Posted: 3/9/16 | March 9th, 2016
Every month, Kristin Addis from Be My travel Muse shares guidance on solo female travel. It’s an essential topic I can’t adequately cover, so I brought in an expert to share suggestions for other solo female travelers! here she is with another amazing article!
Mozambique isn’t a country on the common backpacker trail. It’s rumored to be challenging and harmful and very few solo travelers visit.
But, much like the rest of Africa, it’s misunderstood and prone to fall victim to stereotypes.
Before I went to Africa, and Mozambique in particular, people told me to “be careful.”
Yet I concerned find that once I got to Mozambique, many of what I heard was wrong.
Yes, it was somewhat challenging to travel through, with long bus journeys and overfilled minivans. and yes, I had to keep my wits about me because that’s always essential when you travel solo.
But for the most part the beaches were beautiful, the piri piri seafood was delicious, and the fact that it’s not a traveler hotspot made it peaceful, too.
It’s also affordable. Mozambique is the only country I’ve been to where I didn’t have to pay double to have a bungalow to myself as a solo traveler. It’s one of few places where I could purchase a coconut for around ten cents, a mango for five cents, and a whole fish big enough to feed three people for around $6 USD.
There are also a bunch of fun and interesting things to do in Mozambique that you can’t do anywhere else, especially in a destination as low-cost and uncrowded as Tofo.
Located in southern Mozambique, Tofo beach is a small coastal town with a laid-back vibe. It’s an outstanding place to dive, see whale sharks, lounge on the beach, and more. Here’s how to make the most of your time here:
1. Go scuba Diving
Tofo is home to numerous well-known scuba diving spots known for sightings of big sea creatures. Whales, dolphins, whale sharks, and manta rays are all known to frequent the warm, nutrient-rich waters of Mozambique.
You’re also unlikely to have to battle with other divers for the best sites. There are only a couple of diving outfits in Tofo, such as Tofo Scuba, which charges around $35 USD per tank. This implies that if you spot a whale shark under the water, there won’t be hundreds of other tourists jumping in the water with you like in the Maldives and the Philippines.
2. find hidden Enclaves
Tofo is the only beach destination I have ever went to where tourism actually appeared to be on the decline. Usually, I check out a beach and then find it’s completely ruined when I return a few years later, overrun with tourists. Mozambique is different for a few reasons, namely the difficulty of traveling there and the lack of general information available about it.
That implies that the people who you do meet there are typically really interesting travelers. They might be peace Corps volunteers on their summer break, people from Australia or the states who work in agriculture, South Africans, or other travelers who were already in Africa and got there by word of mouth.
The beaches are still beautiful, the sand is still clean, and the locals aren’t jaded yet. To me, that’s the ideal kind of place.
3. Make local Friends
Mozambicans are friendly. Those who can speak English are practically always interested in hanging out with foreigners, and in some cases you can delight in a heartwarming experience as a result.
Pictured above are Orlando and Nate. Nate is an American man who chose to invite Orlando on his trip through Mozambique after learning that Orlando had never left his village. The relationship between the two was mutually beneficial, as Nate got to have a much more local travel experience and Orlando finally got to see his own country.
When I heard about it, this kind of thing didn’t surprise me, because locals were showing me around Mozambique all the time, as well as taking me to late-night dance parties and art galleries.
4. Take a boat trip to the Offshore Islands
Boat trips are a fun and low-cost way to fill an afternoon in Mozambique. In Tofo, you can typically organize one with a local or through your hostel with a group of pals for around $30 USD per person. It’s as easy as just asking the question: chances are good that someone will know someone who has a boat and can take you. It’s the way Tofo works.
The boats are simple, with sideways sails and rudders made out of old wood. It won’t be fancy, but it will be beautiful. Bring your own beer, sit back, and enjoy.
5. ride a Quad Bike through the Sand Dunes
When you rent a quad bike in Tofo, you can take it through some of the small villages (and by small, I imply 5-10 turf huts) in the sand dunes behind the beach. kids run out and either wave or decide to be little rascals and try to get onto the back of the quad bike as you ride by.
You can find all kinds of little enclaves and beaches that aren’t available directly from tHan strand i selve Tofo, eller du kan endelig give dig selv en tur til ATM, som ellers er en 30-minutters gåtur væk.
6. Slap af alle darn dag
Sandheden skal siges, mange dage i tofo slettede jeg bare ud på al darn dag i en hængekøje, i en pool, i havet eller på stranden. Det er ikke dyrt, med en øl, der kører lige under $ 2 USD, en plade med skaldyr overalt fra $ 6 USD for Barracuda eller rejer til $ 12 USD for en hel hummer og en privat bungalow på stranden omkring $ 15 USD.
Det er det ideelle sted at bare lounge i uger og lytte til musik med venner mellem dips i havet og solnedgangsvandringer – uden at føle sig skyldig for at have brugt en formue.
7. Hitch A Boleia
En almindelig måde at komme omkring Mozambique på er at hitchhike i en boleia på portugisisk. Tofo er ikke stor, men hvis du vil komme til ATM, som er lidt af en tur, er en tur også meget hurtigere og meget sjovere!
Jeg tog et par Boleias, der på en eller anden måde var lige så afvikling som at lægge på stranden – jeg sad på bagsiden af en pickup og betragtede, da vi passerede små landsbyer med torvhytter og hundreder af træer tunge med mangofrugt. Nogle Boleias er endda både.
De er lette at få. Du skal bare sørge for, at du er i et logisk kryds i køb for at få en tur. Spørg rundt, før du prøver det, for at få noget intel fra de lokale.
En note om Boleias: Jeg kan ikke anbefale dette som en solo -rejsende, især hvis du ikke taler nogen portugisisk, og generelt kan jeg ikke sige, at dette er den sikreste metode til at rejse, men som nævnt er det almindeligt i “Moz” og den måde, jeg personligt kom rundt på.
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Jeg er taknemmelig for, at jeg trods de for det meste negative oplysninger, jeg stødte på om Mozambique, lyttede til de få mennesker, der fortalte mig, at det var et fantastisk sted, der var værd at udforske. Jeg er taknemmelig for, at jeg så det for mig selv, og jeg er begejstret over at dele det med dig nu.
Bare fordi en destination ikke er så kendt, betyder det ikke, at den ikke kan være vidunderlig. Hvis du har en chance for at tage til Mozambique, skal du tage den og vende tilbage og fortælle mig, hvordan det behandlede dig!
Kristin Addis er en solo kvindelig rejseekspert, der inspirerer kvinder til at rejse verden på en autentisk og eventyrlig måde. En tidligere investeringsbankmand, der solgte alle sine værdigenstande og forlod Californien i 2012, har Kristin solo rejst verden rundt i over otte år og dækker hvert kontinent (undtagen Antarktis, men det er på hendes liste). Der er praktisk talt intet, hun ikke vil prøve og praktisk talt ingen steder, hun ikke vil udforske. Du kan finde meget mere af hendes mønstre på Be My Travel Muse eller på Instagram og Facebook.
Book din rejse: logistiske forslag og tricks
Book din flyvning
Brug Skyscanner eller Momondo til at finde en billig flyvning. De er mine to foretrukne søgemaskiner, fordi de søger på steder og flyselskaber over hele kloden, så du ved altid, at der ikke er nogen sten, der ikke er vendt. Start dog med Skyscanner først, fordi de har den mest betydningsfulde rækkevidde!
Book din indkvartering
Du kan booke dit hostel med HostelWorld, da de har de mest betydningsfulde lager og bedste tilbud. Hvis du vil bo et andet sted end et vandrerhjem, skal du bruge Booking.com, da de konsekvent returnerer de mest overkommelige priser for gæstehuse og billige hoteller.
Glem ikke rejseforsikring
Rejseforsikring vil beskytte dig mod sygdom, skade, tyveri og aflysninger. Det er omfattende beskyttelse, hvis noget går galt. Jeg tager aldrig på en tur uden den, da jeg har været nødt til at bruge den adskillige gange i fortiden. Mine yndlingsfirmaer, der tilbyder den bedste service og værdi, er:
Sikkerhedsfløj (for alle under 70)
Forsikre min rejse (for dem over 70)
Medjet (til yderligere hjemsendelse af hjemsendelse)
Leder du efter de bedste virksomheder til at spare penge med?
Tjek min ressourceside for de bedste virksomheder, der skal bruges, når du rejser. Jeg viser alle dem, jeg bruger til at spare penge, når jeg er på vej. De sparer dig penge, når du også rejser.