Get me to Ponta do Ouro

Q: We are planning to visit Ponta do Ouro over Christmas and plan to enter Mozambique at the Kosi Bay border post. What are the opening and closing times for the border and what documents are needed to get the vehicle through? Which is the last petrol stop before the border and do you need a 4x4 vehicle to get there? - Dan Simpson

A: The Kosi Bay/Ponta do Ouro border post is open from 8am to 5pm daily. You should get there by 4.30pm at the latest, although it is sometimes kept open later during the busy December periods. To take a vehicle into Mozambique you need ownership papers and proof of insurance. If your documents don't state that the vehicle is covered in Mozambique, it is best to buy the 30 day insurance cover available from agents at the border. The last chance to fill up with petrol and buy supplies is in the town of Kwangwanase (Manguzi), which is 20kms before the border. You can get to the South African border in a two-wheel drive, but that's where the tar road ends and you need a 4x4 or a high clearance vehicle to travel on the sandy Mozambican tracks leading to the resorts. If you are in a two-wheel drive you can park at the border police station and then walk across into Mozambique. Most lodges will collect you there. (27/11/11)