Nature Regions

Mozambique 9-Day Tour

9-Day Tour

Beira – Gorongosa National Park – Bazaruto Archipelago National Park – Vilanculos

Tour Information

Mammals

Terrestrial mammals: Crawshay’s Zebra, African Wild Dog, Temminck’s Ground Pangolin, Lichtenstein’s Hartebeest, Caracal, Serval, Sable Antelope, Aardvark, African Wild Cat, Honey Badger, Side-striped Jackal, African Civet, Striped Polecat, Spotted-necked Otter, African Clawless Otter, African Leopard, Red Forest Duiker, Suni, Oribi, Blue Duiker, Sharpe’s Grysbok, Bushpig, Yellow Baboon, Samango Monkey, Mutable Sun Squirrel, Red Bush Squirrel, Brown Greater Galago (Bushbaby), Mozambique Dwarf Galago (Bushbaby), Large Grey Mongoose, Selous’ Mongoose, Bushy-tailed Mongoose, Meller’s Mongoose, Water (Marsh) Mongoose, White-tailed Mongoose, Yellow-spotted Hyrax, Four-toed Sengi (Elephant Shrew).

Marine mammals: Dugong, Humpback Whale, Southern Right Whale, Spinner Dolphin, Indo-Pacific Humpback Dolphin.

Rodents: Cape Porcupine, Greater Canerat, Giant Rat, Black Rat, Red Veld Rat, Water Rat, Angoni Vlei Rat, Gorongosa Gerbil, Bushveld Gerbil, Fat Mouse, Multimammate Mouse, Pouched Mouse, Pygmy Mouse, Woodland Dormouse, Tree Mouse, Groove-toothed Mouse, Spiny Mouse, Single-striped Mouse.

Bats: Wilson’s Long-fingered Bat, Banana Serotine Bat, Welwitsch’s Mouse-eared Bat, Light-winged Lesser House Bat, Lander’s Horseshoe Bat, Hildebrandt’s Horseshoe Bat, Geoffroy’s Horseshoe Bat, Angolan Long-eared Bat, Cape (Temminck’s) Hairy Bat, Wahlberg’s Epauletted Fruit Bat, Egyptian Fruit Bat, Sheath-tailed Bat, Egyptian Tomb Bat, Little Free-tailed Bat, Egyptian Free-tailed Bat, Schreiber’s Long-fingered (Common Bent-winged) Bat, Variegated Butterfly Bat, Yellow (African) House Bat, Schlieffen’s Serotine (Bat), Damara Woolly Bat, Hairy Slit-faced Bat, Common Slit-faced Bat, Commerson’s Leaf-nosed bat, Sundevall’s Leaf-nosed Bat.

Birds

Green-headed Oriole, Green-backed Woodpecker, Speckle-throated Woodpecker, Locust Finch, Barred Long-tailed Cuckoo, Lesser Seedcracker, Black and White (Vanga) Flycatcher, African Pitta (summer only), Livingstone’s Flycatcher, Black-headed Apalis, East Coast Akalat, White-chested Alethe, Marsh Tchagra, Lowland Tiny Greenbul, Swynnerton’s Robin, Pallid Honeyguide, Pale Batis, Red-winged Warbler, Moustached Grass Warbler, Pennant-winged Nightjar, Red-faced Crombec, Short-winged (Siffling) Cisticola, Black-eared Seedeater, African Hobby (summer only), Plain-backed Sunbird, Green Tinkerbird, Thick-billed Cuckoo, Lesser Cuckoo, Chestnut-fronted Helmetshrike, Silvery-cheeked Hornbill, Arnot’s Chat, Stripe-cheeked Greenbul, Black-fronted Bush Shrike, Blue-spotted Wood Dove, Cabanis’s Bunting, Collared Palm-Thrush, Crowned Eagle, Dickinson’s Kestrel, Miombo Blue-eared Starling, Zambezi Indigobird, African Emerald Cuckoo, Broad-tailed Paradise Whydah, Racket-tailed Roller, Scaly-throated Honeyguide, African Golden Oriole, Wattled Crane, Lappet-faced Vulture, White-headed Vulture, Hooded Vulture, Palm-nut Vulture, Martial Eagle, Ayre’s Hawk Eagle, Southern Banded Snake Eagle, European Honey Buzzard, Lizard Buzzard, Red-necked Falcon, Olive Bee-eater, Southern Ground Hornbill, African Skimmer, Mottled Spinetail, Böhm’s Spinetail, Narina Trogon, Grey-headed Parrot, White-breasted Cuckooshrike, Secretarybird, Greater Flamingo, Lesser Flamingo, Green Malkoha, Eastern Nicator, Southern Crested Guineafowl, Greater Painted Snipe, Blue-billed Teal, Wattled Crane, Rufous-bellied Heron, African Pygmy Goose, Lesser Jacana, Black-rumped Buttonquail, Blue Quail, African Pygmy Kingfisher, Green Sandpiper, Temminck’s Courser, Bronze-winged Courser, Bearded Scrub Robin, Dark-backed Weaver, Southern Carmine Bee-eater, Grey-headed Kingfisher, Red-throated Twinspot, Green-capped Eremomela, Orange-winged Pytilia, Western Violet-backed Sunbird, Scarlet-chested Sunbird, Neergaard’s Sunbird, Purple-banded Sunbird, Black Cuckooshrike, Red-headed Finch, Flappet Lark, Cut-throat Finch, African (Grey) Penduline Tit, Orange-breasted Waxbill, Quailfinch, Mangrove Kingfisher, Square-tailed Nightjar, Mourning Collared Dove, African Green Pigeon, Common Buttonquail, Southern Brown-throated Weaver, Village Indigobird, Indian Yellow-nosed Albatross, Sooty Tern, Roseate Tern, Great Snipe, African Skimmer, Crab Plover, Common Redshank, Greater Sand Plover, Tibetan Sand Plover, Terek Sandpiper, Lesser Crested Tern, Great White Pelican, Pink-backed Pelican, Goliath Heron, Ruddy Turnstone, Western Osprey, Eurasian Oystercatcher.

Fishes

Whale Shark, Manta Ray, Black Marlin, Blue Marlin, Striped Marlin, Small-bill Spearfish, Sailfish, Yellowfin Tuna, Wahoo, Mahi-Mahi, Giant Trevally, King Mackerel, Grey Reef Shark, Bull Shark, Great Hammerhead Shark, Tiger Shark, Whitetip Reef Shark, Oceanic Black Tip Shark, Nurse Shark.

Reptiles

Mount Gorongosa Pygmy Chameleon, Green Sea Turtle, Loggerhead Sea Turtle, Leatherback Sea Turtle, Hawksbill Sea Turtle, Yellow-bellied Sea Snake, Eastern Green Mamba, Mozambique Spitting Cobra, Puff Adder, Boomslang.

  • Tour Includes:
    • Private wildlife and birding guide.
    • Costs for a host accompanying the group from the source country.
    • 1 x Flight – Gorongosa to Vilanculos with Safari Air Africa.
    • 1 x Road transfer – Beira to Gorongosa.
    • Accommodation (may change subject to availability, in which case similar will be found).
    • All ground transport – Maximum 7 participants and 1 guide per luxury touring vehicle.
    • Specialist guided tours and activities:
      • Guided open safari vehicle day drives – 7 x Gorongosa NP.
      • Guided day tour to Mount Gorongosa – 1 x Gorongosa NP.
      • Half-day ocean boat tour – 1 x Bazaruto Archipelago NP.
      • Dhow sundowner boat tour – 1 x Bazaruto Archipelago NP.
      • Guided nature trail walk – 1 x Bazaruto Archipelago NP.
    • All road tolls and parking fees.
    • 3 Meals per day – Breakfast, lunch, and dinner.
    • Bottled water in vehicles whilst travelling per person per day.
    • All entrance fees, conservation and community levies to parks and reserves.
    • Trip guide.
    • Personalized species checklists.
  • Tour Excludes:
    • Airport departure taxes or visa fees.
    • Travel and medical insurance (incl. personal equipment and repatriation).
    • All snacks and drinks (except bottled waters).
    • Optional excursions.
    • Specialist guide fees and activities not specified.
    • Travel and medical insurance.
    • Items of a personal nature.
    • Telephone charges.
    • Tips and gratuities for guides and local restaurants.
    • Anything else not mentioned in “Tour Includes”.

Test

Distance:

Total driving distance (including around sites) = ~450 km.

Scheduled Dates:

08 – 17 October 2026
14 – 23 November 2027

Or alternate dates on request

Validity:

01 April – 30 November 2026

01 April – 30 November 2027

Duration:

9 days, 8 nights

No. of Pax:

Maximum 7 guests per vehicle and per guide.

Tour Starts:

At Beira International Airport in Beira, Mozambique.

Tour Ends:

At Vilankulo Airport in Vilanculos, Mozambique.

Price:

01 April to 30 November 2026 Price: ZAR 157,800 per person sharing, ZAR 217,900 per person single

01 April to 30 November 2027 Price: ZAR 170,450 per person sharing, ZAR 235,390 per person single

  • Terms and Conditions apply.
  • The species mentioned in the itinerary represent only some of those we may possibly view on the tour, however, none of these can be guaranteed even though every effort will be made where possible to locate them. A full list of possible species appears on your checklist, although vagrants and rarities may also surprise us.
  • This itinerary is subject to change due to weather conditions at the time and other factors beyond our control.

Tour Insight

Beira – Gorongosa National Park – Bazaruto Archipelago National Park – Vilanculos

This guided Sustain Safaris package will lead you to two extraordinary and iconic destinations within the nature-rich nation of Mozambique, which boasts a massive coastline extending approximately 2,500 kilometres from south to north along the warm sub-tropical waters of the Indian Ocean.

Our journey includes 2 unique reserves renowned for amazing terrestrial, marine and aquatic mammal and bird sightings. These include awesome Maputo National Park, Gorongosa National Park, and Bazaruto Archipelago National Park. The tour will focus on optimizing your chances of encounters with these highly sought-after animals, as well as many other species of game, rare and endemic birds and all other manner of biodiversity.

On this wildlife safari you can expect to see a good number of the Africa’s iconic land-based and sea-based species that some people only dream of. The tour has strategically selected certain key destinations within Mozambique that provide some of the very best chances for discovering these treasures in the time available. In addition, probabilities are good for discovering the Big 5 and a multitude of other diverse wildlife and birdlife.

Each destination we visit en-route offers unique habitats, extraordinary scenery, and breath-taking beauty, providing you with fantastic photographic opportunities. Habitats we explore include coastal forest, seashore, lagoons, woodlands, savanna, grassland, thornveld, subtropical forest, and sandy islands, which host numerous regional endemics, threatened and endangered mammal and bird species, as well as great floral diversity. The route caters to a large mammal list in excess of 50 species, with a good hit rate on many of the rare species. The bird list is also very impressive, totalling over 450 species in the region we tour through, and we can expect to find over 250 of these species (including many raptors, owls and endemics).

Start and end destinations: This safari commences at Beira International Airport in Beira, Mozambique, and the tour ends at Vilankulo Airport in Vilanculos, Mozambique.

Tour Overview

We typically use semi-luxury private lodges, but should you prefer, at an added cost, luxury lodging options can also be arranged.

The best time to visit subtropical Mozambique is between September and November, when you can witness the whale migration and the weather is calm and hot, between 27°C to 32°C. Mozambique has a subtropical climate. The dry season lasts from April to December, with temperatures between 25°C and 34°C. There is a dry, cooler season from May to October and a wet, hot season from November to April. The Dry season corresponds with winter and the Wet season with summer. The beaches are lovely throughout the year.

 

Habitats we explore include coastal forest, seashore, lagoons, woodlands, savanna, grassland, thornveld, subtropical forest, and sandy islands, which host numerous regional endemics, threatened and endangered mammal and bird species, as well as great floral diversity.

  • Tour variation
    This set-departure tour is also available as a private or custom tour on request. Kindly submit an enquiry with your preferred dates and group size. 
  • Maputo National Park 3-night extension available.

Safari Highlights include:

  • Fly into the coastal city of Beira midday, where we greet you for our drive through to Gorongosa.
  • Discover the extraordinary and abundant biodiversity of Gorongosa National Park, where we explore one of the world’s great wildernesses – 4 nights.
  • Savour the idyllic Indian Ocean island lifestyle and azure marine waters of the gorgeous Bazaruto Archipelago National Park – 4 nights.

The tempo of our tour will be medium paced, with opportunities to pause in key areas and optional midday breaks (advisable on the hot days). If you are a keen photographer, well so are we, and we will offer several opportunities to capture the moments that will make you the envy of your birdwatching friends.