Maputo’s History is as colorful as the capulanas favored by its residents. Half a millennia ago Portuguese explorers discovered a bay shared between African Elephants and a people called Ronga, ruled by their King Maputa. The Portuguese named it Baía da Lagoa (Delagoa Bay) and establishedLourenço Marques. Today Delagoa Bay is the Bay of Maputo and Lourenço Marques is Maputo.
The Maputo National Park is a 4×4 destination that challenges even the most experienced off-road driver, offers every visitor a true African adventure, and rewards you with stunning views of Mozambique’s wilderness.
A mere 90 kilometers away from Maputo city and crossing over Africa´s largest suspension bridge, Katembe, this reserve possesses an extremely remote character.
Once you get there, you may drive for hours over tracks of thick sand through thick-leafed coastal forests and never encounter another vehicle. The park offers both camping and hotel accommodation at Anvil Bay or Montebelo Milibangalala.
Ponta is part of a unique habitat system referred to as the Maputaland Coastal Forest Mosaic, which stretches along the humid coast to South Africa and inland to Swaziland. This is a mosaic of habitats, including dry forest, swamp forest, grassland, wetland and estuaries. As a part of this mosaic system, Ponta enjoys a particularly prolific diversity in fauna and flora as well as endemism of up to 10% of the plant species.
All kinds of things live in this environment, from the giant African elephant to the cute Vervet monkeys you’ll see peaking through the evergreen leaves of the coastal forest. Hundreds of bird species as well, including specials such as Palm-nut Vulture, Pink-throated Twinspot, Rosy-throated Longclaw, Southern-banded Snake-eagle, African Broadbill and Plain-backed sunbird.