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Worth getting off in Maputo


PRIDDO
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  • 1 month later...
You have three choices;

* Stay on the ship.

* Go into town. A very short walk from the ship.

* Or take a tour.

We've been there twice; one just earlier this year.

I would at least walk over to the Train Station which was designed by Eiffel and just spend a few minutes browsing the area.Keith

 

Appreciate so much both the good question and multiple smart follow-ups, including the good pictures from Keith. We are getting ready for an early February 2016 sailing along the South Africa coast, including a 2-7 pm stop for Maputo, Mozambique. Our experienced travel agent, who had been there, gave us a combination of advice . . . and warning!

 

She noted that Maputo can be fairly hot and dusty. She shared that you want to get a sample for some of "it", but that much of this stop is just for "bragging right" to say that you have been to Mozambique. The country's name does sound "exotic" and different. Right? We will probably do a 3.5 hour "City Orientation" tour through our ship that gives us an overview and sampling. Agree with Keith that doing some "discovery" can be interesting and/or surprising.

 

From the Telegraph newspaper in London, June 23, 2015, they had this headline:

"Mozambique rises from the ashes"

Then, the sub-head noted: "Blighted by a 16-year civil war, Mozambique is bouncing back with a new wave of island lodges and chic coastal hotels" . The story also noted that Mozambique just celebrated its 40th anniversary of independence from Portuguese colonial rule.

 

This UK newspaper story also had these highlights: "With 1,550 miles of spectacular Indian Ocean coastline and national parks bounding back to life, this beautiful country is also celebrating a renewed vitality and confidence following a bumpy ride as a fledgling independent nation. Economic mismanagement and a bitter 16-year civil war that ended in 1992 marred the country’s early days. But today, Mozambique is emerging as one of the world’s fastest-growing economies. A booming business travel trade has been fuelled by investments in the oil and gas industries, and a new-found optimism is spreading through the tourism sector. Mozambique’s coastal hotspots in the north and south are leading the way. With a relaxed Afro-Mediterranean vibe, Maputo is a melange of faded grandeur, modern glamour and urban grime."

 

THANKS! Enjoy! Terry in Ohio

 

Enjoyed a 14-day, Jan. 20-Feb. 3, 2014, Sydney to Auckland adventure, getting a big sampling for the wonders of "down under” before and after this cruise. Go to:

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=1974139

for more info and many pictures of these amazing sights in this great part of the world. Now at 128,069 views for this posting.

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We just returned from a cruise that included a port stop in Maputo and I arranged a private walking tour to Mafalala, one of the oldest, most emblematic and historic neighbourhoods. The 3-hr walk was organized by an NGO that works to provide sustainable employment to area residents. It was an exploration off the beaten track into the under belly of Maputo society. We wandered the narrow lanes and dusty roads of this poor and peripheral community that is so rich in cultural diversity. Our guides shared stories about the development of Maputo from colonial times through to the struggle for independence of Mozambique, wherein Mafalala freedom fighters played a pivotal role. We interacted with local people in a visit to a local primary school and with a traditional dance by Macua women. The walking tour gave us a glimpse into the real lives of Maputo residents who have few material possessions but possess a wealth of pride and kinship. It is not for everyone but I highly recommend it for the adventurous traveler who will appreciate the raw reality of Mafalala.

 

After the tour, we did a little self exploration around the port and saw the Eiffel train station, the central market, the old fort, the iron house and the fish market. All of these sites are easily walkable from the port for people with good mobility. There are some pesky vendors who hang out in the port area but if you ignore them, they won't pester you for long. Don't dismiss Maputo! It's worth more than bragging rights!

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We just returned from a cruise that included a port stop in Maputo and I arranged a private walking tour to Mafalala,

 

 

But how did you organise such a thing?? Our cruise ship has 3 "tours" - but they are all booked out already.

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Been there, Is worth the effort??

We took the train --

 

http://www.mozambiquetravelservice.com/maputo/city_tours_maputo_mozambique.htm

 

For $30... Lot of people incessantly trying to sell you stuff.

 

As I said take the little tour train comes with a guide. You will stop at all of the points listed - train station. fish market, old fort.

 

Hop On Off Train

 

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Botanical Gardens

 

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Fearless Leader

 

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Iron House

 

CIMG0578_zpsntouj92x.jpg

 

 

What do you find at a Fish Market???

 

CIMG0569_zpsdxeekjmp.jpg

 

Train Station

 

CIMG0560_zps08xcpczn.jpg

Edited by PaulMCO
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But how did you organise such a thing?? Our cruise ship has 3 "tours" - but they are all booked out already.
I don't think any ship excursions go to Mafalala, at least ours didn't. I arranged our walking tour with Associacao IVERCA by email with co-founder Ivan at http://www.iverca.org. There are several operators who offer a similar walking tour in Maputo but IVERCA plows its profits back into the local community. Ivan is a very knowledgeable tour guide as well as a captivating story teller. We enjoyed the tour immensely but it's not for everyone. Come with an open mind and good walking shoes to experience an up close look at the realities of life in a marginalized neighbourhood. Highly recommended. Check out all the great reviews on Trip Advisor.
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  • 1 year later...

These posts are from a few years ago, so I'm looking for an updated answer for our Nov. '17 cruise. No excursions are posted by the ship yet, but we know going in that we will require a visa ($169pp) in addition to the cost of any tours, bringing the possible cost to $350-$400 per person for touring Maputo, in the 8 hours we will spend there. So given these facts, is it worth it? The Eiffel train station is intriguing, but can we see it from the ship? Will appreciate your comments. Marlene

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  • 1 month later...
These posts are from a few years ago, so I'm looking for an updated answer for our Nov. '17 cruise. No excursions are posted by the ship yet, but we know going in that we will require a visa ($169pp) in addition to the cost of any tours, bringing the possible cost to $350-$400 per person for touring Maputo, in the 8 hours we will spend there. So given these facts, is it worth it? The Eiffel train station is intriguing, but can we see it from the ship? Will appreciate your comments. Marlene

 

That is a lot of money for a visa! Are you sure your ship cannot get you the visa at a lower cost?

Maputo has a lot to offer depending of your interest. You coul save the money of the tour and take a taxi to Polana Hotel. Lovely place.

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  • 1 month later...

On the visa question, it was handled through our ship early last year and I think it was a fairly minimal amount. Maybe $20 as a I re-call?? Clearly, we are from the USA. It might be different for those from other countries such as the UK. Do not know the current rules, costs, etc..

 

Is Maputo worth it? From our experience, Mozambique might surprise you. As detailed below in my live/blog from early last year, we found our visit there to be very different (in a positive way) and highly interesting. Our expectations were low, but it worked well for our interests in a fairly short period of time.

 

What did we see and do in Maputo? Below are just a few visual samples. More pictures and details are on my live/blog connected below starting on page two with post #34. Clearly Maputo is not as great and wonderful as would be Lisbon/Portgual, Venice, etc. Overall, it worked well for us in sampling this part of the world.

 

THANKS! Enjoy! Terry in Ohio

 

AFRICA?!!?: Lots of interesting and dramatic pictures can be seen from this live/blog at:

www.boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=2310337

Now at 33,758 views for this visual sharing including Cape Town, along South Africa’s coast, Mozambique, Victoria Falls/Zambia and Botswana's famed Okavango Delta area.

 

Right near to our ship was their famed rail station with its distinctive design by Mr. Eiffel with its cast iron top. Lots of people, busses and action were around this location that was only about a block and a half from where tour ship docked. My wife commented that my picture made this area/building look better than the more grim urban “reality” that we encountered.:

(Open your screen/viewer wider to see these pictures larger!)

Africa2016PixsA13_zpsbixdg13z.jpg

 

Here is one visuals from their central town market that we visited. Lots of varied goods here, including seafood (without the cooling protection of ice), home goods, hair extensions, fruit, veggies, etc., etc. Most people here, especially, the women did not want their pictures taken. Local custom is to ask first!!:

Africa2016PixsA14_zps8gygewq5.jpg

 

Here is an example of just one of the many, many street merchants pushing their various goods. There were lots of colorful items available and they would quickly be willing to drop the prices down as you showed total lack of interest and/or were trying to explain the lack of luggage space to bring back some of these larger items.:

Africa2016PixsA19_zps9yerbyou.jpg

 

At their historic town fort dating back to the 1600’s, here is one visual from this old stone structure. This includes the view from this fortress towards some of the newer/nearby buildings, plus their old cannons and shells, some colorful flowers on the trees, etc.:

Africa2016PixsA17_zpsgdqtm10h.jpg

 

Here is a view of their National Capitol building, with the newer design of the main Catholic Cathedral shown at the right. In the center, dominating this square is this statute of their first leader at the time of gaining freedom from colonial rule.:

Africa2016PixsA20_zpsvoxov8kh.jpg

 

Here is just one visual from the craft market we visited during our ship’s city tour. Lots of variety and well-made items that we saw. This picture has my wife talking about options. In the background, you can see the wide range of items offered in just a small part of this large area.:

Africa2016PixsA27_zpszpoxim0t.jpg

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  • 3 weeks later...

We will be on a cruise from Dubai to Cape town Nov - Dec 2017 on Crystal cruises. We will stop in Maputo and also in some other ports in S. Africa.

We were told by our cruise line that we can get our Visas (we are US citizens) ahead of time but that doesn't work for our friends who need it a week ahead for another trip. OR we were told we could get it on board but the process could take hours. So my question is, did it take your ship hours to process visas? Or was it fairly quick.

 

Also I see you used Alan Tours for Addo Elephant Park. Was your experience a good one? We have been to Africa on safari 3 times so we are not new to the experience but want a nice day experience. Could your vehicle have held 4 persons as we are two couples traveling together?

 

I will need to read more to see what other ports you visited to see if you have any other suggestions for individual tours in other ports. Thanks for any questions you can answer.

Sue

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We will be on a cruise from Dubai to Cape town Nov - Dec 2017 on Crystal cruises. We will stop in Maputo and also in some other ports in S. Africa.

We were told by our cruise line that we can get our Visas (we are US citizens) ahead of time but that doesn't work for our friends who need it a week ahead for another trip. OR we were told we could get it on board but the process could take hours. So my question is, did it take your ship hours to process visas? Or was it fairly quick. Also I see you used Alan Tours for Addo Elephant Park. Was your experience a good one? We have been to Africa on safari 3 times so we are not new to the experience but want a nice day experience. Could your vehicle have held 4 persons as we are two couples traveling together? I will need to read more to see what other ports you visited to see if you have any other suggestions for individual tours in other ports. Thanks for any questions you can answer. Sue

 

Appreciate these good questions and this follow-up from Sue. I assume you were looking for me to respond, right? In the future, it is best to post any questions on my live/blog for southern Africa and I am more likely to notice that need for info at that location. And respond more quickly!!

 

Great that you are doing a cruise with Crystal. We sailed with them in 2008 for doing the Baltics/Russia. Wonderful experience!! For our stop last year at Maputo, it was just a simple $25 per person billed to our ship account for that Mozambique visa. The charge was the same whether you were getting off of the ship or not. All guests, except South Africa national, had to have this visa. Not sure how that "mechanic" might work for your friends to do this a week earlier on another trip. In re-reading our notice from Silversea of Feb. 3, 2016, if your friends get their Mozambique ahead of time, then they would NOT be charged by the ship for this fee. Does this help?

 

YES, super loved Alan and our excellent tour with him through Addo Elephant Park. As I re-call, yes, our vehicle could easily handle four passengers. Maybe more. Not totally sure right now.

 

Do more reading on my live/blog and do not be shy in asking any added questions. Happy to share more!! Below are a few pictures from our Addo Elephant Park adventure. Love that location and having the added time there by using a private tour.

 

THANKS! Enjoy! Terry in Ohio

 

AFRICA?!!?: Lots of interesting and dramatic pictures can be seen from this live/blog at:

www.boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=2310337

Now at 34,261 views for this visual sharing including Cape Town, along South Africa’s coast, Mozambique, Victoria Falls/Zambia and Botswana's famed Okavango Delta area.

 

When the park is called an “elephant park”, what would you expect there? Yes, elephants!! Here are two of my elephant visuals from Addo. Don’t you just love these baby elephants, especially how they are posing and looking at the camera? Many more pictures on my live/blog.:

(Open your screen/viewer wider to see these pictures larger!)

Africa2016PixsA57_zpsgfv9pxkl.jpg

 

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Want to see zebra? It’s Africa, right? You would expect them here. Here is a group. Lots of zebras in this park. Some of the male zebra are not shy animals. Several of the male zebra had big bite marks and scars on their necks. Another zebra had had part of its ear chewed off. Life can be tough among the “wildlife”!!.:

Africa2016PixsA54_zps3i5k6rmh.jpg

From Addo, we saw several ostriches, including the adult male and female, both with very different colorations/coats. But, I also managed to get several shots of just of their three “babies”. This one view is a top favorite as the three heads are aligned in special and very interesting angles. Agree that this one picture is a “super keeper”?

Africa2016PixsA66_zpsvk8ddizq.jpg

Super loved our views of these kudu animals at Addo. Got to be amazed totally by their unique, twisted horns and the colorations on their coats.:

Africa2016PixsA59_zpssgyjdj3m.jpg

Here is just one of the more interesting birds that I was able to “capture” photographically at Addo. Notice the special colors and shapes that make it fun to see these creatures in the wild.:

Africa2016PixsA63_zpsnf2chagl.jpg

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