Maputo

There is a distinctive Mediterranean meets Africa feel about the Mozambican capital. Located in the far south of Mozambique, Maputo (previously Lourenzo Marques) is a sprawling capital city with a population of about two million people and a large, bustling harbour.

Street cafés, vibrant markets and an exotic night life typify the Maputo experience. The infamous Fere de Populare has dozens of bars and discos where Mozambicans dance well into the night to seductive Latino beats.

These days, Maputo is a world apart from the civil war of the 70s and 80s that threw this prosperous African city in chaos and poverty. This city is clean and well looked after. Full of character and charm, a stay in Maputo is a pleasant and colourful African experience.

Accommodation in Maputo is best experienced by a stay at one of the many upmarket hotels. The middle range sector comprises three star hotels that offer comfortable value for money accommodation. Budget travellers have a slightly tougher challenge, and there are limited backpackers and budget accommodation options in Maputo.

Places of interest

Maputo's most important landmark is the Fort of Nossa Senhora da Conceiao (Our Lady of Conception) which was the nucleus of the original settlement.

Another imposing building is the Central Railway Station, an enormous structure looking more like a palace for kings, than a siding for commuters. There are also some excellent - and fantastically expensive - restaurants where you can enjoy beers and peri-peri prawns.

A regular ferry service takes visitors from Maputo's fishing harbour to Inhaca Island to see the fascinating maritime museum, historic lighthouse and to have lunch or overnight at the hotel.

Other visitors head south into the swamplands of the 236,000-hectare Maputo Elephant Reserve where rolling green hills meet the sea. Crocs, hippos, side-striped jackals, antelope and up to 200 elephants are found here. The area is currently being restored and there are plans to introduce more animals, and open lodges in the future. Visitors fly in directly to the airport.

Brief history

In 1898 central authority for the country was transferred from Mozambique Island to Lourenzo Marques and the city quickly became established as the trade and industry centre and as a port to serve the gold fields of South Africa.

In the early days transport riders made the perilous journey with ox and wagons, but when the rail link was constructed, transport became safer and more profitable.

Under Portuguese influence, Lourenzo Marques became one of Africa's most beautiful and fashionable cities with an impressive skyline of tall buildings and a cosmopolitan Portuguese/African atmosphere. Places like the Polana Hotel buzzed with the chatter of socialites and the nightclubs thumped until the early hours.

But the war in the 1970s and 1980s changed all that. When peace finally came, the once proud city was in terrible disrepair. Thousands of immigrants crowded the buildings, litter lay everywhere and major services including water and electricity were out of commission.

Today the city is slowly recreating some of its former glory. The rich and famous are once more hanging out at the five-star Polana Hotel, with its grand view over the harbour, its tea gardens and its old-fashioned Victorian lift.

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