Adventurer
Gentleman Dog
- Joined
- Jan 24, 2006
- Messages
- 17,108
- Reaction score
- 4
- Location
- Kempen Germany
- Bike
- KTM 1290 Super Adventure
A Short Long Weekend in Mozambique
Two weeks before the long weekend in June I made the suggestion to fellow adventure traveller, Rob, that we go to Mozambique for the long weekend.? No problem, when do we leave?? was the answer, and after some Internet research we had secured accommodation in Tofo, a packing list was compiled, the bikes were packed and off we went at lunch time on a very chilly Wednesday, myself on a newly purchased 1150 GS Adventure, Peaches, on her trusty F650GS and Rob on his much loved 1200 GS.
We met up at the Total Petroport before Witbank, had a quick snack, refuelled and left for Nelspruit. We encountered a few other BMW?s heading in the same direction, presumably heading for ?Eastern Transvaal?, biking paradise, we stopped in at ?Milly?s? for a leg-stretch and fuel. The last stretch to Nelspruit was done as the sun was going down, we booked in at the ?City Lodge?, and after dinner across the road, retired for the night, looking forward to an early start the following day.
We repacked the bikes at sunrise, had breakfast and headed for Komatipoort. Exchanging money at the Bureau de Change was a mission, they wanted a TV licence or a bank statement or a lights and water account with my physical address on it before he would change my money, who takes those things on holiday with them???
My I.D. book with its address slip was not good enough! The bullet proof glass is not to stop him being robbed, it is to stop people assaulting him! A Swedish tourist behind me offered to exchange my money on her passport, no problem, these officials really know how to encourage S.A. tourists!
The vehicle queue at the border was quite long, but one of the pleasures of riding motorcycles is the ability to bypass queues. After quick border formalities, no more visa?s required, we were in Mozambique. About 40 km later at Moamba, we turned left, there is a 120 km dirt road that bypasses Maputo and saves about 60 km, this road follows the route of the Inkomati River and comes out just before Praia de Bilene, the surface varies from good sand to thick sand to rough surface, but generally not a bad road, the scenery is wonderful and well worth the effort.
We stopped at the end of the dirt road for a cold Coke, available all over Mozambique. It was now getting very hot and we were thankful to have Rallye 2 jackets, we had left home in the cold, we were warm, the liners came out at the border as the temperatures rose, we were cool, and now it was time to open all the ventilation zips, expensive jackets but well worth it. If ever there was a jacket for all seasons, this is it!
At Xai-Xai we refuelled, from now on it was leaded fuel only, unleaded is only available in Maputo. The countryside was changing, from trees to marshland to dense palm trees, truly a spectacular place to be.
As we headed north the roads deteriorated and the police presence increased. We were pulled over twice, once just to hassle us for our licenses and once to be told that I was speeding. I was told that I was doing 71 kph in a 60 kph zone, I know I was doing 55kph according to my GPS, after some arguing and another license check I was allowed to go, no fine and no bribe! We found it best to not be aggressive, just be firm and polite, it also helps to verbally admire their high speed pursuit bikes, Jialing 125?s complete with 40 kg of crash bars, lights, sirens and very big windscreens!
We found the numerous villages that you encounter all along the EN1 to be hives of activity, the traffic was hectic and combined with ever worsening roads, quite tiring and time consuming. It was often better to ride on the sand verge of the road, dusty but smoother! We miscalculated the time we would need to do this distance to Inhambane and had to break one of the rules of travelling in Africa, riding at night!
The sun sets just before 5 pm that time of year and we still had 100 km to do. We kept our distance from the cars in front of us and rode on high beam, the last thing you need is to hit a pothole and damage a rim, dogs could hide in some of the potholes and you would not see them!
We arrived in Inhambane at around 6 pm, the main road into town was bustling with activity, street vendors, parties, loud music, and the spirit was unbelievable.
We passed through Inhambane and travelled the last 25 km to Tofo, arriving at our destination, Paradise Dunes, a little after 6-30 pm. The last 500 metres was some very thick beach sand, no problem, we were there!
We unpacked our very dusty bikes, moved into our ?Casa?, and headed down to Casa Barry, right on the beach, for a well-earned seafood dinner, what else would one eat in Mozambique?
After dissecting the days adventure we returned to our ?Casa?, only getting lost once on the return trip, we had done over 1000km, not one wrong turn, but we battled to find our chalet that night. We drifted off to sleep to the sound of the waves breaking on the beach.
We awoke early the following morning, middle of winter in Gauteng but we watched the sunrise wearing shorts and a t-shirt, sipping on a steaming cup of coffee, life is rough in Africa!
Back to Casa Barry for breakfast, seated on a terrace next to the beach, what a place!
Later we went to the dive centre, a place we found by mistake the previous evening on our detour to our chalet. Peaches decided she wanted to go whale shark diving, one of the many adventures on offer in Tofo. Rob and myself decided to go up the coast to Praia de Marangula, about 190 km north. We extricated our bikes from the thick sand and after lots of ?be careful?s? from my wife, we headed north, back out through Inhambane, right at the Y-junction, through Maxixe onto the worst tar road I have ever seen. We took 3 hours to do 190 km, stopping at numerous roadworks and one stop at a place where they appeared to be clearing and detonating landmines. In general the vehicles there make our taxi?s seem well behaved, if your section of road looks better than his, sorry for you, I am bigger than you, and they use your piece of road. Adventure bikes are the answer here; ?off road? takes on a new meaning!
Another way of confusing the police is to stop and ask them something before they decide to stop you. We stopped at a roadblock and asked where the turning to Marangula was; they were very friendly and told us it was just up the road. We found the turn off and rode down a lovely hard packed sand road to Marangula. Only the last few hundred metres was thick sand, one dented shinbone courtesy of my Adventure crash bars, and we arrived at Praia de Marangula. What an awesome sight, palm trees and white beach as far as the eye could see. Next time we will spend more time here.
We had a quick lunch at the Baobab Restaurant, possibly the worst hamburger we have ever tasted, especially after I had ordered a toasted cheese sandwich! What the hell, the view was fantastic.
We hightailed back to Tofo, we had taken longer than expected to reach this paradise, and we had no way of letting my wife know that we were still ok, I had the only international roaming phone and I knew that she would be worried. We took little over 2 hours to get back, all the roadworks were in our favour and the road was in better condition going south. We found a short cut between Maxixe and Inhambane, it cut out about 40 km of tar road. After the obligatory photos of Inhambane harbour and the spectacular bay, we arrived in Tofo just after dark. My wife was very relieved to see us, she didn?t know whether to hug us or smack us! Next time we will have more phones with international roaming.
We went back to Casa Barry and swapped stories, my wife had thoroughly enjoyed diving with the whale sharks. She dived using snorkel, goggles and fins, all supplied by the charter company. Apparently it was a fantastic experience, the whale sharks were close enough to touch!
After another wonderful seafood dinner and more regaling about the day?s adventures, we retired for the night, the end of our weekend arriving far to quickly.
The following morning was a beautiful sunrise, just enough cloud to add to an already awesome sight. There is no sunrise more impressive than an African sunrise.
We left Inhambane at about 10-30 am and headed south towards Maputo, the roads were in our favour this time and the traffic was lighter, being Saturday. There are so many viewpoints to stop at along the coast, and each one is fantastic. The country has experienced immense turmoil over the years, but the sea views remain the same.
At Xai-Xai we stopped for fuel, we met up with the two Andre?s; they were on their way back from Ethiopia. The one Andre had fulfilled a lifelong dream of crossing the Equator on a motorbike. As a flight engineer he had done this hundreds of times by air, but this was his first time by bike. Needless to say, they were both riding BMW 1150 GS?s. They were also heading to Casa Lisa, a place just 50 km north of Maputo. We all rode together, arriving at Casa Lisa just before sunset. We booked in and headed to the bar to watch the last of the rugby match between France and S.A.
Later we all had dinner together, listening to the trials and tribulations of the two Andre?s, they had done over 10 000kms at this stage and had enjoyed every moment. What is life without adventure?
Early the next morning we packed our bikes for the last time and departed towards Maputo. We found the outskirts of Maputo to be extremely busy for a Sunday morning. We refuelled with just enough unleaded fuel to make Komatipoort, at R7.00/l we decided to rather fill up in S.A. where the fuel is ?cheaper?!
Border formalities were quick, it pays to hire a ?runner? - they get the passports stamped in record time. The South African side took a bit longer but soon we were on our way to Komatipoort for a ?Wimpy Breakfast?.
At Kaapmuiden we turned left towards Barberton, a far better ride than the Nelspruit route. We refuelled in Badplaas and made good time back towards JHB, stopping at the Total Petropoort to bid our farewells. The last 100 km were spent in deep thought on where our next adventure will take us, the Equator sounds good!
Two weeks before the long weekend in June I made the suggestion to fellow adventure traveller, Rob, that we go to Mozambique for the long weekend.? No problem, when do we leave?? was the answer, and after some Internet research we had secured accommodation in Tofo, a packing list was compiled, the bikes were packed and off we went at lunch time on a very chilly Wednesday, myself on a newly purchased 1150 GS Adventure, Peaches, on her trusty F650GS and Rob on his much loved 1200 GS.
We met up at the Total Petroport before Witbank, had a quick snack, refuelled and left for Nelspruit. We encountered a few other BMW?s heading in the same direction, presumably heading for ?Eastern Transvaal?, biking paradise, we stopped in at ?Milly?s? for a leg-stretch and fuel. The last stretch to Nelspruit was done as the sun was going down, we booked in at the ?City Lodge?, and after dinner across the road, retired for the night, looking forward to an early start the following day.
We repacked the bikes at sunrise, had breakfast and headed for Komatipoort. Exchanging money at the Bureau de Change was a mission, they wanted a TV licence or a bank statement or a lights and water account with my physical address on it before he would change my money, who takes those things on holiday with them???
My I.D. book with its address slip was not good enough! The bullet proof glass is not to stop him being robbed, it is to stop people assaulting him! A Swedish tourist behind me offered to exchange my money on her passport, no problem, these officials really know how to encourage S.A. tourists!
The vehicle queue at the border was quite long, but one of the pleasures of riding motorcycles is the ability to bypass queues. After quick border formalities, no more visa?s required, we were in Mozambique. About 40 km later at Moamba, we turned left, there is a 120 km dirt road that bypasses Maputo and saves about 60 km, this road follows the route of the Inkomati River and comes out just before Praia de Bilene, the surface varies from good sand to thick sand to rough surface, but generally not a bad road, the scenery is wonderful and well worth the effort.
We stopped at the end of the dirt road for a cold Coke, available all over Mozambique. It was now getting very hot and we were thankful to have Rallye 2 jackets, we had left home in the cold, we were warm, the liners came out at the border as the temperatures rose, we were cool, and now it was time to open all the ventilation zips, expensive jackets but well worth it. If ever there was a jacket for all seasons, this is it!
At Xai-Xai we refuelled, from now on it was leaded fuel only, unleaded is only available in Maputo. The countryside was changing, from trees to marshland to dense palm trees, truly a spectacular place to be.
As we headed north the roads deteriorated and the police presence increased. We were pulled over twice, once just to hassle us for our licenses and once to be told that I was speeding. I was told that I was doing 71 kph in a 60 kph zone, I know I was doing 55kph according to my GPS, after some arguing and another license check I was allowed to go, no fine and no bribe! We found it best to not be aggressive, just be firm and polite, it also helps to verbally admire their high speed pursuit bikes, Jialing 125?s complete with 40 kg of crash bars, lights, sirens and very big windscreens!
We found the numerous villages that you encounter all along the EN1 to be hives of activity, the traffic was hectic and combined with ever worsening roads, quite tiring and time consuming. It was often better to ride on the sand verge of the road, dusty but smoother! We miscalculated the time we would need to do this distance to Inhambane and had to break one of the rules of travelling in Africa, riding at night!
The sun sets just before 5 pm that time of year and we still had 100 km to do. We kept our distance from the cars in front of us and rode on high beam, the last thing you need is to hit a pothole and damage a rim, dogs could hide in some of the potholes and you would not see them!
We arrived in Inhambane at around 6 pm, the main road into town was bustling with activity, street vendors, parties, loud music, and the spirit was unbelievable.
We passed through Inhambane and travelled the last 25 km to Tofo, arriving at our destination, Paradise Dunes, a little after 6-30 pm. The last 500 metres was some very thick beach sand, no problem, we were there!
We unpacked our very dusty bikes, moved into our ?Casa?, and headed down to Casa Barry, right on the beach, for a well-earned seafood dinner, what else would one eat in Mozambique?
After dissecting the days adventure we returned to our ?Casa?, only getting lost once on the return trip, we had done over 1000km, not one wrong turn, but we battled to find our chalet that night. We drifted off to sleep to the sound of the waves breaking on the beach.
We awoke early the following morning, middle of winter in Gauteng but we watched the sunrise wearing shorts and a t-shirt, sipping on a steaming cup of coffee, life is rough in Africa!
Back to Casa Barry for breakfast, seated on a terrace next to the beach, what a place!
Later we went to the dive centre, a place we found by mistake the previous evening on our detour to our chalet. Peaches decided she wanted to go whale shark diving, one of the many adventures on offer in Tofo. Rob and myself decided to go up the coast to Praia de Marangula, about 190 km north. We extricated our bikes from the thick sand and after lots of ?be careful?s? from my wife, we headed north, back out through Inhambane, right at the Y-junction, through Maxixe onto the worst tar road I have ever seen. We took 3 hours to do 190 km, stopping at numerous roadworks and one stop at a place where they appeared to be clearing and detonating landmines. In general the vehicles there make our taxi?s seem well behaved, if your section of road looks better than his, sorry for you, I am bigger than you, and they use your piece of road. Adventure bikes are the answer here; ?off road? takes on a new meaning!
Another way of confusing the police is to stop and ask them something before they decide to stop you. We stopped at a roadblock and asked where the turning to Marangula was; they were very friendly and told us it was just up the road. We found the turn off and rode down a lovely hard packed sand road to Marangula. Only the last few hundred metres was thick sand, one dented shinbone courtesy of my Adventure crash bars, and we arrived at Praia de Marangula. What an awesome sight, palm trees and white beach as far as the eye could see. Next time we will spend more time here.
We had a quick lunch at the Baobab Restaurant, possibly the worst hamburger we have ever tasted, especially after I had ordered a toasted cheese sandwich! What the hell, the view was fantastic.
We hightailed back to Tofo, we had taken longer than expected to reach this paradise, and we had no way of letting my wife know that we were still ok, I had the only international roaming phone and I knew that she would be worried. We took little over 2 hours to get back, all the roadworks were in our favour and the road was in better condition going south. We found a short cut between Maxixe and Inhambane, it cut out about 40 km of tar road. After the obligatory photos of Inhambane harbour and the spectacular bay, we arrived in Tofo just after dark. My wife was very relieved to see us, she didn?t know whether to hug us or smack us! Next time we will have more phones with international roaming.
We went back to Casa Barry and swapped stories, my wife had thoroughly enjoyed diving with the whale sharks. She dived using snorkel, goggles and fins, all supplied by the charter company. Apparently it was a fantastic experience, the whale sharks were close enough to touch!
After another wonderful seafood dinner and more regaling about the day?s adventures, we retired for the night, the end of our weekend arriving far to quickly.
The following morning was a beautiful sunrise, just enough cloud to add to an already awesome sight. There is no sunrise more impressive than an African sunrise.
We left Inhambane at about 10-30 am and headed south towards Maputo, the roads were in our favour this time and the traffic was lighter, being Saturday. There are so many viewpoints to stop at along the coast, and each one is fantastic. The country has experienced immense turmoil over the years, but the sea views remain the same.
At Xai-Xai we stopped for fuel, we met up with the two Andre?s; they were on their way back from Ethiopia. The one Andre had fulfilled a lifelong dream of crossing the Equator on a motorbike. As a flight engineer he had done this hundreds of times by air, but this was his first time by bike. Needless to say, they were both riding BMW 1150 GS?s. They were also heading to Casa Lisa, a place just 50 km north of Maputo. We all rode together, arriving at Casa Lisa just before sunset. We booked in and headed to the bar to watch the last of the rugby match between France and S.A.
Later we all had dinner together, listening to the trials and tribulations of the two Andre?s, they had done over 10 000kms at this stage and had enjoyed every moment. What is life without adventure?
Early the next morning we packed our bikes for the last time and departed towards Maputo. We found the outskirts of Maputo to be extremely busy for a Sunday morning. We refuelled with just enough unleaded fuel to make Komatipoort, at R7.00/l we decided to rather fill up in S.A. where the fuel is ?cheaper?!
Border formalities were quick, it pays to hire a ?runner? - they get the passports stamped in record time. The South African side took a bit longer but soon we were on our way to Komatipoort for a ?Wimpy Breakfast?.
At Kaapmuiden we turned left towards Barberton, a far better ride than the Nelspruit route. We refuelled in Badplaas and made good time back towards JHB, stopping at the Total Petropoort to bid our farewells. The last 100 km were spent in deep thought on where our next adventure will take us, the Equator sounds good!
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