MAPUTO, MOZAMBIQUE

This morning when we awoke we were docked in the port of Maputo, Mozambique.  Here is what the Viking Daily said about this city:

“Hugging the eastern shores of Southern Africa, Mozambique is a rich and colorful tapestry of African, Asian and European traditions on the glittering Indian Ocean.  Its thriving capital, Maputo, is known as “City of Acadia’s” for the many trees that line its avenues.  Though the Portuguese landed here in 1544, they did not fortify the nascent town until 1787.  One hundred years later, as neighboring South Africa grew in economic prominence and gold was discovered nearby, the need to deepen the harbor for shipping increased.  A rail link into the port from inland reaches further bolstered the city’s prosperity, and by the mid-20th century, South Africans and Rhodesians (today’s Zimbabweans) were vacationing In Maputo for its fine hotels, restaurants and beaches.”

This reads like Maputo is a beautiful port town and worth a visit, doesn’t it?  We weren’t sure what to think……. Word was going all around the ship that this city was unsafe.  There was a Travelers Advisory for US citizens issued by the State Department and this city ranked number 3 out of 4 as unsafe to visit due to potential civil unrest and violence. And, following our visit to Nosy Be, many on board also felt that this city would be more of the same and elected to say on board during port stop.  Mark and I felt a little adventurous and decided to give it a try.  We are so glad we did!

First off, it was NOTHING like Nosy Be!  It is a huge, bustling metropolitan city, fairly clean and not threatening.  (At least the areas that we saw, we felt very safe.).  We met our guide at the pier and toured the city by motor coach.  Our excursion today was called “Panoramic Maputo (included)” and was a short tour, only 2 1/2 hours long.  We travelled through the center city and saw government buildings, office buildings, churches and apartments.  We found out that the predominant language is Portuguese and the culture is Zulu.  Besides our panoramic drive we visited several interesting landmarks including a Catholic cathedral, Historic monument, Botanical Garden, a Market and finally, our favorite, the beautiful train station & train museum.  

Here are photos that I captured from our visit and a little description of each.

The bridge above is the longest spanning bridge in Africa.  The bay was beautiful!  Also shown is a tree lined street and the French- African Diplomatic Headquarters.

Cityscapes of  Maputo including the Main Government Building (bottom left)

City Market

The Cathedral of Our Lady of the Immaculate Conception.  Stunning!

The major religions in Mozambique are Christianity, Islam, and traditional African religions.  Christianity was introduced by Portuguese colonizers in the 15th century.  Today, the majority of Mozambicans identity as Christian’s with Roman Catholic Church being the largest domination.

We visited the Botanical Gardens.  Cute little girl enjoying the gardens!

The Fortress of Maputo - one of the main historical monuments. 

The Central Railway Station is a historic train station in Maputo that links to South Africa, Eswatini and Zimbabwe.  It was  constructed from 1908 to 1916 in the Beaux- Arts style and has been ranked by international publications as one of the world’s most beautiful stations.  It really is beautiful!

The station includes a railway museum.

I found a few doors!  One was at the fort and the other two at the train station.

Next Up - SOUTH AFRICA!