Mozambique Visa – Getting this visa was a complete nightmare. This is one of those countries that that seem to exist only in Africa where the visa commences from the date it is issued, not from the date you enter the country and you can not apply for the visa more than 30 days before you enter the country. To apply for the visa you must create an account and login, next you have to submit a bank statement, a hotel booking, flight booking, passport and photo. Two days later I received a reply that said my Visa was Disapproved because I had not paid for my hotel. I contacted Booking.com and the Hotel and they said that they can not accept payment in advance because it is against Mozambique law. The Hotel people told me to apply through Expedia as they accept payment advance. So I cancelled my first booking and booked and paid for another hotel. In my second application I sent them the receipt from Expedia showing that I had paid for the Hotel. A few days later I received another Disapproved email which said that I must submit a receipt with the Hotel letterhead and not from Expedia. Contacting the hotel by phone is impossible because the lines are so bad and they only speak Portugese. After doing some research I found they had a Facebook page with a WhatsApp number. I contacted them on WhatsApp and sent them the email I received from the Mozambique Immigration Department. After many attempts with different Hotel staff I finally received a Confirmation from the Hotel. I submitted this in my third visa application and a few days later I received another Disapproval email with exactly the same reason hahaha. I sent this to the Hotel asking what else could they send me and they did not reply. By now time was running out and I was ready to give up and write off my airfares. I was now in Gabarone my last stop before Mozambique and I had been telling everyone I met about this issue hoping for a solution. The most common answer that I received was “This is Africa”. Then my Gabarone Airbnb host said that Mozambique has a High Commission here and I should go and see them. The next day I went there first thing in the morning on a Tuesday, at first they did not believe me so I emailed them all the documents and asked if I had missed something and they still did not believe me asking if I had actually submitted all these documents – HELP. Anyway they finally agreed to look into it, there are only two staff working in the High Commission which is located in a house. I went back the next day and they had done nothing and said come back on Friday, my flight was on Saturday and they would sort it out. Back I went on Friday and they asked me to apply for the visa again while I was in the the building, to their surprise I had all the documents on my phone and after 3 attempts already I knew the system quite well. I applied using my phone and received an email acknowedging receipt of the application which I showed to them. They immediately called the Department concerned in Mozambique and 10 minutes later I received the Visa.
Gabarone to Johannesburg a 35 minute flight, 2:15 hrs layover at Johannesburg and then a 45 minute flight to Maputo. Immigration was complete chaos, it took about an hour to process 3 people, computer slow and then computer down hahaha. And the Visa fee was US$150 per person, you can pay with your credit card. Do not buy a SIM card at the airport it will cost you double, the official Vodacom shop has closed and there are only 2 agents. I finished up buying my SIM card in the city from a street seller and paid MZN 500 for the SIM and 300 for 4GB. It was a Sunday and the Vodacom shops were all closed. The taxi fare to the city is MZN 1,200 a complete rip-off as most airport taxis are, the return fare using the Apps Bolt or Yango was MZN 200. Use the Apps in Maputo most rides are around $2. Do not use the Yellow taxis they are in worse condition and charge 400% more. There are also 2 scams I experienced. When you call a taxi using the an App the driver will accept and then will immediately msg that he has arrived and waiting while he is still miles away, at the end of the journey you will get charged an additional fee for waiting time. The second one is an App driver will accept the fare and a Yellow taxi will turn up and at the end of the journey instead of the declared App fare of 50 he will charge you 200 or more. The lesson is if the driver is far away and says he has arrived and is waiting Cancel the ride, there is no Penalty and if a car with a different number plate arrives do not get into the car, cancel the ride because it could be anyone and book again.
Maputo – population just over a million and they speak Portugese.
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Chris's space 
I commend you on your tenacity and persistence. Congratulations! The people are probably very nice, one on one after your obstacle race with the bureaucracy.
I was in Eritrea in January this year. I had a valid tourist visa issued by their Embassy in Washington DC. However they made me sit in the Immigration Office at the arrival airport for over 3 hours. My passport was handed from person to person. Each of them logged on their computers and starred at the screen for 30 minutes.
The people of Eritrea were however warm and welcoming compared to their bureaucrats.
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They were probably waiting for Lunch money hahaha. That is what they call it in Africa, everyone including people in uniform asks for lunch money.
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👍🥰again, a contrast and great experience. Loving the journey!
H xx
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