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The Blue Lagoon and Coconut Palms
The Blue Lagoon and Coconut Palms
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Traveling to Villa da Luz Drive to Villa da Luz: (see map below) The route is via the EN4 from Ressano-Garcia to Maputo (96km) and then via the EN1 to Macia (150km). In Macia there is a right turn to Bilene which is 34km from Macia by tarred road. From Bilene there is a 24 km unpaved road around the lagoon to Villa da Luz which, because of its soft, sandy nature is unsuitable for most 2wd vehicles. Many 4wd vehicles also become stuck due to bad driving technique and lack of understanding of the vehicles by their drivers. If you are new to the world of 4wd the 4wd page may help you. With the right driver any 4wd vehicle can reach us. When the lagoon mouth is open and the water level is low it is possible use the beach to get to Villa da Luz from the Bilene waterfront road. This route is 10km shorter but there are 2 good reasons not to use it. Firstly, it is illegal to drive on any beach in Moçambique and you may get a R1500 fine for doing so and, secondly, your vehicle will have to wade through 4 semi-saline rivers which will do it harm. See the GPS coordinates page for details on the beach road. There have been reports of loose items being stolen from slow moving trailers on the congested first section of the EN1. Cover unsecured things with a net if you are nervous about this possibility. There are two +/-100km gravel-roads from Moamba to Magude and Xinavane. The map below shows only one of them, the slightly longer but better one that passes through the town of Sabie. These routes shorten the trip by +/-30 km, as well as avoiding the congestion in the Maputo area. Take the left turn at the sign to Moamba 4km after the Moamba toll-gate. The road zigzags through the town of Moamba which has only one (poorly attended) fuel pump. There is one right turn to make after the plaza to stay on the only tarred road in town. At the end of the tar one can either take the right fork and proceed direct to Xinavane, or cross the Nkomati River on your left by the steel bridge and go via Sabie and Magude. Be careful of animals, opposite direction traffic and surprise curves. Not all vehicles in Moçambique are roadworthy and not all drivers behave in a conventional manner. This section takes about an hour and 20 minutes to travel. Typically you will have to give right of way to up several herds of cattle, and maybe a Hippopotamus while using this route. These roads may become impassable due to washouts after heavy rains in summer. There is effectively no fuel between Komatipoort and Macia, so leave South Africa with a full tank. See Bulletin Board for the up-to-date information and GPS coordinates for more information on these roads. For those motorists with GPS capability we have listed the salient Lat/Long coordinates via the direct Moamba/Xinavane route to the lodge on the GPS coordinates hyperlink. You should plan to avoid any night driving in Moçambique and be sure obey all traffic laws. In winter the sun sets shortly after 5pm and you will need to clear Ressano Garcia by 12 noon in order to reach the lodge in daylight. This will mean leaving Nelspruit by 10:30 am at the very latest. On days preceding long weekends and holidays there can be delays of up to 3 hours at the border. Using the Swaziland route increases the distance to travel by 120km and 90 minutes but the Swaziland border posts are never very busy so the delays there are shorter. The Bundu Lodge which is situated 11km North of Nelspruit on the R40 to White River is a convenient and congenial place to stop for the night. The phone number is +27-13-758-1221. E-mail: debundu@mweb.co.za, website: www.bunducountrylodge.co.za. In Moçambique it is customary for the last vehicle in a slow-moving queue to use the left-hand indicator to show that it is safe to overtake, and the right hand indicator to show the contrary. This is a courtesy extended by the lead driver and should not be treated as more than that. Some local drivers consider the use of headlamps at night to be a confession of poor eyesight and therefore travel without lights, while others imagine battery damage to be a result of the extra load. Be prepared, if you drive at night. We have seen the most gruesome collisions, and medical rescue does not exist in Moçambique. The lack of white lines causes a lot of drivers to wander all over the road, particularly at night. In many African countries green branches of trees are cut and placed at intervals behind a disabled vehicle. Disabled vehicles are left where they breakdown i.e. in the middle of the road. If you should see green branches in the road when approaching a blind rise it would be prudent to slow down. Please observe a 20km/h speed limit through the village, there are lots of children and lots of chickens running around. Please do not give anything to the children. All gifts should left with us for equitable distribution. Giving to children direct turns them into raucous, demanding little beggars. Fly to Villa da Luz Bilene has an airfield with a paved 690 meter runway (01/19) suitable for daylight use in VFR conditions. There is secure parking but no fuel or any navigation aids. There are the usual exorbitant third world type landing fees, navigation fees, parking fees and passenger taxes to pay in US dollars. Customs and Immigration must be cleared at Maputo or another international airport. We provide a ferry service by Land Rover/rubber duck from the airport to the lodge at nominal charge. Specify your requirements on the booking form. There is scheduled airline called Air Bilene which flies from Maputo. Consult your travel agent if you want to take this risk.
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