Ponta Do Ouro Accommodation

The quaint little town of Ponta do Ouro is situated in Southern Mozambique, a mere ten kilometers away from the South African border. Ponto do Ouro or "Point of Gold" gets its name from the fact that early Portuguese explorers were misled by unreliable maps, thinking that gold might be found there. Upon arrival they found that the dunes were rich in black titanium, and the only gold in the area was the colour of the setting sun shining over the long white beaches. Essentially this area is an extension of South Africa's Maputaland, but far more pristine.

Ponta do Ouro is best accessed through the Kosi Bay border post in KwaZulu Natal. The border is approximately six hundred and thirty kilometers from Johannesburg and four hundred and sixty kilometers from Durban. It is open 7 days a week (08h00 to 17h00). Between the border and the hotel a 4x4 vehicle is required due to the soft sandy roads. Should you not have one; a border transfer can be arranged, and your vehicle can be left at the parking lot just before the border at a charge of twenty five rand per day. The parking lot is privately operated, and is secure.

The town of Ponto do Ouro is surrounded by sea, sand, dunes and casuarinas trees, and is rated as one of the top ten attractions in Africa, and the best resort town in Mozambique. There is a very traditional open air market, several "cantinas" (little shops) and eager curio sellers, who will quench your thirst for shopping before you make your way to one of the rustic restaurants in town.

Scuba diving enthuisiasts can make their way to any of the many magnificent and world renowned reefs in the area. Various vibrantly coloured species of coral, and large marine animals which include the likes of Whale Sharks, Manta Rays and Humpback Whales are regularly sighted in the area. Bread Loaf is the easiest of the sites to dive, and is recommened for new comers to the diving scene, offering chances of spotting reef sharks, Red Fang Triggers, Angel Fish, Chocolate Dips, Hermit Crabs, Snappers and Moray Eels. Aquarium which is situated at Malongane Bay, a short distance from Ponto do Ouro, has often been described as an underwater fish tank boasting a wide variety of tropical species.

Surf fishing for barracuda, kingfish and bream proves to be a profitable experience, which deep sea anglers can enjoy the likely chances of pulling out marlin, sailfish, king mackerel (cuta), queen mackerel (natal snoek), dorado, wahoo, green job fish (kaakap), and various species of tuna.

For those wanting a more relaxed experience, the area is well known for its whale watching, and dolphins which allow visitors to swim with them in the shallow waters. Other natural attractions to be found along the coastline include the Loggerhead and Leatherback turtles which can be often seen laying their eggs in the sand during the summer months.

Review: Holiday Resort accommodation in Ponta Do Ouro Mozambique - Baleia Vista Ponta
wheretostay.co.za/baleiavista

The Baleia Vista Ponta Holiday Resort accommodation in Ponta Do Ouro, Mozambique takes conventional 'camping' to a whole new level. Some of this Mozambique camping accommodation consisted of permanent tents built onto a wooden deck overlooking the ocean, and because the tents are set quite far apart from each other, they ensure complete privacy.

The Baleia Vista Ponta Holiday Resort in Mozambique even provided us with a self-catering basket with crockery and cutlery, which we used when we wanted to cook and braai in the communal boma, which made for fun times with the other 'tent dwellers' . Alternatively we ate at the Baleia Vista Ponta restaurant / bar complex.. On lazy mornings, the resort provided 'room service', with continental breakfasts delivered right to our tent.

While Don did some typical "Mozambique ski boat fishing",with some of his mates I chose to get pampered in Salon @ Praia - the on-site beauty and health care center, which offered all sorts of wonderful treatments. Ponta Do Ouro in Mozambique is the most ideal getaway, with plenty of activities like scuba diving, deep sea fishing, snorkeling, ocean safaris and dolphin swims - or my personal favourites, suntanning, long walks on the beach, afternoon naps and loads of Mozambique seafood!

Shot Where to Stay for helping us find the perfect self catering Holiday Resort in Ponta Do Ouro - our very own little piece of Mozambique Accommodation Heaven.

Wendy and Don Gamble

My trip - Ponta d'Oura accommodation in Mozambique

We left for the Mozambique border in our 4x2 diff-lock Toyota Fortuna with the hope of finding our accommodation in Ponto do Ouro which is only 15km past the Southern Mozambique border.

Finding great accommodation in Ponta d'Oura is one thing, but getting there is another. I really recommend that you don't go with less than a 4x4.....we got stuck once in DEEP sand and were lucky to be towed out by a large truck.

Although our accommodation in Ponta do Ouro was pretty good and quite luxurious, the actual town area of Ponta d'oura is a dog pit with stacks of really interesting little pubs and restaurants.
On entering Ponta do Ouro, we parked at the legendary Fernando Pub where we casually got vrot on the famous R & R (Rum and raspberry) which is about 5 tots of Rum to a dash of raspberry.
Fernando's Pub - Situated in the Ponta d'Oura market area - Furniture is falling apart, the loo facilities are disgusting but the vibe is fantastic.

Our accommodation Nkumbe Wildlife Estate was perfect for our party of 8...... Although the sufficient introduction of wildlife to the estate will take some years to achieve, there is a brand new restaurant on the Nkumbe premises owned and run by Durban's famous restaurateur, Billy Budd.
The food at Nkumbe was great and the loo facilities were very tidy and very, very "creative"

I would be very aware of booking into any Ponta do Ouro accommodation without checking the photos out carefully. Rustic Accommodation in Mozambique seems to be the order of the day............Ponta d'Oura restaurants and pubs are charming but VERY RUSTIC.

If you book into self catering accommodation in Ponta do Ouro, make sure to take your own drinking water.
I'm not sure of any Bed and Breakfast accommodation in Ponta d'oura ........ maybe worth investigation.
The Mozambique border can create problems if you don't have your ducks in a row (take breakdown triangles + Fire extinguisher + Passports + Log book for vehicle + ZA bumper sticker + Tyre guage + Tyre inflating compressor). Make sure that the Mozambique border officials actually stamp your passport.

The Mozambique accommodation in Ponta do Ouro is very far south of Mozambique and malaria is not very common (especially in winter)
We watched the Sharks rugby at 360 Degrees pub (tch, tch, tch) which is immediately outside the Mkumbe Estate gates.........stunning pub for sun downers and the food was also very good.

It is no secret that Ski boat fishing in Ponta d'Oura is where it all happens - Great success stories from regular fishermen.
All in all great Mozambique accommodation and a great Ponta experience.

Geoff, Leigh and the gang.