Maputo National Park Safari & Beach Guide

Dream Bush Beach Holidays in Maputo National Park

All you need to know about Maputo Elephant Reserve (now called Maputo National Park)and visiting this recently restocked national park in Mozambique right here. We also offer safari accommodation and advice – combine your Maputo Special Reserve holiday with a break on a Mozambique beach. This is the ideal bush beach combo package deal imaginable. Maputo National Park safari and accommodation here!

Maputo Special Reserve, Maputo Elephant Park and Maputo National Park – different names for the same beautiful game reserve in southern Mozambique where herds of regal elephants roam, and elegant kudus show off their ornate horns. Zebras, giraffes, hippos, crocodiles, and diverse birds also show their true colours in a wilderness that has to be seen to be appreciated.

Find Maputo National Park, aka Maputo Elephant Park, only 80 km from Maputo city, in Matutuine, stretching an awesome 1 700 square kilometres. This stunning reserve is haven to splendid ecosystems – sandy forests, mangroves, swamps and dunes covered in indigenous vegetation. Refresh your love for African wildlife when you book the safari of a lifetime to this special reserve close to Maputo. The ocean is right there too, and you can dive to your heart’s content while splashing out in the only luxury accommodation available in this park. This is your dream bush beach holiday in a Maputo national park.

Since 1960, the Maputo National Park (previously the Maputo Special Reserve) environment has been conserved by people who care, so much so that it is now recognised as one of the earth’s richest destinations in terms of biodiversity, and home to some of the most endangered ecoregions ever.

Peace Parks manages the Maputo National Park in conjunction with the partners of the Usuthu-Tembe-Futi Transfrontier Conservation Area – which also includes the Ponto do Ouro-Kosi Bay TFCA which then links to the iSimangaliso Wetland Park in KwaZulu-Natal South Africa! Amazing work, a huge green lung to benefit sustainable tourism goals and look after people and planet!

Their goal is to link the ecosystems for the benefit of all wild creatures and to sustain the communities living in the region as benefactors of the tourism initiatives. It is important to have a 4×4 vehicle to traverse the park as most of the tracks are thick sand and no noisy quad bikes, jet skis or motor bikes are allowed in the park. The top elephant Park in Mozambique.

Getting to Maputo National Park or the Mozambique Elephant Reserve

Most tourists on a trip into Africa like to self-drive to Maputo, see the sights, then self-drive to the south to enjoy the bush and beach scenery. Now that the road is tarred, the journey is so much easier, and the beaches down south and Maputo Reserve are much more accessible.

The drive from Johannesburg, via Maputo, is about 7 hours. Adventure from Maputo to the Maputo National Park in just 2 hours and further south to Ponta do Ouro or Ponta Mamoli in 3-4 hours; the trip from Kosi Bay border with KZN is a mere 2 hours or so.

When you get to the MNP, remember that it is a 4×4 destination on soft sandy roads and is a real challenge to drive. It is so remote that the animals are shy of humans and vehicles. The Catembe-Maputo Suspension Bridge has eased the distance a lot and the new tarred road all the way to Kosi Bay.

Maputo National Park Accommodation

Two very special lodges showcasing the very best accommodation in Maputo National Park:

Ponta Membene

In the coastal forest and just behind the dunes of Maputo Elephant Reserve lies the newly opened eco lodge of Ponta Membene. Stylish and good value for money chalets that can be booked on a self catering or full board basis. The chalets, either one or two bedroomed units are well appointed with a fully equipped kitchen and indoor and outdoor leisure areas that include a braai pit. There’s a private bathroom as well as an outdoor shower area and the views over the ocean and floodplains behind are spectacular.

Ponta Membene Lodge is in the heart of the Maputo National Park and its therefore so easy to see game and do game drives. You will need a 4×4 to access the lodge if you are self driving. If you wish to fly into Maputo and get a road transfer on one of our great Ponta Membene packages then get in touch with us. Go and do a Maputo National Park safari here.

Anvil Bay

Anvil Bay is the only luxury accommodation in the national park, and the second Maputo National P[ark accommodation provider. How iconic that this lodge perches on the sublime ocean edge in a forest canopy! Your bush beach destination is all in one then and the 10 villas or casinhas are lovingly created from natural materials such as wood, reeds and thatch.

Exclusive eco-accommodation provides an authentic barefoot bliss experience in nature, off the grid power supplies and water from nearby natural sources. Solar power ensures less impact on the environment and all activities shy away from being noisy and polluting.

Hiking, turtle walks, whale watching, rock pool adventures, ocean safaris and game drives are all tuned into getting to know nature better and appreciating our place within the global natural environment. The perfect Maputo National Park safari. Anvil Bay Forest Suites provide mini bars, tea and coffee facilities, lavish indoor and outdoor showers, and private dining decks on stilts to leave the dunes untouched.

The Maputo Special Reserve accommodation at Anvil Bay is a place for nature lovers and is the perfect base for those who want their luxury accommodation while remaining aware of their own impacts on the environment in every way.

Book your ideal package deal to include the bush at Maputo National Park and the beach at Anvil Bay. Or the bush in the park and a beach somewhere else such as at Bilene, Vilanculos or Ponta Mamoli. Your tailor-made special safari deal is waiting to happen with Mozambique Travel.