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Central Beira

Beira is a port town in Mozambique.

[edit] Understand

Beira is the second largest city in Mozambique and capital of the Sofala Province.

[edit] Get in

[edit] By plane

Beira International Airport (BEW) is about 10km out of the town, and can be easily reaced by bus and taxi.

The airport has a shop, bar, restaurant and post office.

[edit] By boat

[edit] By road

The main road between Zimbabwe and Beira is in good condition. The Zimbabwe ecomony relies heavily on this route and it carries many trucks and buses, mostly overloaded. Road travel is best done by daylight as many pedestrians and animals are hard to see after dusk.

[edit] Get around

Minibuses, so called chapas, are easily available for local transport and for connections to neighboring cities like Chimoio.

[edit][add listing] See

• Savanna Beach (20-30 km out of town) ask around if someone is going. You could venture and take a chapa heading in the direction. You have to take a little boat across to the beach, worth the effort. Water is cleaner than Beira and waves are better. Good fishing. Simple restaurant with nice atmosphere.

• Gorongosa (200-300 km) in Sofala Province. Once a very well known park. Now starting to recover, good investments. Good challets and food.

• Rio Maria (10-15 km). When traveling from Macuti to Airport, turn right at Monte Verde and take the sandy road. At Rio Maria is a nice river and sea. No facilities there. Don't get car stuck in mud close to beach. Very relaxing.

[edit][add listing] Do

[edit][add listing] Buy

Mercado Central(The central market) offers some craftworks, spices, fish and fruits.

[edit][add listing] Eat

• Beira Sol Opposite Hotel Tivoli.

• Biques is a camping and bar/restaurant about two km out of the centre of Beira. Worthwhile the trip but not so easy to find. Terrace overlooking the sea, excellent food and drink. Pooltable. This place is popular with locals and tourists.

• Kanimambo Chinese restaurant with excellent food in the city center. Average atmosphere, aircon.

• Pappas, officially called Shakila snacks. Best food in town, also expensive. Close to Hotel Tivoli.

• Nautico Nice views of the sea, swimmingpool. Need to pay small entrance fee of 20Mtn if non-member.

• Wings chinese/portuguese cooking. Inside Macuti Housing Complex, park outside. Good food, can take a while if the restaurant is full. Aircon inside and nice seating area outside. Chicken with cashew and pineaplle or the Bife Cremoso is nice.

[edit][add listing] Drink

• Café Bulha in the Bulha shopping center has unfortunately closed in July 2009.

• Café Capri on the Praça Municipal for excellent cappucino and expresso. Also light meals. The only place I know where you can buy cigars in Beira. (This cafe has closed down in mid-2008; it is now a Barclays Bank).

• Café Riviera on the same Praça has easy chairs, good coffee and pastries.

[edit][add listing] Sleep

• Hotel Savoy, Rua pedro alves cabral, near praca de juventude. This run-down place with yesterdays charm is probably the cheapest accommodation in Beira and allows you to imagine how Beira was in Portuguese times. Centrally located.

• Pensao moderna, rua travessa de igreja 263, clearly more expensive than the Savoy, but better rooms.

• Hotel Tivoli, Avenida Bagamoyo 336, ☎ +258 23 320300 (h.tivoli-beira@teledata.mz, fax: +258 23 320301). Your best bet for a decent sleep in a clean place. The rooms are small. A/C. One PC with free internet access in the lobby. Some rooms have wireless Internet - ask for it. Restaurant and bar in the hotel but expensive. A few meters from the hotel (turn right at the entry) a large interesting food market with lots of small places to eat. Freshly grilled fish.  edit
• Beira Guesthouse, Av. Eduardo Mondlane.  edit
• Beira Sol, (Close to the governor's house).  edit
• Hotel Indico.  edit
• Hotel VIP.  edit
• Jardim das Velas, Av. das F.P.L.M., n. 282, ☎ +258 2331 2209. checkin: 2:00pm; checkout: 10:00am. A Meditteranean-style lodge on the beach front. There are 12 rooms in total, 6 with an ocean view, and 6 on the ground floor closer to the braai facility. US$110.  edit

[edit] Stay safe

Don't walk in the Baixa area at night alone. If you walk around during day time just keep your precious stuff at the hotel. Don't walk around with a fat wallet or your expensive cellphone. Most crime is on a "give me your phone and/or wallet because I have a big knife" basis. If driving at night just keep doors locked and windows almost closed to avoid issues. Friday, Saturday and Sunday night people party and can get very drunk, if you run over someone as a foreigner it's gonna cause you a big headache so drive slowly. Kids also run across the road often without looking out for cars. Avoid driving at night.

[edit] Get out