Grand Escapades
Travel Photography & Travel Experiences of Africa, South America, the Middle-East & Asia
Crossing the Border from Mozambique to Malawi on Motorbike-Taxis
Leaving Mozambique and entering Malawi was quick and painless. Luckily, on the Malawian side, young men on motorbikes waited to take people across the 4 kilometer stretch between the two countries. We had not expected the borders to be so far apart and without them we would have had to walk the hilly road with our backpacks. Continue Reading →
Posing for the picture, Baixa District, Maputo
Back in 2012 Heidi thought this was the toughest country she had ever traveled. Transport is excruciatingly painful, busses and chapas are packed to the rim, with music blasting all through the night. And, Mozambique is an expensive country to travel! This shows with entering the country, when tourists have to dish out 80 Euros for a visa. Simple rooms go for minimum 40 Euro and food is not cheap either. Continue Reading →
The name Tete has a certain ring to it, a place you want to visit. Besides that, who is not interested in visiting a booming mining town all around, with all this coal around it? The other unique attraction is the Cassasso Dam about two hours upriver, the world’s fifths largest dam (hard to believe that Mozambique suffers from regular power breakdowns) and Mozambique’s hottest city. Continue Reading →
Praia de Tofo, Mozambique
Every house and every shack is part of the tourist industry. Tofo offers all kinds of accommodation, although the backpackers all seem to huddle together at Fatima’s. You can get cheaper rooms with more comfort, but it is the social center of Tofo, not only for the backpackers. Continue Reading →
Statue of Samora Machel, Mozambique’s First President, Baixa District, Maputo
Mozambique is another example how vulnerable the tourist industry is. Even minor incidents can quickly lead to an exodus of tourists. In Mozambique’s case it was skirmishes near Beira between political parties competing in the upcoming election. This led to traffic restrictions on the stretch between Vilanculo and Beira. Cars and busses had to travel in convoys. All this was dragged through in the South African media and immediately a rush of cancelations set in. With South Africans being the main customers, it is definitely hurting Tofo and Vilanculos. Continue Reading →
Whale Shark (Rhincodon Typus), Praia de Tofo, Tofo, Mozambique
It was the Whale Sharks that made us do the horrid eight hours trip from Maputo, squashed in a small bus. At least in the shuttle of the Fatima Hostel, we were not tortured by blasting 100 decibel music usually played on public busses in Mozambique. Continue Reading →
Baixa District, Maputo, Mozambique
After a very, very long trip from Europe, we breathed the salty air of Maputo, a city Heidi had such fond memories of. Its crazy mix of faded colonial Portuguese architecture and post-colonial precast concrete with slabs (vulgo “Plattenbauten”), left a lasting imprint on her. Continue Reading →
At Inhambane Airport, Inhambane, Mozambique
The trip Vienna – Frankfurt – Addis Ababa – Maputo worked out like a Swiss clock, maybe except the fact that the once sleepy airport of Addis Ababa has turned into a mess with Ethiopian Airlines doubling its fleet within the last 2 years. The infrastructure of the airport certainly cannot cope with the masses, there is simply not enough of everything: busses, X-ray machines, toilets, food stalls, competent staff, whatsoever… Continue Reading →
We spent three weeks in Zimbabwe in Juli 2012, and covered most of the National Parks and “Highlights” of this beautiful country on a Self-Drive Safari: Matobo, Hwange, Victoria Falls, Lake Kariba, Mana Pools, Gweru & Gonarezhou – Here you find a selection of 24 pictures of Zimbabwe Continue Reading →
African Elephant (Loxodonta Africana), Nyamandhlovu Pan, Hwange National Park, Zimbabwe
In July 2012, after travelling 5.700 kilometers in three weeks in cars, boats and even a canoe, we got a bit of a feel what Zimbabwe is like, at least from a tourist’s perspective… Nevertheless, this country is so large and has so much to offer, both On and Off The Beaten Track that we actually feel we only scratched the surface! Continue Reading →