PLACES TO SEE

Maputo:
This is the capital city of Mozambique with a population of about two million people and a large harbour.
In 1898 central authority for Mozambique was transferred from Mozambique Island to Delago Bay (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 journey with ox wagons, running the risks of malaria tsetsie fly and lions. After the construction of the Eastern Line from Delago Bay to Pretoria, transport became safer and more profitable. There is the memorial Josina Machel Street, to the Voortekker Leader, Louis Trichardt and his trek that tried to find a route to the sea through Mozambique and eventually came to grief when most of the trekkers died of malaria in the then Delago Bay (Maputo) in 1838.

The city was called Lourenco Marques, "LM", before independance and was then a sought after tourist destination.
Under Portuguese influence, Lourenzo Marques became one of Africa’s most beautiful and fashionable cities with a cosmopolitan Continental atmosphere, pavement cafes, and a thriving tourist industry.The famous Polana Hotel was one of the tourist social highlights and the nightclubs pulsed with action until the early hours.
Maputo's streets are lined with lovely avenues of trees including, Palm trees, Jacarandas and Flame trees.

The civil war in the 1970s and 1980s changed all that. When peace finally came, the once beautiful Mozambican city was in terrible disrepair. Thousands of immigrants crowded the buildings, litter and filth lay everywhere and major services including water and electricity were non existant. Signs of the struggle still show by the bullet holes and marks on the walls of many buildings of the city. These damaged buildings include not only private homes but also some markets, museums, palaces and even synagogues.

Today the city is slowly recreating some of its former glory. The tourists are once more visiting the five-star Polana Hotel, with its view over the harbour. MAPUTO PLACES TO SEE

Pickpockets are rife in some areas so common sense and caution should be exercised when visiting these areas, ask at your hotel or at a tourist information centre.

The brighter side is that the city is being rebuilt, with the hope that it can again capture it's attraction and success as a very popular tourist destination.

	MOZAMBIQUE DAY TOUR Experience the bustle of this vibrant city. Visit Mozambique where Vasco Da Gama landed in 1498 on his way to India. • City Tour of Maputo includes sights of historical, cultural and scenic beauty. Note: A passport is required and visa conditions for non SA Citizens. SEA FOOD LUNCH INCLUDED.   MOZAMBIQUE DAY ON THE BEACH		Tel: 013-790 0401 Fax: 013-7900406 Cell: 00 27 0829263716 Email: corinna.louw@thompsons.co.za
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The Central Railway Station with it's dome of copper shows signs of the attractive architecture which the Portuguese brought to Mozambique.

There are the Jardim Tunduru Botanical Gardens which were established in 1883 and contained cycads, ferns, both indigenous and exotic species of plants.

There are a number of museums to see in Maputo

A well known landmark is the Fort of Nossa Senhora da Conceiao (Our Lady of Conception) which was the nucleus of the original settlement.

There are also some excellent - and fantastically expensive, as everything is quoted in US$- restaurants where you can enjoy Mozambican beer and peri-peri prawns.

The infamous Fere de Populare has dozens of bars and discos where Mozambicans dance well into the night to seductive Latino beats. These places are lots of fun and quite safe, but men seldom escape without at least one proposition from the many prostitutes.

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.