Maputo is the capital of Mozambique on the East African coast. If you want a holiday that is out of the ordinary then you may want to visit Maputo. The best time to go is during the months of June and July, which is winter, is Mozambique, but the temperature is still sixty degrees. It is not advisable to go in the summer months, which are December though February because it can get unbearably hot, and the risk of contracting malaria is much higher.

You should not drink the tap water, stick to bottled water and beer, but avoid draught beer because it is sometimes thinned with tap water. Some visitors find Mozambique a bit of a culture shock. Maputo is a city where severe poverty is in evidence and many of the beggars there are young children. It is safer to travel around the city in taxi cabs, and licensed taxis run from all the major hotels, you should avoid walking around the city at night time. Johannesburg residents often holiday there, getting cheap flights to Maputo to enjoy the beautiful beaches there and to eat some of the finest seafood available on the East African coast.

There are some beautiful hotels in Maputo, grand enough to rival even those in Palm Beach. Maputo has its fair share of great bars and restaurants like the Café Camissa , which is a bar that is favoured by artists and journalists. At the weekend you can eat out on the gallery while you tap your feet to live music from local bands. If you want to try some of the local food then hot Zambezi curried chicken is spicy enough for anyone, or wash down one of the many fish dishes with the local lager, Laurentina. The mostly defunct Maputo railway station, now houses some of the great marquee names in jazz and African music.

During your stay in Maputo you shouldn’t miss the chance to get on the ferry and cross the channel to the Catembe Gallery hotel, for the best Sunday brunch available in Maputo. On your return to the mainland you should visit the noisy and bustling fish market for a taste of native Maputo life. When you buy fish, the vendor will cook it for you while you wait and serve it up with the local lager.

You shouldn’t end your stay in Maputo without visiting Mambo Caffe, which is the city’s multilevel nightclub, with low Moroccan sofas lining an atrium that is open to the sky. Ending your last evening with cocktails at the Coconuts Lounge with its funky house music and wide mix of people from professional business people to local working girls. You will remember getting cheap flights to Maputo, and enjoying life lived at a different pace for many years to come.