Not to miss

Beira

Beira, the second largest city in Mozambique, is a major port and rail terminus. Its compact central area and old Mediterranean-style buildings give the place some faded glamour. The heart of the city is the Praça (main square), which is surrounded by shops, markets and offices.

The cathedral, just southeast of the centre, is looking a bit worse for wear these days but is definitely worth a stop. The bustling market at Tchunga Moyo (Brave Heart) is full of imported goods, contraband and some unsavoury characters, so travel light and walk carefully.

The old part of the port is chock-a-block with wrecked vessels. Many people head for the fine sands and fairly clean waters at Praia de Macuti. There's an old shipwreck washed up on the shore near the red and white lighthouse at the northern end of the beach.

Beira is 880km (550mi) north of Maputo, accessible by air and train a few times a week. The bus leaves more often but takes two days from Maputo.

Pemba

Pemba is a coastal town at the mouth of a huge bay. It boasts some interesting buildings (especially in Baixa - the old town) and a lively atmosphere. Most visitors come for the beaches - particularly Wimbi Beach (sometimes spelt Wimbe) - and the coral reefs. Wimbi is about 5km (3mi) east of town.

The reef is close enough to swim to. A fledgling tourist industry is already transforming the place with bars, restaurants, diving, snorkelling, boating, fishing, etc. The Makonde workshop on the road between town and the beach has good wooden carvings for sale at good prices.

Mozambique Island

Tiny, crescent-shaped Mozambique Island has played a larger-than-life role in East African coastal life over the centuries. Today, it is an intriguing anomaly - part ghost town and part lively fishing community. It's picturesque and pleasant to wander around, with colonnaded archways and stately colonial-era buildings lining the quiet, cobbled streets.

In Makuti Town, with its thatched-roof huts and crush of people, narrow alleyways echo with the sounds of playing children and squawking chickens, while fishermen sit on the sand repairing their long, brightly-coloured nets.

The waterfront in between, along the island's eastern edge, is known as the contracosta.

Maputo

With its Mediterranean-style architecture, waterside setting and wide avenues lined by jacaranda and flame trees, Maputo is easily one of Africa's most attractive capitals. It's also the most developed place in Mozambique by far, with a wide selection of hotels and restaurants, well-stocked supermarkets, shady sidewalk cafes, and a lively cultural scene.

The heart of the city is the bustling, low-lying baixa (busy port and commercial area). Here, Portuguese-era buildings with their graceful balconies and wrought-iron balustrades jostle for space with ungainly Marxist-style apartment blocks. Galabiyya-garbed men gather in doorways for a chat, Indian traders carry on brisk business in the narrow side-streets, and women wrapped in colourful capulanas (sarongs) sell everything from seafood to spices at the massive Mercado Municipal (Municipal Market).

A few kilometres away, along the seaside Avineda Marginal, life takes a more leisurely pace. Fishermen stand along the roadside with the day's catch, hoping to lure custom from the constant parade of passing vehicles; banana vendors loll on their carts in the shade, with Radio Moçambique piping out eternally upbeat rhythms in the background; and local soccer teams vie for victory in impromptu matches in the sand.

Bazaruto Archipelago National Park

This archipelago consists of five main islands: Bazaruto, Benguera, Magaruque, Santa Carolina and tiny Bangué. It's about as close to a tropical paradise as you'll find, and is one of Mozambique's highlights. Among its attractions: clear, turquoise waters; tranquil, white-sand beaches; a plethora of colourful birds; and rewarding diving and snorkelling.

The larger islands were originally connected to the mainland at Ponta São Sebastião. The small population of Nile crocodiles that laze in the sun in remote corners of both Bazaruto and Benguera islands is evidence of this earlier link.

Thanks to this protected status, and to the archipelago's relative isolation from the ravages of war on the mainland, nature bursts forth here in full force. Most impressive, perhaps, are the elusive dugong who spend their days foraging among sea-grass meadows around the archipelago. As a backdrop to all this are extensive and excellently preserved coral formations.

Living amidst all the natural beauty are about 3500 Mozambicans who call the archipelago home.