Lichinga Travel Guide

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I know from living in Mozambique the food Mozambicans eat most would not dare touch but it is not bad. also just spending time with the people and getting to know them and learning about their culture!

Your trip to Lichinga will take a while:
- intercontinental flight (the cheapest from Lisbon takes 15 hours with one stop in Johanesbourg; the normal option takes you 10 hours from Lisbon)
- normally you have to wait 2 to 4 days in Maputo for an internal flight up North (depending on the Summer or Winter schedule)
- the internal flight Maputo-Lichinga takes 4 hours with 2 stops in Beira and Nampula airports.

The cheapest way is to book all your flights with LAM - Mozambique airlines. E-mail them if the web site is (still) not working.

The intercontinental flight will be with TAP (Portuguese airlines) and the internal flights with LAM - although you actually buy all the flights at LAM you get better deals the if you buy the intercontinental flights at TAP and then the internal flighst at LAM.

Men holding hands in public places is frequent and normal.
And no they are not all gay! It's normal for male adultes and teenagers to hold hands in public, showing the world that their friendship for one another!

In the market well as a foreigner you stick out so it is wise to keep your money in your front pocket and only take what you need there. The police officers and customs at the border crossing will ofter try to make up some lame reason to fine you so they can get money from you so be aware and do not give in.

Luggage and bags: I travelled light when I was there, 5kgs of personnal luggage were more then enough for 3 months. You don't need that much believe me!

Clothing/Shoes/Weather Gear: Simple and comfortable clothing, do not forget your cap, and in winter a warm light coat (around 12h you cannot bear the heat).
For shoes...I wouldn't recommend sandals at anytime because of a bug called matacanha that gets under your toe nails...but maybe I'm just a sissy!

Toiletries and Medical Supplies: Travellers usually take their malaria pills - I didn't and I'm still here to tell the story.
If you get sick you can have the best treatment in the hospital, so don't worry too much and take wise precautions against the mosquitos like a mosquito net.

Do take your diahrreia pills, that's one thing you don't want to suffer if you are one day off in the wild!

Photo Equipment: Now you can get everything in Lichinga, memory cards, digital cameras, memory sticks...it's globalisation...of some things at least!

I wouldn't advise to take a very flashy big camera, not that people would robb you, I simply believe that it becomes an obstacle between you and the people!

Camping/Beach/Outdoor Gear: Don't forget your bikini (if you do forget it, like I did, you can always find one in the local market's pilles of clothes) to swim in beautiful Lake Niassa (or Lake Malawi).

If you go in Winter and want to travel light a warm polar coat might be the solution for the nightime and early morning.

Miscellaneous: The most important things to carry in your bag are a canteen (be careful with the water and be environmental friendly by not wasting plastic bottles) and a cap (even in Winter the sun is very strong).

If you travel in Summer bring your sun blocker. Most people wouldn't travel without a mosquito repellent, I had none and I survived without any mosquito bite - maybe I was wise or lucky...twice! :)

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It's a one time experience!
You get a sense of the local way of life and you can buy healthy (most of the times) local products. You get really cheap prices and you get to know locals.

The first time maybe it's better if you go with a local, that can show you around the best stands and products, but it's also a lot of fun to adventure there on your own!

- City market: you can get there anything, from a couch to a bar of soap! It's usually very crowded and I would suggest to visit the fish and meat stands...
- the Solidarity Farm stand: close to the city market, has a wide variety of bio vegetables and fruits.
- Xiaula market: on the outskirts, it's very good to buy handmade local pieces of art (capulanas for instance); you can watch chinese movies in the nearby huts :)
- Sanjala Market: it's a very small and characteristic market in the neighbourhood of Sanjala.