique will be the friendliness of the people, the incredible scenery and the deep blue ocean. I can't wait to go back.

• Gregory Fox
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In many instances Maputo is a stopover city between trips to South Africa and the beaches of Mozambique. Hotel Polana would be our hotel of choice in these instances.

Maputo, Mozambique’s capital city is a mixture of grand Portuguese architecture and heritage combined with a unique blend of vibrant African street life, bustling restaurants, markets and a spicy dose of Indo/African and Portuguese cuisine. Although slightly run down it still has a unique atmosphere found nowhere else and is well worth a visit. Modelled on Portuguese harbour cities such as Lisbon and Porto, Maputo’s wide avenues lined with pavements inlaid with black and white stone mosaics add to the grand feel of its colonial past.

The city has a number of markets, from the notorious and exotic Mercado Xipamanine where you can literally buy anything from a bizarre range of traditional medicines to local food and produce to the Avenue de Marginal (Maputo’s Beach Promenade) where a range of traditional arts and crafts are on sale by the local vendors. The cuisine of Maputo is fairly unique in its variety and influences from Africa, Portugal and the East. The Galinha piri piri (chicken peri peri), matapas (casava leaf dish), butatas frita (fried potato chips) and a mouth-watering array of fresh seafood make it a culinary delight in every sense of the word.

Maputo’s vibrant night life is something of legend with influences from all over the world. Wild almost Latino samba beats drum from the clubs into the early hours of the morning lending to the city’s exotic sights and sounds. Maputo as a result of its Portuguese history has a very European approach to afternoon siestas with everything coming to a halt between the hours of 12 – 14h00. As a result one can find most of its citizens sipping away the afternoon on espressos in one of the cities many fine cafes.

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