the globe says
Mozambique
Fly to Nampula via Maputo or Johannesburg, then a three-hour drive to the one-lane bridge onto the island.
A restored Portuguese trader's house in Stone Town — coral-stone walls, dhow views.
Vasco da Gama's Indian Ocean capital, half grand ruin and half living Swahili town: the oldest European building in the southern hemisphere, silversmiths, and empty beaches.
Walk the length of the island at low tide, then eat matapa and fresh crab at a family-run quintal.
May to October
Bom dia — Portuguese still opens every conversation.
Sleepwalking Land by Mia Couto — Mozambique's great novel of war and wandering.
Chocas beach across the bay by dhow — miles of sand and a fishing village.
Stick to the island and the Nampula corridor; parts of Cabo Delgado province further north remain off-limits.