Year on year tourist’s flock to beautiful Mozambique with its rich Portuguese heritage to get away from it all.
This paradise is steeped in history and the culture of the locals is infectious to say the least. Their passion, hospitality and friendliness are what will draw you back again and again.
From the fresh caught abundance of seafood to the renowned Makonde sculptures to the music and dance of the Chopi, Mozambique will draw you in with its charisma.
We have drawn up 10 top tips to ensure that you don’t end up feeling lost in paradise, from navigating the bustling markets, negotiating fair prices to ordering a chilled glass of wine. Although English is widely spoken in Mozambique, we believe that you speaking a little of the lingo will add to your experience in this special gem of a destination:
- In Mozambique handshaking is a culturally common form of greeting for men
- To advise that you are English (hence the broken Portuguese you are speaking), a woman would say “Sou Inglesa” while a man would say “Sou Inglês”
- Should you be lucky to be invited to visit a local and their family please remember that it is considered rude to not stay for a tea and a snack and impolite to refuse food which has been offered.
- For your day to day greetings, Hello is pronounced as “Hola” and Goodbye as “Até logo”
- For the market, how much does it cost? Is pronounced “Quanto custa”?
- Should you need to use the facilities, toilets are pronounced as “casa da banho”
- Also with the nooks and crannies it is easy to get lost in paradise, should this happen a simple I am lost is pronounced as “Eu estou perdido”
- After a long day of exploring, buying and tasting Mozambique a well-deserved cold beer “cerveja” or glass of wine “vinho” will be the order of the day
- Followed by a heartfelt thank you said as “obrigado”
- And should you not understand as we can’t all be expected to be proficient in Portuguese a simple I don’t know “Não sei” will suffice
With you now being able “speak the lingo” a perfect place to appreciate the local people and community is Nuarro built by its owners with a true passion for Mozambique and the initiative is unique as it includes, with the local community, co-ownership and sustainable fishing practices.
Nuarro is strategically located close to Nacala, Nampula and Pemba where you can take advantage of real interaction with the Macua village at the community centre, buying the beautiful arts and crafts supporting sustainable tourism and even joining the local soccer team in a game. Followed by a world heritage site trip to Ilha de Moçambique, through authentic Mozambique villages to take in the mixture of historical architecture and influences by the Arabic, Swahili, Portuguese and Dutch.
You know the lingo now go live the dream!
