Cobue Border Crossing + Traveling Northern Mozambique

My journey down the Swahili coast – from Kenya to Mozambique – stopped abruptly at the Mozambican Embassy in Dar es Salaam; facing a bureaucratic brick wall in Tanzania.

lake malawi beach Cobue Border northern Mozambique — Taking a small boat from Likoma Island – across Lake Malawi to the Mozambique side and the village of Cobue which is the Cobue border point. TIP: Expect to wait until early afternoon in Likoma for enough passengers to make this boat crossing.

Travelers coming from Tanzania needed a Mozambique visa before arrival

After viewing the visa requirements at the Mozambique Embassy, I just walked out – muttering obscenities.

maps of travel northern Mozambique border crossing at cobue — Mozambique Overland Travel: from Likoma Island in Lake Malawi to the Cobue border and then over to Mozambique Island.

Requirements for a Mozambique visa in Dar es Salaam are anal

$US 100 for the visa (expensive).

5 working days wait (so, basically a week).

Passport-sized pics and forms filled out (just the usual; ok, fine).

Invitation letter stating why I wanted to go to Mozambique (why waste my time?)

Bank statement (declaring I have $US 5000 – WTF)

And other petty shit!

Boat To Cobue border crossing From Malawi To Mozambique — Sunset over the “port” at the Cobue border crossing in Northern Mozambique.

I knew a week (I’d already waited 3 days over a long holiday weekend) of waiting around in Dar es Salaam would be too much frustration and expense.

However, I knew that in any other countries bordering Mozambique, overland entry at the Cobue border was simply a visa issued upon arrival.

Travel By Truck Across Northern Mozambique — Traveling northern Mozambique. On the road in the back of a truck – the only public transport – that would later be packed with timber, a bicycle, and loads of people. It was an uncomfortable 6 hours sweltering along dusty roads from Cobue to Metangula. I shared a sack of pebbles as a cushion with a young woman.

Every time the bumps and sloping roads sent passengers and stuff moving – sometimes into each other in crushes of agony. Sometimes “passengers” had to get out and walk so the truck could climb the hill (= the RIGHT SIDE photo).

Crossing Lake Malawi to enter Mozambique at the Cobue border

Studying my map of Africa, I found an alternative travel route into Northern Mozambique: a remote border crossing at Cobue on Lake Malawi.

But, it would add an extra 1500+ km to my Cairo to Cape Town overland trip.

Cuamba Street Scenes Mozambique — Hanging out in Cuamba for 2 days, awaiting the train’s departure to Nampula.

So, the NEW PLAN (- see map above):

Cut south-west from the coast across the highlands of southern Tanzania and down into northern Malawi, then across Lake Malawi by boat from Likoma Island to the Cobue border crossing in remote north-western Mozambique.

And from there, travel east to Mozambique Island off the coast of the Indian Ocean.