Manica Province

Area: 61,661sq.km
Borders: Tete to the north, Inhambane & Gaza to the south, Sofala to the east, Zimbabwe to the west.
Shona and Sena are the most representative ethnic groups.
Population Density: 11inhabitants/sq.km
Main products: gold, mica, fluorite, chalcopyrite, tobacco, citrus and vegetables.

On the border of Zimbabwe this province is famous for its rock formation such as "The Old Man's Head" and also the Chicamba Dam.

A stop in Chimoio, renamed after independence, at 750m, has an agreeable climate, is the capital of Manica Province, a very clean and nice city of about 172 thousand people, mostly agricultural, was named after the Moyo clan, from the region of Mbire, which is not far from the spring of the Save river in Zimbabwe. When in 1897, the railway between Beira and Machipanda was built; the place has developed quickly and in 1916 was called Vila Pery after João Pery de Lind, governor of the Mozambique Territory Company.
You will easily find some Pensão to stay, clean and not too expensive. There are no backpackers yet.
You can get there by bus, train from Beira city, about 7/8 hours trip. Have regular flights to Maputo and Tete.
On Ave 25 de Setembro you will find lots of shops, restaurants and all branches of local banks.

The old "Vila Pery Hotel", now serving as Centro Social of the police, the City Chamber and the Library can be seen as some examples for the architecture of colonial times.
Mercado Magarafa (market) is a place to go shopping. Be careful.
Tiec, the Internet café, 147, Dr. Araujo de Lacerda Str

Some places to stay, eat and have fun:
Centro de Formação da Cruz Vermelha, basic and cheap, just 4kms outside town. Restaurant/Bar*
Pensão Flôr de Vouga, in town, basic and cheap. Restaurant/Bar. *
Oasis *
Pensão Copa Cabana *
Piscina **
Hotel Moinho, outside town, but very nice and pleasant. **
Manica Executive Hotel ***
At the Trade Fair (Feira Popular) is a non-stop place to have fun with is Restaurants and Bars and not expensive. Ninucho is the most popular. Maua serves traditional food.
Boite Coqueiro, centrally, is the most famous nightclub in town.
O Quintal, for pizzas. Opens from 18.00h. Very popular.
Elo 4, for Italian food.
Pizzeria Gesom for pizzas.
Chicateco, Café Chimoio and Sports club serve good food also.
Concorde for the not so hungry. Good choice for lunchtime.
In the surrenders of Chimoio you can hike, climb in or just relax in places like "Cabeça do Velho" "The Old Mans Face" at about 5km north-east of the town centre. Where nature abruptly carved a rock formation out of the plain landscape. It has been here since the beginning of the time, staring into the sky and meditating over the plateau. To get there, take Barué Str. Past the Mercado (market) Magarafa and continue along the dirt road. You'll see the rock ahead of you in the distance. From the base, you can reach the top in about 10 minutes where you can enjoy the views. Shortage of rain is a great misfortune for any community subsisting mainly off agriculture, so, when the situation gets serious, the population lead by "Curandeiros", or wise men, assemble to resolve the problem by using old rituals. The "Cabeça do Velho" like many other places, is a spot where the people call on the spirits of their ancestors to ask for rain. You should get a guide to climb the mountain.
Lake Chicamba, on the way to Manica city, was created in 1968 when a dam was built to contain the water of the rivers of Rivué and Messica. The dam wall, which is built into a V-shaped gorge, provides energy for Manica and Sofala provinces. About 1 km after the dam is the Bar Container, a pleasant outdoors bar overlooking the lake. And 5km further on the same dirt road, you will hit the "Nyamakamba Rest Camp" a camping site with very basic facilities, where you can go fishing or just wonder about the lake with a rented boat. Other nice place to stop for a drink is Joe's Bar. He offers camping facilities and a braai area. Go fishing or just enjoy the view.
Casa Msika, on the other side of the lake, a kind of Nature Park, with gazelle, kudu, ostrich and his crocodile farm with a dam is the gateway out of Moçambique, located just 44 km from the Zimbabwe border, and just a few kilometres to the main highway to Tete (en route to Malawi border), south main highway to Vilanculo. Is a beautiful reserve on Lake Msika, and one of Moçambique best kept secrets. They have camping facilities and bungalows with on suite bathrooms that sleeps up to 6 people. There is a restaurant/bar, small pool, canoes to rent, climb the mountain or go fishing. If you don't have a car, just get out on the main road by the sign, and walk 5km, or just phone them at 011 603719, and they will pick you up from the main road. The prices are very good. They have Camping, Bungalows for double/twin rooms up to a 6-person bungalow. They have hot water all the time. Generator goes off at 23.00h.
Selva Estalagem, a great spot with an amazing view, outside town 25km.
You must go to Manica City. Since the first millennium, the quest for gold in this region, once called Monomutapas, was what drew first the Arabs and later the Portuguese to the area. Until the end of the 19th century the Europeans, mostly dealers or soldiers, settled around these now-established gold trading markets.
Spend some time wondering around. The remains of colonial architecture are great. Don't miss the Geology Museum, built in a mixed style of Portuguese and British colonial architecture, which displays a complete and rare collection of the minerals and rocks of the region. The Catholic Church, from the 20th century, with a central nave supported by a tower on either side, shows the traces of the colonial Portuguese influence and the Muslim Mosque shows the multi-cultural aspects of Mozambique. The market, like most of them in Mozambique is really good. The Vumba Mountains, known for the spring of the Vumba Mineral Water, are 1.600 meter high, offers a good opportunity for hiking and mountain biking.
Near the town, there are places not to be missed like:
Rock Paintings (Pinturas Rupestres) about 3kms outside town towards Machipanda border watch for sign. Locals believe this site is sacred, thus it is necessary to contact the "Chief" to get permission and they will send somebody to accompany you. About an hour walking up, there is a small ceremony before visiting the place. Take some change to give as a gift to the guide or chief.
Water Falls and the Forest in Penhalonga mountains, on the border with Zimbabwe are something not to be missed. The British and Portuguese Colonialist had first divided the area, which the mountains were named, in a treaty in 1890, without any respect for the ethnic and tribal ties. Since the region is very fertile, the lower slopes of the mountains are dotted with "machambas", farming plots, and beautifully decorated traditional Shoana huts, with are painted natural colours. To get their take the main road EN6 in the centre of Manica town towards the market and continue on this road past the market, crossing the river. After some kms keep left at the first fork intersection. Take the right road at the next intersection. After 20 km you will reach Penhalonga Village. Keep on going all the way up, and listen for the water falling down the mountain, watch the people that are smuggling over the border through centuries old trails doing business or just enjoy the forest that is surrounding you. You don't need a 4x4 during the dry season. There is local transport only to the village.
Casa Gaswa is the only option at the moment to stay for the ones without a tent. Has a local hut that sleeps 3 people and offers basic facilities. You could also pitch a tent. Local meals can be arranged on request, or you bring your own food. To get there take a left turn up the hills when coming into the village. The view from the hut overlooking the valley is lovely. You can also go for a guided walk, a hike or a climb in the surrounding mountains. Also possible is a visit to the nearby gold panning areas or a guided tour to meet local people in their habitat.
Quinta da Fronteira, on Penhalonga, once a beautiful private mansion with a stunning garden, will be very soon operating as a lodge. Contains lots of local and foreign flowers and trees, a swimming pool, an artificial lake and refreshing streams. It was abandoned during the war and fell into disrepair. It is now under reconstruction and will offer restaurant and facilities for overnight stays. You can camp for some money right now but you need to bring everything with you. You will see the sign to get there after Casa Gaswa. There is a guide available, Miguel Pedro whose family has looked after the mansion since its construction and is very knowledgeable. Take some money as a gift. Smoking and cooking fires are not allowed on the premises but have specific areas for that. Removal of any plant, flower, and tree will result in a huge fine.
Fortress Macequece is another place to be seen at about 22kms outside Manica town. The exact date of its first construction is unknown, but is was destroyed in 1891 while the Portuguese fought there against the British, who tried to occupy the area to establish a link between old Rhodesia and the Indian Ocean. Today some of the old walls and a plaque remind us of these times. A visit there gives you an opportunity of a pleasant walk.

Places to stay and eat:
Manica Beach Lodge, not so cheap.
Piscina a bit cheaper.
Flamingo and São Cristovão have the cheapest accommodation in town. Their toilets/showers are communal with hot water.
All of these places have their own restaurant and bar.
Clube Desportivo, a restaurant with very good food and not so expensive.
Macequece is the disco in town.
There is transport all day around to the Zimbabwe border.

Chimanimani is a well known National Park in Zimbabwe, that is also on the Mozambican side, called "Area de Conservação TransFronteira Chimanimani". This conservation area in the southwest of Manica province covers a total of 1.756km2, including Mountain Binga, the highest peak of the country at 2.436m high. Visitors will find an enormous diversity of landscape and a spectacular richness in plant species, ranging from shady forests with huge bamboo to open grass plains, to steep granite rocks with beautiful aloes. If you are lucky, you can spot a bushbuck, eland, sable, duiker and klipspringer and a great range of reptile species. The bird life is superb, including very rare species like the southern-banded snake eagle, the barred cuckoo and chririnda apalis. The heart of the Chimanimani area with high mountains and steep rocks starts in the north at the spring of the small Mussapa River, reaching to Binga and Banya Mountain in the south. Here you find huge rocks and boulders, high peaks as well as indigenous forests, alpine grassland, clear streams and impressive waterfalls. Here are the most local holy places of the Chimanimani.
Here you can go to meet the local people and be introduced to their customs and traditions. You can visit the rock paintings, sacred trees and waterfalls. You can go hiking in the breathtaking Chimanimani Mountains. Climb Binga Mountain, the highest peak of Mozambique and other mountains, have a swim or go fishing in the clear mountain streams. Go bird watching with an experienced guide, which you should do anyway in the Chimanimani Mountains. You will need a 4x4 to get to the park, which has 5 camps, which provides simple huts and camping facilities.
To get there, Mahate, Chikukwa, Moribane and Zomba, take the turn off outside Chimoio to
Sussundenga, for Mahate and Chikukwa turn right towards Rotanda at the Rotanda/Dombe junction. After 27km there is a sign to your left indicating the entrance of Chimanimani area. For Moribane or Zomba stay on the Dombe road. To Tsetserra carry on EN6 until you reach the turn-off to Chicamba Dam. Follow the road across the bridge. At the next junction turn right towards Tsetserra Mountain. You can also contact the ACTF, the project that looks after the programs for the Chimanimani Mountain in Chimoio, on Pigivide Str. Phone: (+) 258. 051 23362 or email: Chimanimani@hotmail.com.