Mozambique Travel Guide

As it is impossible to exchange meticais outside of Mozambique it is advisable to change a small amount of currency if arriving at a land border in mid to late afternoon to cover taxis and meals for the first night, currency exchanges generally close at 18:00 and due to sporadic ATM failures access to currency is by no means guaranteed out of hours. When accepted by merchants foreign currency has an extremely poor exchange rate.

The currency of Mozambique is the new metical (plural meticais, pronounced 'meta-caysh'), denoted by the symbol "MT" (ISO code: MZN). It may also be called Meticais Nova Família. It is notionally divided into 100 centavos.

By car

Traffic is left-handed, cars are often in poor condition, and drivers may not know or respect traffic rules. Driving under the influence of alcohol and drugs is common, especially at night and on weekends. Driving after dark outside the city is not recommended. Keep car windows closed and doors locked, especially when stopping at intersections. Driving can lead to being stopped by the police for bribes. There have also been cases of carjacking. It is not a good idea to pick up strangers. The EN1 runs the length of the country generally staying close to the coast from Maputo up. Ro…

The official language of Mozambique is Portuguese, though many people speak English in the capital Maputo and in touristy areas. The further north you travel the less likely you are to encounter English speakers, and as you enter more rural areas even Portuguese is limited. Mozambicans speak standard Portuguese (European Portuguese), and it is spoken as a lingua franca or second language of speakers of various native languages.

Risks are much the same as many other countries in Africa (and significantly less than some, including parts of South Africa). Nevertheless muggings, robberies, rape and murder do occur, so the normal precautions should be taken. Women absolutely should never walk alone on beaches. Attacks on women have grown in tourist areas. In particular it's worth checking with local hostels and other tourists as to where dangerous areas are.

Mobile phones

Movitel is becoming the most popular carrier in the country. There is also the South-African owned Vodacom MozambiqueVodacom have 4G in many towns and GPRS Edge elsewhere. The APN is internet. Check your phone manual for setting instructions. The mCel service is not entirely reliable, especially outside Maputo. Vodacom is generally very good. Many Mozambicans think Movitel has the fastest internet, especially outside Maputo. While it is OK to buy credit from the hundreds of v…