Wild Frontiers

Flight Information

There are no direct fligths from the UK into Mozambique at present. The best routing is usually via Johannesburg and can take anywhere from 14:30hrs onwards. Northern Mozambique can also be accessed via Nairobi or Dar es Salaam.

Useful Tips

• Take plenty of sun cream and a good sunhat!

• If you want to dive don’t forget your PADI card.

• Feast on Mozamibique prawns - they are delicious, not too expensive and available everywhere.

• Visit Tofo for the highest concentration of whale sharks in Africa.

• It's not just about beaches - soak up some culture at the ancient Portugese cities of Ibo Island & Ihla Do Mozamibique.

Recommended Reading

You might like to read up on the Mozambique prior to your tour. We recommend the Bradt guide which gives good general information as well as more specific country information that will help orientate you in the areas you visit. However please note that there is very little information regarding the region visited on this trip.

Good books and maps of Mozambique are available at Stanfords in Covent Garden, London or online at www.stanfords.co.uk

When To Go

Being within the tropics Mozambique seldom gets cold, but on some evenings during the winter months of June and July a light jacket or pullover will be necessary. The summer months of November through to February can be extremely hot and this is also the rainy season, though storms seldom last long. Winters are sunny and dry and cool off substantially in the evening.

Packing List

Below is a list of general items you might take with you on a Wild Frontiers trip to Mozambique. With your booking confirmation you will receive a packing list specific to your tour, so please treat this as a general guideline only.

Luggage:
It is best to use a soft bag - rucksack/hold-all/duffel bag - so it can be transported and stored more easily.

On all our trips a small daypack is practical for keeping general items (e.g. camera, books, wallets etc.) at hand when your main pack is out of reach. It is also handy for day trips and excursions.

Clothing:
In general you should bring clothes you feel comfortable with. Therefore as a guide we suggest a packing list like this:
• Light cotton long sleeved shirts, Cotton skirt/wrap skirt/sarong for the ladies (it is a predominantly Muslim culture)
• 2/3 pairs of cotton trousers. If preferred, women can wear dresses and long skirts
• 2 x pairs of shorts
• Fleece or warmer jacket for the cooler evenings. (Darker is better for wildlife spotting)
• Lightweight waterproof jacket
• Change of clothing for the evenings
• An extra “outfit” if you’d like to dress up a bit on occasion
• Sun hat or cap
• Women should have a headscarf
• Swim suit or trunks
• Pair of walking shoes/boots (walking)
• Pair of recreational shoes, adventure sandals, trainers or pumps

Equipment:
The following is useful extra equipment for your trip:
• Travel towel, travel soap and toiletries
• Suntan lotion (high factor)/sun block
• Lip balm (with sun protection)
• Torch (LED head-torch keeps your hands free)
• Pair of good quality sunglasses
• Water bottle
• Plug adapter (see ‘Electricity’ section)

Personal First Aid Kit:
While we do carry a large medical kit on all our group tours, we would advise that you take some of the basics with you. This should include:
• Any prescription medication required (please inform the tour leader at your pre-departure meeting about these)
• Antibacterial dry hand wash
• Painkillers: paracetamol & ibuprofen
• Rehydration salts (Gastrolyte)
• Malaria Tablets (if necessary)
• Travel motion-sickness tablets if required (e.g. natural ginger tablets)
• Diarrhoea remedies
• Antihistamines
• Cold/flu decongestants
• Mosquito Repellent
• Insect bite cream
• Laxatives
• Plasters/Bandage/Steri-Strips/Blister pads
• Sunscreen (30+ high factor)
• Moisturiser/after sun cream/lip balm
• Contact lenses and solution if required
• Tweezers

(A kit with most of this in is available at www.nomadtravel.co.uk)

Optional Extras:
• Ear plugs (if sharing a room / camping)
• Alarm clock
• 3-4 plastic carrier bags are very useful for dirty washing, dirty shoes and rubbish
• Binoculars
• Small packs of tissues
• Money belt or secure pouch for money and passport etc.
• Eye patches if light affects your sleep
• Sewing kit/scissors
• Writing materials
• Spare batteries/camera memory cards
• Swiss Army knife
• Universal bath plug

NB: If you wear glasses, it is advisable to bring a spare pair since opticians are uncommon. If you wear contact lenses you may find that climatic changes and dust can create visual irritation, therefore, it is advisable to bring a pair of glasses.
You might be tempted to buy a few souvenirs here and there, so leave a little room for those extra purchases!!

Hand Luggage:
Although it is very rare that luggage goes missing on flights, it has been known to happen and so it’s a good idea to carry a spare top, toothbrush, wash kit, underwear and any other essentials in your hand luggage so that you can at least freshen up while waiting for your bags to catch you up. If you wear your sturdy shoes/boots it will also reduce weight in your luggage and keep them safe.

Practical Information

Time:
Mozambique is 2 hrs ahead of GMT.
A useful website to check the time zone differences is www.worldtimezone.com

Food and Alcohol:
The Portuguese occupation largely affected the food in Mozambique creating arguably some of the most interesting and unique food within Southern Africa. Around the coast, seafood is used within even the most basic of dishes. Pãozinho or Portuguese rolls are a floury, often semi sweet bread with meat in the middle and whatever they accompany you can be sure the country’s favourite, Piri-Piri sauce has crossed it’s path.

As in most other Southern African countries beer is readily available and very easily drunk when sat on a hot beach environment. Should you have a specific spirit based passion, then it is best to bring some of your own, to guarantee those sun-downers are as you prefer. Basic and local spirits are available locally.

Electricity:
If using a camera with film we suggest photographers bring plenty of rolls. Those bringing video & digital cameras that require battery chargers should also bring a two-pin, continental style adapter. Be aware that mains electricity may not be available 24hrs a day.

Mozambique has very strict rules about taking photos of army, police or any official personnel; restrictions apply at borders, bridges and any government building. Please exercise care in this regard as the penalty may be to have your film and/or camera confiscated.

Money:
In Mozambique the official unit of currency is the Metical (MT) = 100 centavos.
To check out the latest exchange rate for the places that you are visiting you can go to www.oanda.com

A few points to help you plan:
• Payments are mainly made in cash.
• If using ATM machines, be sure to notify your bank before you travel.
• It is strongly recommended you travel with US dollars or Euros in cash. Sterling is difficult to change.
• It is useful to have lots of small denomination notes; it seems only taxi drivers have change!

Language & Religion:
Mozambique’s official language naturally is Portuguese and is therefore most widely spoken across the country. That said only 40% of the country speak Portuguese. Many Mozambicans speak a Bantu language such as Chopi or Tonga. About half of the people in Mozambique are Christians after the Portuguese influence and roughly a fifth of the population is Muslim, with an increased density in the north of the country.

Cultural Sensitivity:
On our tours we frequently interact with local people, each with their own distinct customs and traditions. We therefore ask you to be considerate and to treat them with respect. Your tour leader will be able to advise you accordingly.

At Wild Frontiers we are very aware of the ethical impact tourism can have on ancient cultures. We realise that taking a group of tourists through such a region can have a negative impact on the lives of those who live there and on all our tours we therefore go to great lengths to minimise the negative and accentuate the positive…after all, there are also many good things that the tourist can bring.

To help this process we ask that our clients do not hand out pens or sweets to children. As one sign in Egypt emphatically put it, ‘Please don't make beggars out of our children!' No matter how well intentioned, in our opinion the dolling out of free gifts fosters a ‘beggar mentality' that is ultimately extremely destructive to a society. In addition we do not condone giving out money to beggars or ‘students'.

However, we also realise that we are exceptionally privileged to be travelling in areas where most of the people have far less than us and that the desire to ‘help' can be very powerful. As a result we ask that you refer to your trip dossier for information on the Wild Frontiers Foundation which supports specific projects in the areas where we travel.