Nampula
Island of Mozambique
A UNESCO World Heritage island: coral-stone Stone Town, Africa's oldest European building, and Makuti Town's daily life.
Ilha de Moçambique is barely three kilometres long and less than a kilometre wide, but it was the capital of Portuguese East Africa for nearly four centuries and gave the country its name. It has been a UNESCO World Heritage Site since 1991.
The northern half is Stone Town: coral-stone buildings in lime and ochre, the vast Fort of São Sebastião, and the Chapel of Nossa Senhora do Baluarte — built in 1522 and generally considered the oldest surviving European building in the southern hemisphere. The southern half is Makuti Town, where most of the island's residents live in palm-thatched houses, and where the island's daily rhythm is loudest.
A 3 km single-lane bridge connects the island to the mainland. Everything else is walked.
Things to do
- Fort of São Sebastião
- Chapel of Nossa Senhora do Baluarte (1522)
- Palace and Chapel of São Paulo
- Stone Town streets
- Makuti Town
- Dhow trips to Goa Island
