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Hi there

My brother and I are looking to travelling up to Maputo via Johannesburg around the 18th of December and then up the coast to Beira via Xia Xia, Inhambane and Vilanculos.
From there we would like to go up to Blantyre or Mangochi if there is a direct route to hook up with the Llala for a bit.
The plan is then to grab a City Liner from Blantyre back to Johannesburg.
We realise that its gonna be the hottest time of the year but what the hell.
We are doing this on the cheap so any suggestions on cheap transport & accommodation will be appreciated. Busses vs hitching and that sort of thing. We are looking at a 20 day trip with a budget of around $500 each excluding the travel to & from Mozambique.
Any advice will be appreciated - I have travelled a bit in Thailand and the UK but little bro is pretty much a virgin. Since we're South African the culture shock wont be too big - and we definately want to avoid our compatriots with the big 4X4's!

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Ok - here's a bit more detailed itinary:
19th Travel to Maputo arriving late the next day
20th & 21st In and around Maputo
22nd Travel to Xia Xia
23rd In & around Xia-Xia
24th Travel to Inhambane
25th In & around
26th In & around
27th travel to Vilanculos
28th In & around
29th In & around
30th travel to Beira
31st travel to Blantyre
2nd travel to Mangochi/Monkey Bay depending on the Llala's timetable
3rd to 7th Arounf lake Malawi
8th back to Blantyre and then coach to Joburg
Does anybody know how long the bus from Blantyre to johannesburg takes and what the route is?

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Personally I think you would be wasting your time at Xai-Xai (and that includes Praia do Xai-Xai) - there is nothing there. I have heard Bilene is a worthwhile stop, and you could well spend an extra day at Tofo / Inhambane or at Vilanculos instead. Beira seems to get rather varied write-ups - some say it is horrible, others like it, but it does mean a detour to the coast. I cannot imagine you getting from Beira to Blantyre in one day either. The MV Ilala leaves Monkey Bay once a week only - if I remember correctly it is on a Friday morning, returning there on the following Wednesday. Do a google search to find the time table. It is a trip well worth doing and you could get off at Likoma Island or at Nkhata Bay or even in Mozambique. Or do the entire six-day out and back trip. As far as I can remember (hear-say only) the bus from Blantyre to Johannesburg takes 22 or 24 hours. For excellent info on Mozambique have a look at [www.mozguide.com]

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