Lost in paradise
Their second excursion to Mozambique got off to a rocky start, but that didn’t mean that Leon and Rosalia Barnard’s trip to the Santa Maria peninsula was ruined.
After previously spending a month in Mozambique, my wife Rosalia and I knew we had to return because our neighbour to the north holds such promise of great adventure, hidden gems with surreal scenery, and interesting cuisine.
So we packed up our Ford Ranger Wildtrak, towing a Mobilodge caravan, and headed straight for the Kosi Bay border post after leaving our Klerksdorp home earlier this year. While our excitement levels were understandably high, our navigation wasn’t quite where it should have been and just after passing into Mozambique we realised we had already taken the wrong sand track.
It sounds like you had a tough time getting there.
We tried using GPS, but the signal was too weak to offer proper guidance. There are also virtually no signposts or boards that help pinpoint certain places so it is a bit difficult to find your way.
For example, after about 50 km we turned right at the first turnoff indicating that the Maputo Elephant Reserve is in that direction. We later found out that we should actually have turned towards the park 50 km later, because we entered it from the southern gate.
We also got stuck despite decreasing tyre pressures to between 1,2 and 1,5 bar, because the caravan’s jockey wheel caught on the soft sandy road and broke our momentum. It didn’t help that the Mobilodge was heavily loaded.
Eventually, a rescue party was sent out to look for us. We had used a satellite phone to call back home to our son Andre, who called for help on our behalf.
What does it look like there?
All of the camping stands are shaded by lush trees and each has its own boma, electricity, running water and plenty of space for a certain degree of privacy. There are breathtaking views all around you, white sandy pathways, quaint little huts and fishing dhows on the lagoon.
What does it cost to camp there?
It’s R150 per person. The stands are
spacious enough for a party of 12, which is the number that management limits a group to (at R1 800). Children between four and eight years old pay 50% of the sharing price and toddlers under three stay for free.
What did you get up to?
We pretty much spent our days roaming the flawless beaches of the area and kept on visiting the nearby rock pools, where there’s an abundance of marine life, shells, coral, and even a shipwreck to explore. We tried our hands at fishing, another local pastime, but sadly nothing took the bait. We also snorkelled around the reef of Inhaca Island after taking a ferry across the water. This was how we spent out days untill we eventually had to pack up and head back.
Any tips for someone headed that way as well?
Call ahead and get proper directions from the campsite or resort you’re staying at. Also, if you have access to a resource like Tracks4Africa, make use of it. Ask the management at your destination if the road inbound is suited for towing a caravan. Fortunately, we remembered that we had brought along a satellite phone, which came in handy because cellphone reception and signal to our Garmin GPS was intermittent.