🧭 Mozambique: good to know
The general-information half of trip planning: how expensive Mozambique feels, what is considered polite, what is not, and the everyday practicalities - alongside our 46 written places.
Warm, unhurried and Portuguese-flavoured; greetings and small talk come before any business.
Cost level: Mid-range Middle of the global pack - comfortable travel without luxury prices. Estimate a daily budget →
✓ Considered polite
- Open every interaction with Bom dia and a handshake - conversations start slow and personal
- Use titles like Senhor and Senhora with elders and officials
- Dress modestly in towns and in the Muslim north - beachwear is for resorts and sand
- Haggle gently at markets - it is expected, but keep it good-natured
✗ Better avoided
- Skip the how-are-you exchange and get straight to the point
- Wear swimwear in villages or town streets
- Hand things over with your left hand in the north - use the right
- Take the first quoted price at street stalls - it opens a negotiation
💡 Worth knowing
- The metical is the currency; cash rules outside cities and ATMs cluster in Maputo, Vilankulo and Tofo
- Tipping around 10% is customary in restaurants when service is not already included
- Portuguese is the official language - English thins out fast beyond tourist spots
- US dollars are a useful backup in the far north, where banks are sparse
Plugs and voltage
Type C, F, M · 220 V travel adapter →
CurrencyMetical (MZN)
LanguagesPortuguese
Driving sideleft
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Customs are living things - regions differ, cities relax, generations shift. Take these notes as a friendly head start, watch what locals do, and when in doubt a smile and a greeting in the local language cover almost everything.