A rising star in Mozambique, @Maputo National Park unveils its new 4×4 trails. Promising the off-roading ride of your life, the roads are ready to be tried and tested! This pilot expedition is a perfect opportunity to showcase the park’s fantastic new tourism product, catering for all-terrain adventurers, and catching the eye of journalists keen to spread the word.
“With us we’ve got some representatives of the team who helped design and construct these facilities for us,” says Antony Alexander, Peace Parks’ Programme Manager for the Great Limpopo and Lubombo transboundary landscapes. “We’ve got some potential tourism and 4×4 operators, and magazine writers from both Mozambique and South Africa.”
Bush to Beach: Nature’s Rich Off-Road Tapestry
Making tracks into the wildest parts of the park reveals a stunning diversity of landscapes and stopover sites. From the forest and the Futi River to plains and the game scattered across them, breathtaking nature and beautiful campsites can be found around every corner. “And you’re right on the edge of the ocean,” says Johan Kriek, ZA Trax Owner, enthusiastically. “It’s a brilliant concept to have both bush and beach in one trip.”
Bush to beach is a unique experience. Tracks traversing woodland and sand connect dazzling inland lakes with coastal dune forests, down to the sea. As the ecosystems change, so do the species – an enormous draw for wildlife enthusiasts. Maputo National Park is renowned for its elephants but is also now making a name for itself in the birding world. “It’s very exciting to see so many bird species,” says Leon Marais, Guide at Lawson’s Birding, Wildlife and Custom Safaris. “We call them the Southeast African Specials!”
A Camping Adventure Like No Other
Planeco Architects are rightly proud of the design and construction work done to produce the 4×4 off-road trail camps, unlike any other you’d find elsewhere. Time spent overnighting here is a full immersion in nature; even the toilet and shower blocks have a wild outlook. “You can even enjoy wildlife from there,” Neil Crafford, Planeco Architect, explains. “Who knows? A herd of elephant might just walk past. How exciting would that be?”
Feedback is unanimous: it is a unique treat to travel and stay deep in nature – both a privilege and a pleasure – and the trail-blazing group can’t wait to share what they’ve seen and to tempt likeminded, all-terrain tourists. As if further endorsement were needed, Condé Nast recently voted Maputo National Park one of Africa’s best destinations in 2024. There couldn’t be a better time for an off-road adventure like no other, and a chance to invest in sustainable tourism benefiting the local communities through a vital revenue share.
Visit parquemaputo.gov.mz to plan your truly memorable drive on the wild side!
