Maputo Province
Maputo National Park
Where elephants walk to the beach — dune forest, lakes and coastline two hours from the capital.
Maputo National Park was created by joining the former Maputo Special Reserve with the Ponta do Ouro Partial Marine Reserve, giving it a rare continuum from grassland and dune forest to reef. It forms part of a transfrontier conservation area shared with South Africa and Eswatini.
Elephants are the headline. The population survived Mozambique's civil war in these forests and has grown steadily since; sightings are good but never guaranteed, and the animals are genuinely wild. Antelope, zebra, hippo and over 350 bird species share the park, and Lake Piti attracts large numbers of waterbirds.
It is the easiest real wilderness to reach from Maputo, and it works well as an overnight rather than a rushed day trip.
Things to do
- Elephant herds
- Lake Piti
- Dune forest
- Milibangalala coast
- Birdwatching
