You might think of Mozambique as the place to come for an African adventure, and it is! but its two thousand kilometres of coastline, much of it golden, palm-fringed sand, makes it a tropical destination too.  With a tropically humid climate, and clear, aquamarine waters rich in bright coloured inhabitants, some of the best places to stay in Mozambique look quite similar to the best tropical island hotels we can name.  It’s only the shape of the dhows with their graceful sails that give it away.  

But back on the trail of that African adventure, and you’ll find it in many guises in the varied landscape of Mozambique’s interior.  The Gorongosa National Park is on its way to becoming a world class safari destination, with an impressive collection of endemic inhabitants to spot; Mount Binga in the Chimanimani Mountain Range is an impressive peak to summit, in an incredible, untouched landscape; and the Lake Malawi National Park has a wonderful collection of relatively remote ecolodges just waiting to transport you into the untamed Africa of old.  

Mozambique’s cities are a pleasant necessity if you’re traveling in by air, with the capital Maputo being the main transport hub, and a compact, oceanside charmer, with some beautiful colonial architecture, care of the Portuguese, who also bequeathed their language.  It’s lively and multicultural too, with an inventive foodie scene sprung from the many cultures that have traded and settled here.  

Part of the adventure of Mozambique is the challenge: it’s not the easiest country to navigate, and it’s big, so if you don’t engage a guide, or arrange your trip through an agent, it can involve long bus trips and surprising stop-overs.  But Mozambique is certainly still a country to come for a real adventure.  

Where to Stay? Which part of Mozambique?

• It may not end up being your first choice for where to stay in Mozambique? City breaks aren’t the most common travel plans we hear from people asking us about Africa, but you may still plan to fly in to the capital, largest city and largest port, Maputo, and spend a day or two here exploring.  And if you do you might end up wishing you had planned for a few more days, because Maputo is one of Africa’s most beautiful capital cities: a small, compact, oceanside charmer of wide avenues lined with old flame trees and colonial architecture in a chocolate-box of pastel shades, then coated in bougainvillea. It's also one of Africa’s easiest cities to visit, with a huge selection of hotels, and restaurants too, and plenty of cafes and bars.  Maputo’s old town and port are the most historic parts of town, and these are great places to stay too, bustling with life on the streets packed with vendors and little markets; but if you’re planning to stay for a bit longer you might want to find somewhere a bit further along the waterfront, where you can expect a relaxed vibe and very affordable accommodation.  If you’re only in Maputo for a day or two don’t miss the Mercado Central, the National Art Museum, the Casa do Ferro, the Museum of the Revolution, and the bustling Feira de Artesanato, Flores e Gastronomica street market
• Pemba is a destination people are certainly heading for: a gorgeous, colonial port in the north of Mozambique, known for its huge natural bay, idyllic, sandy beaches, bustling markets and water sports.  Pemba is big enough to have a range of very comfortable hotel choices, but small enough so that it’s still thick with baobab trees, and you’ll find many of each just east of the centre of town at Wimbi Beach.  Pemba is popular enough to have its own international airport.
• Ilha de Moçambique or Mozambique Island, is another destination to head for, and one we highly recommend if you’ve not considered it.  It’s just magical.   Small, just 500meters across by 3kms long, this was the largest Portuguese trading port in East Africa, an incredible bazaar of local, European, African, Indian and Arabian produce and culture.  The legacy of this time is Stone Town, a romantic collection of part-ruined limestone villas, but the real surprise is that today this small island is still bustling with life, in the new town, Makuti, which is a crowded home to 15,000 people, many who sail dhows out to sea for fish, or weave, or trade in a similar way to the way it has always been done here.  This is one of the most magical places in Africa if you’re looking for a beautiful, friendly, atmospheric oceanside destination.
• Inhambane is another beautifully fading colonial beachside destination.  And as capital of the Inhambane province it’s the closest centre to many of the beach hotels and resorts in the region, including Tofo and Barra.  It’s also wonderfully old: hundreds of years before the wide, tree-lined avenues and elegant colonial architecture with its Arabic and Indian influences,, this was a fishing settlement.  Both Tofo and Barra are just to the east, and are beach resorts known for their white sandy beaches, bright blue waters, excellent diving and friendly atmosphere. 
• Like Maputo, Nampula is another city you might not be planning to stay in long, but many people come here before heading on to Pemba or Ilha de Moçambique.  It’s got an airport, and a collection of very business-y hotels, that make it an easy stop off. 
• The Quirmbas Archipelago is one of Mozambique’s other northern charmers, a collection of beautiful islands off the north coast, known for their coral reefs and baobab trees.  31 islands make up the archipelago, so there’s plenty of variety, but also lots of soft, white beaches, a real wealth of bird and marine life and a rather tumultuous history to explore.  Capital of the region, Ibo, is probably the place to start but the islands are dotted with resorts of all shapes and sizes, so this is definitely a good choice if you’re looking for some of Mozambique’s best beach resorts.
• If you’re heading south from Maputo you might be heading for Vilankulo, or Vilanculos, which is the relaxed town close to the Bazaruto Archipelago, which is a sort of underwater national park, much loved by divers.  Vilankulo is known for its long stretches of pale sand and shallow entry, and it’s a location just made for watersports.  And for kitesurfers too, with the flat arcing beaches and consistent winds.  And the Bazaruto Archipelago is a wonderful place to explore by dhow, island hopping on the untouched Indian Ocean between the five islands of Bazaruto, Benguerra, Magaruque, Santa Carolina, and Bangue, where you’ll find mile after mile of deserted sandy beaches backed by rolling dunes.  Inhassoro is the other centre visitors come to to explore the Bazaruto Archipelago.
• If you’re looking for a real African adventure you could consider Mozambique’s shore onto Lake Malawi? which is called Lago Niassa.  Here you’ll find a collection of ecolodges, in amongst the sandy stretches fringed with baobab trees, and the Lake Malawi National Park, home to a vast array of wildlife, plus beautiful beaches and lake views.  
• The Gorongosa National Park is a good choice if you want to spend some of your time in Mozambique on safari.  It’s not your classic safari destination, but its list of locals is still impressive, including impalas, warthogs, hippos, crocodiles, elephants, lions and antelopes.  There’s also an incredible wealth of endemic bird life, and they’ve started restocking the park with zebras, wildebeests and buffaloes.  And the varied landscape will surprise you too, from a coastline to the floodplains of the Zambezi Valley.  
• The Chimanimani Mountains are another incredible landscape to experience and explore: with Mozambique’s highest mountain, Mount Binga, and a range of mountains surrounding it.  It takes about two days to to summit, and without meaningful facilities, it’s still very much a real adventure.  

THE BEST PLACES TO STAY IN MOZAMBIQUE

Mozambique’s Best Beach Resorts

• With the Indian Ocean on one side, and a lagoon fringed with mangroves and coconut palms on the other, the Sentidos Beach Retreat is a small and idyllic beach resort with a very luxurious feel.  And it’s eco-friendly too, with sustainable practices carefully followed, right down to the run-off from the outdoor showers, and the sustainable seafood served in the restaurant, which is accompanied by produce grown on the grounds.  There are only 12 villas in the complex, each made of wood, with floor-to-ceiling windows overlooking the beach.  This is a special place to come: ripe for honeymoons too. 

Prefer a Private Villa or Apartment?

• If you’d prefer to stay in an apartment or private villa we recommend you visit our online partner, booking.com.

Travel Information

• Most flights to Mozambique fly into Maputo Airport, and there’s a handful of cities you can route via, including London, Lisbon, Duban, Cape Town, Johannesburg and Addis Ababa.  Pemba also has its own international airport, which has direct connections to another handful of cities which also includes London and Lisbon. Beira has an international airport too, with routes to Johannesburg, Addis Ababa, and several cities in Malawi.  
• If you’re thinking about hiring a car we recommend checking what our online partners, Rentalcars have to offer.  
• Mozambique has quite a tropical climate, with warm humid weather for most of the year, and two distinct seasons.  The summer months between November and March are hot and wet, with regular afternoon thunderstorms, while winter is mild and sunny, so for most people this is probably the most pleasant time of year to travel to Mozambique.