Roads report JHB-Zavora

Hi all,

I have just returned from Zavora, Mozambique which is approximately
450km north of Maputo. The road report might be of interest to you if
you are planning a simlar trip.

Johannesburg to Komatipoort: Road is excellent. High speeds possible.
Only one section of about 10km is being worked on. Total time needed
is about 4 to 4.5 hours.

You can now buy your mandatory Mozambique road insurance at the Bureau
de Change situated at the filling station just before the border. It's
much easier and quicker than buying at the border.

The border was practically deserted both times we went through. We
entered on Friday afternood at about 4pm, and exited on Sunday at
about 7:30pm

The road to Maputo is a toll road and they only accept cash in
Meticvais, Rand or Dollars. The total toll is Mt68,000 and Mt12,500 at
the two toll booths (for an ordinary car or pickup). The road is
excellent, time taken is about 45 minutes.

The road north from Maputo starts off in poor condition through the
city itself, but improves once you leave the city area. The road is
good to reasonable all the way through Xai-Xai to Zavora, and is
easily passable by 2 wheel drive cars. There are several areas where
the road deteriorates and becomes a bit bumpy with some bad potholes,
but these areas are only for short stretches, and easy to negotiate.

At the bridge over the Limpopo there is a toll fee of Mt5000, but only
in the direction South towards Maputo. There is no toll fee if you are
heading North.

The 17km of sand road to Zavora off the main road is currently
passable in a 2 wheel drive vehicle, but if there is any rain, it will
be impassable except with a 4-wheel drive.

BTW, Casa Lisa (about 58km north of Maputo) is an excellent place to
overnight. Chalets are available at between $17 to $25 per person, and
the restaurant serves good food. The proprietor, Bruce, reminds me of
Basil Fawlty :-)

Safari N'jema

Marc - Johannesburg