Niassa · Ilha · Gurúè
Deep north
Past Beira, the country opens. The Niassa Reserve — one of Africa's largest, almost no tourism. Ilha de Moçambique — UNESCO stone-town island. Gurúè — tea plantations and the climb of Mount Namuli.
The north is where Mozambique stops being a destination and becomes a frontier. Niassa Reserve, at 42,000 square kilometres, is one of Africa's largest protected areas — and one of the least visited; you can drive a day and see no other vehicle. Ilha de Moçambique was the country's first colonial capital, now a UNESCO World Heritage stone-and-coral town floating off the Nampula coast. Gurúè sits in the highlands of Zambézia, where Portuguese-era tea estates ring the slopes of Mount Namuli — at 2,419m the country's second-highest peak, and a quietly serious multi-day climb. This is where many of our long itineraries finish.
What's inside
Niassa Special Reserve
Ilha de Moçambique
Gurúè
Mount Namuli
Quirimbas Archipelago
Pemba