Central Mozambique attractions

Don't worry if you haven't the time or energy to summit Mt Namúli. Equally memorable is the 8km (one way) hike to the cascata (waterfall) in the hills north of town. Take a picnic, carry plenty of water and allow...

Gorongosa National Park

Though Gorongosa’s infrastructure is still being rehabilitated after the ravages of the civil war, and animal populations can’t yet compare with those in other Southern African safari destinations, the wildlife...

Rising up from the hills about 15km northeast of Gurúè are the mist-shrouded slopes of Mt Namúli (2419m), from which flow the Licungo (Lugela) and Malema Rivers. If you find yourself in the area with time to...

Catapu is a 250-sq-km sustainable forestry concession situated 30km south of Caia on either side of the EN1. It's home to the M'phingwe Lodge and is known for its huge variety of trees and birdlife (important...

Mt Gorongosa (1862m) is Mozambique’s fourth-highest mountain. Located just outside Gorongosa National Park, it's steeped in local lore and known for its rich plant- and birdlife, as well as its abundance of...

This isolated house high above the tea fields has become a ruin since the erstwhile guard left about 10 years ago, but it's still a good target for a day hike through the plantations. The name 'House of the...

Macuti Beach is one of the better places in town to relax, though it can’t compare with the coastline further south or north. The water is moderately clean, the currents are strong (ask locally where swimming is...

At the southern tip of Beira’s Ponta Gêa neighbourhood, within football-punting distance of the Indian Ocean, sits one of Mozambique’s biggest anachronisms: the Grande Hotel. Once a veritable palace of opulence...

About 25km northwest of Tete, overlooking the river, is the Missão de Boroma. Founded in 1885 by Jesuit missionaries, it was known for its colégio (school), its carpentry-training centre and its attractive...

Located 4km northeast of the town centre, this diminutive, craggy hill rises precipitously out of the surrounding flatness looking not unlike the head of an old man lying prostrate amid the savannah – hence the...

Depicting animal and human figures, these rock paintings are thousands of years old (exact dates vary) and are thought to have been left by the San people. Locals consider the site sacred. The paintings are...

The Chimanimani National Reserve, created in 2003, is part of the larger Chimanimani Transfrontier Conservation Area (ACTF). Together with Chimanimani National Park in Zimbabwe, it encompasses much of the...

The town's most impressive sight is the 538m-long suspension bridge that spans the Zambezi River.

South of Marromeu begin the extensive wetlands of the Zambezi River delta, home to Mozambique's largest concentration of waterbirds, including wattled cranes, flamingos and pelicans. One of only two Ramsar sites...

Chupanga Mission is where Mary Moffat, wife of missionary and explorer David Livingstone, is buried. She died here of malaria during the explorer's famous Zambezi expedition on 17 April 1862 aged just 41. Moffat...

The dam, including the impressive underground turbine rooms, can be visited by advance arrangement only. Contact Hidroeléctrica de Cahora Bassa in Songo – look for the HCB office in the substação (substation) and...

Dating from 1776, this ruined church (currently inaccessible) on the riverfront awaits some care and attention. For the time being you can admire its baroque towers from the outside or (even better) from a room...

This collection of rocks highlighting the local geology is probably less interesting than the handsome colonial building in which it's housed – it dates from 1883. The museum is enlivened by a few recently added...

Among the faded colonial-era buildings around Beira's port area is the partially restored Casa Infante de Sagres, now the offices of Manica Shipping Company.

As in many Mozambican cities, the imposing green and white mosque is more resplendent than the local church.