Ponta Do Ouro, is situated right on the South African North Eastern border (20 minutes drive over the border). In order to get there you will need a 4x4 or 2x4. Cost of the Visa is R75 which can be obtained on the same day (if taken to the consulate on the 27th Floor at 320 West Street before 10:00) or if necessary you can obtain one at the border for around R170. South African passport holders no longer require Visa's.

There is also a world class right hand reef break that is rated as one of the top waves on the coastline. The best season for this would be from April to August. Besides this there is also brilliant diving, dolphin viewing and fishing available.

Ponta Do Oro is the perfect spot for a quick getaway weekend as it is only 4.5 hours drive from Durban and 7 hours from Johannesburg.

Ponta offers a world class kitesurfing venue with smooth flat water on the inside and wave riding on the outside. It works best in the NE (cross on-shore) wind which is the predominant wind in the area. Best times of year to be there are from September to March. Ponta Malengane (about 6 km North - but about a 30 minute drive) is also very good in the SW (cross off at Ponta Da Ora but cross here).

Mozambican Consulates in South Africa
Johannesburg: 252 Jeppe Street, Cape York Building, 7th floor
Tel: (011) 336 18 19/22, Fax: (011) 336 99 21

Cape Town: 45 Castle Street, 7th floor
Tel: (021) 26 29 44/5, Fax: (021) 26 29 46

Durban: 320 West Street, 5th floor
Tel: (031) 304 02 22 Fax: (031) 304 07 74

Nelspruit: 43 Brown Street
Tel: (013) 752 73 96, Fax: (013) 753 20 88

Mozambican Consulates can also be found in following cities in Europe:
Brussels: Tel: (32 2) 736 0096/7
Paris: Tel: (33 1) 47 64 9132
Bona: Tel: (49 228) 22 4024/5
Rome: Tel: (39 6) 59 21 45
Lisbon: Tel: (351 1) 797 1747/797 1994
London: Tel:(44 71) 383 38 00

You may also find Mozambican consulates in the following cities: Addis Ababa, Lilongwe, Moscow, Mbabane, Stockholm, Geneva, Dar Es Salaam, New York, Washington DC, Lusaka and Harare.

Airlines
Major international airlines operating in Mozambique include:
LAM-Linhas Aéreas de Moçambique
Tel: Maputo, (258 1) 465810/19
Tel: Lisbon (351 1) 321 99 60/3
TAP, Tel: Maputo, (258 1) 42 06 35
SAA, Tel, Maputo, (258 1) 42 07 33
Air France, Tel: Maputo, (258 1) 42 03 37
Air Zimbabwe, bookings can be made through the LAM office
Many of the local charter flight companies now have scheduled flights around the country and to the islands. For further details you can contact the travel agents listed below.

Car Hire
Most major towns have both international and national Car rental companies including: Avis Rent-A-Car, Hertz, Imperial, Interfranca and Ibérica Rent-A-Car. Contact your travel agent for details.

Currency
Mozambique´s local currency is the Metical, however US dollars and SA Rand are widely accepted.
It is advisable to carry cash or traveller cheques as credit cards are not widely accepted and obtaining a cash advance on a credit card in a bank can be a costly and time consuming process.

Business Hours
Business hours are generally from 8h00 - 12h30 and 14h00 - 17h30.

Banks
Mozambique´s commercial banks - Bank Standard Totta de Moçambique, Banco de Fomento e Exterior, Banco Popular de Desenvolvimento, Banco Internacional de Moçambique and Banco Comercial de Moçambique - offer exchange services in their main Maputo branches.
Banks are open to the public Monday - Friday mornings from 8h00 - 11h00.

Postal Services
The post offices are open Monday to Friday, 7h45 - 12h00 and 14h00 - 17h00 and Saturday mornings.

Telephones
Most major towns are served by a satellite telephone system. Direct dialling is available to South Africa and Swaziland. To place a call to a destination outside the region, dial 100 to book your connection.
The dialling code from outside the country for Mozambique is 258-1 for Maputo, 258-3 for Beira and 258-6 for Nampula.