You can walk the center of the city by day but steer clear of the central business district at night.
Metered (yellow-roofed) taxi longer distances or at night but agree to a fare beforehand as many don't have meters. Ask hotel desks or locals for guidance on reasonable fares (e.g., Hotel Cardoso to Feira Popular or Mercado Central is around Mts 80 - 90,000 (US$4-5).
"Tuk-Tuks" are also a great way to see the city. The driver's are typically more fluent in English as they offer their services as tour guides to the passengers of visiting cruise liners.
A very inexpensive way to get around is by mini-bus or "Chapa" (pronounced SHA-PAA). They work like small busses and have routes that criss-cross the city. All major routes begin and end in the downtown core/market area called "Baixa" (pronounced BAA-SHAA). If you can speak Portuguese, then this is an excellent way to travel, or if you have a local friend to take you. Prices are low, around Mts 5,000 (US$0.20) for most trips and Mts 10,000 (US$0.40) for longer ones (all one way). Even if you don't know which Chapa to take, it's a great way to explore the city, and to get back to the core market area just find a Chapa that goes to "Baixa." Generally asking the navigator (usually hanging out of the passenger side door) if they go to "Baixa" will either result in them motioning you to jump on, or them pointing to where you need to go. Drivers usually cannot get away with overcharging you because you can easily see what the locals are paying, or the locals themselves will object.
While chapas are an interesting and authentic form of transport, they are not particularly safe. Even locals suffer from frequent pickpocketings on chapas, or while waiting for chapa stops. The minibuses are always packed far beyond their originally intended capacity, seats are frequently broken, and many travelers have to stand up while riding, though there are no handrails or appropriate places to hang on like in a larger bus.
Chapa drivers are notorious for disrespecting traffic rules and taking unnecessary risks with passenger safety to cut a few minutes off the journey.
Beware of the safety issues regarding chapas when you decide whether or not to experience this form of transport as a tourist (or resident).
The Most Frequently Asked Travel Questions about Maputo
Where To Stay & Best Hotels in Maputo - updated Apr 2024
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Maputo Travel Guide from Wikitravel. Many thanks to all Wikitravel contributors. Text is available under Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 3.0, images are available under various licenses, see each image for details.
