Maputo has been the capital of Mozambique since 1907. The name of the city was Lourenço Marques until the independence of the country, in 1975. It is the largest city of Mozambique also with the country's most important harbour. It is situated at the mouth of the Santo River in the extreme south 90 km from the border to South Africa.
Compared to some other sub-Saharan African cities the urban area feels small and concentrated with wide avenues and old trees. People are generally out and about in the streets, walking driving and getting on with life. The vibe is healthy and active, with little begging and lots of street vendors and markets. There is no heavy presence of police during the day, and no feeling that it is needed.
There are few tourists or white people to be seen and at times the atmosphere is as much South American as African. Buildings range from new high-rise construction to old colonial palaces, but the dominant architecture leans toward anonymous Stalinist-looking concrete-walled boxes of various heights, generally with badly eroded paint and lots of security bars in one or more stages of rusting. Fortunately, these tend to fade into the background as non-descript and uninteresting, and there are enough buildings with old charm or high style and lush enough gardens (cycads, coleus, flamboyant, jacaranda, bouganvillea, etc.) to give an overall pleasing if shabby feel.
The city provides a range of accommodation, from many-star hotels (Polana, Cardoso, Holiday Inn, etc.) to comfortable backpackers (Base and Fatima's) and reasonable options in between (Mozaic Guest House).
Eat
The local cuisine is a mixture of Middle Eastern, African, Indian/Pakistani/ Portuguese, Hispanic, and African. All these different cuisnes are served at various areas in the city.
Budget
Any number of small cafes serve simple dishes and juices that are affordable. Unless you are adventurous, stay away from most roadside stalls especially if they are serving meat. Safe roadside fare includes cashews (usually fire roasted without salt served in small paper cones), fried bean cakes called Bhajia, uncut and unwashed fruits (cut and wash yourself with bottled water), and soft-serve ice cream. Expect to pay between Mts 5,000 and 20,000 (USD $0.20 - $1.00).
The smaller cafes will have egg sandwiches, fries, grilled chicken, small pastries, and simple hamburgers. Expect to pay between Mts 15,000 and 75,000 (USD $0.60 - $3.00).
Mid-range
Chicken Piripiri near the corner of Avda. 24 de Julho and Avda. Nyerere serves grilled chicken and also very good prawns.
Splurge
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