COME ON IN, THE WATER’S FINE WIN
As the year-end holidays start to shimmer on the horizon, I’m fairly sure I can’t be the only one daydreaming about the sea. And if you fancy a foreign holiday too, without too much trauma around long-distance travelling, our neighbour to the northeast has just announced a relaxation of its travel restrictions, thus throwing its hand up as a pretty great holiday option. In a national address last Thursday, Mozambique’s President Filipe Nyusi said diplomatic missions could resume the issuing of tourist visas. He did not make it clear, however, whether the visas would be available at airports and other points of entry, as they were before the pandemic. South African-passport holders, anyway, do not need a tourist visa for stays of up to 30 days.
Until now, everyone arriving in Mozambique has had to undergo a mandatory 10-day quarantine. Now, a negative PCR test, done within 72 hours, will suffice. Travellers who do not present a test at the border will have to quarantine for 10 days, or take a test at their own expense. Children under the age of 11 are exempt from the test requirement.
For those who may need multiple entries in a short period of time — presumably mainly for business — the test will remain valid for 14 days.
Nyusi said the measures currently in force to restrict the spread of
Covid-19 — including the wearing of masks in public, hand-washing and social distancing — remain in place.
Mozambique declared a state of emergency on March 30, after which only citizens and foreign residents were allowed to enter the country. In August, restrictions were relaxed to allow entry for business purposes, but this is the first time since the pandemic began that the borders have opened to leisure travellers.
By this week, the country had recorded 13,202 cases of Covid-19, with 10,439 recoveries and 94 deaths.
Pictured here is an underwater scene off the coast of a town in the extreme south, about 15km north of the South African border. Known for its gorgeous beaches and excellent diving and deep-sea fishing, it is extremely popular with South Africans, who generally descend on the town over the holidays to bask in its laid-back charms, seeking out dolphins by day and R&Rs (Mozambique’s “official drink”, Rum & Raspberry) by night.
While it was once notoriously difficult to reach because of the state of the roads — 4x4 only — this changed dramatically in 2018 with the completion of a tarred road that runs all the way there from the Kosi Bay border. Its Portuguese name translates to “Tip (or Point) of Gold”.
● To stand a chance of winning R500, tell us the name of the town. E-mail travelquiz@sundaytimes.co.za before noon on Tuesday November 10. Last week’s winner is AJ Carlson. The correct answer was the Altyn-Emel National Park.