Vilanculos

Entry requirements vary by passport. Check the requirements for your specific passport on the Mozambique page at Yoogo.

The official currency is the Mozambican Metical (MZN). Card payments are accepted in larger hotels, upmarket restaurants, and some supermarkets in Maputo and major tourist centres, but cash is essential for markets, local transport, and rural areas.

Most tourist areas, including Maputo, Inhambane, and the southern coast, are visited without incident by large numbers of travellers each year. Petty theft is the most common concern in urban areas, and the Cabo Delgado region in the far north has experienced significant insecurity in recent years, so checking current government travel advisories before your trip is important.

Domestic flights connect Maputo to Vilanculos, Inhambane, Pemba, and other regional hubs, and are the most practical option for covering long distances. Within cities, minibus taxis known as chapas are the cheapest form of shared transport, while ride-hailing apps including Bolt operate in Maputo; for coastal and island destinations, boat transfers by dhow or speedboat are common.

The dry season from June to October brings clear skies, lower humidity, and the best conditions for wildlife viewing and beach holidays, making it the most popular period. September and October are particularly good for combining coastal activities with game drives, and humpback whales are present offshore from June through to November.

Portuguese is the official language, and more than 40 Bantu languages are spoken across the country, with Emakhuwa the most widely used indigenous tongue. English is spoken in tourist lodges, upmarket hotels, and many tour operations, but outside the main resorts a few words of Portuguese will be genuinely useful.

Malaria is present throughout the country year-round, and antimalarial medication is strongly recommended for all travellers. A yellow fever vaccination certificate is required if you are arriving from a country with risk of yellow fever transmission, and hepatitis A, typhoid, and routine vaccinations are also commonly advised; consult a travel health clinic well before departure.

Tipping is not compulsory but is appreciated and forms a meaningful part of income for those in the service industry. A tip of around 10 per cent is customary in restaurants when service is not already included, and US$5 to US$15 per day is a typical range for safari guides, with US$1 to US$2 per day for hotel housekeeping staff.