Far from the tourist circuits, Mozambique is a wild land, a destination in its raw state which will seduce the amateurs of paradisiac beaches as much as the travellers in search of adventure and disorientation.

Stretching nearly 2470 km along the Indian Ocean, Mozambique borders the south-eastern edge of Africa. Former Portuguese colony, it is a big country of more than 800.000 km². Torn apart by a civil war and a succession of conflicts between 1977 and 1992, Mozambique finds peace again. Today, it is even appreciated for its political stability and economic growth. Bathed by the Indian Ocean, Maputo, the capital of the country, is marked by its colonial architecture. The old Portuguese villas overlook the city; the central station and the iron house, built according to Gustave Eiffel's plans are the most beautiful remains of this period. The capital of Portuguese East Africa was then the fortified city of the Island of Mozambique. A small coral island among others that form with the lagoons the beautiful coasts of the country. Mozambique is indeed, paradisiac beaches, between dunes, coconut palms and white sand, licked by the Indian Ocean. Some of the most beautiful beaches in Africa and some of which are still completely virgin. In the interior, Mozambique is a land of plains and plateaus, of wooded savannahs, notched by deep river valleys. This country is crossed by two of the largest rivers in southern Africa: the Zambese and the Limporo. Watercourses populated with crocodiles and transparent shrimps. Mozambique's wildlife, often the only food resource available to combatants, paid a heavy price in the civil war. The Gorongosa Park, a true Eden before the conflict, was devastated and 90% of its animals killed. This park located in the heart of Mozambique, at the tip of the Rift Valley, tends to recover its splendour. With the financial support of an American billionaire who fell in love with the place, elephants, buffaloes, hippos... reappear. With its 42,000km², the Niassa Reserve is the largest protected area in Mozambique. In the heart of the park, Lake Niassa (also called Malawi) is a huge turquoise expanse rich in tropical freshwater fish and a bird paradise. Travel to Mozambique is possible all year round. It is still very hot and humid during the austral summer (from October to April). The ideal period remains the southern winter (April to October): it does not rain and temperatures are cooler. It is also the best diving season to observe large animals. The very high tourist seasons are around Christmas and New Year and from mid-June to the end of July. White sand and coconut palms, sea with shades of blue and green, the beaches of Mozambique are real postcards. Spaces preserved from any infrastructure that could have disfigured them. The further north we go, the wilder they get. Facing the coast, several islands offer beautiful shores like the Bazaruto archipelago, with on one side the bay and its crystal clear waters and on the other the turbulent ocean, Inhaca that only a few fishing villages animate or the Quirimbas archipelago. All these sites are home to a great diversity of well preserved fish and corals. You can also see sharks, whales and the rare dugong. Mozambique is a part of the world still unexplored, which is full of treasures. Sandy beaches bordered by crystal clear water and protected by a coral barrier. Large expanses of forests and savannahs, dotted with small traditional villages. Cities as many witnesses of the former Portuguese colonial presence. In the south, most of the country's wealth; in the north, a land still wild and adventurous. A country that still heals the wounds of the civil war that ravaged it but in a climate today of the most serene.

Art and culture in Mozambique
Sculptures in makonde wood, pshikelekedanas (stylised animal figures), small utensils carved in light wood with a penknife, batiks and goldsmith's work are the most widespread handicrafts in Mozambique. Music and dance are omnipresent and an integral part of daily life. Marrabenta is one of the most popular styles of repetitive and rhythmic music in Mozambique. Mapico, the traditional Makonde dance, takes place during initiation rites. More contemporary, the cuduro, which means hard ass, a dance concentrated on the posterior part of the female anatomy, is a great success in the trendy discotheques of Maputo.

What to visit in Mozambique
Lazing on the paradisiac beaches, swimming in the warm waters of the Indian Ocean or diving to discover its aquatic fauna, are musts.