Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
things on your own, it is helpful to get a letter of introduction from the
Conselho Muni-
cipal
(Avenida da República;
7am-3pm)
, in the upper part of town, to bring to the
chief.
Before setting out, buy some
farinha de mapira
(sorghum flour) at the market in Gurúè
(it shouldn't cost more than Mtc50), to be used to appease both the spirits and the local
régulo
(chief, who is currently a queen). Also set aside an additional Mtc300 to Mtc500
per person for further appeasement of the queen, and pack along some water purification
tablets for yourself.
The climb begins about 6km outside Gurúè near UP5, an old tea factory. To reach here,
head south out of Gurúè along the Quelimane road. Go left after about 2km and continue
several kilometres further to UP5. With a vehicle, you can drive to the factory and park
there. With a 4WD it's also possible to drive further up the mountain's slopes to Mugunha
Sede, about 40km from Gurúè by road and the last village below the summit. There's no
public transport.
Shortly before reaching UP5 you'll see a narrow but obvious track branching left. Fol-
low this as it winds through unrehabilitated tea plantations and stands of bamboo and
forest, until it ends in a high, almost alpine, valley about 800m below the summit of Mt
Namúli. The views en route are superb. On the edge of this valley is Mugunha Sede,
where you should seek out the queen, request permission to climb further and ask for a
local guide for the remainder of the way. If you don't speak Portuguese, bring someone
along with you who knows either Portuguese or the local language, Makua. If you've
come this far with a 4WD, you'll need to arrange to leave it here. The sorghum flour that
you bought in Gurúè should be presented as a gift to the queen, who may save some to
make traditional beer and scatter the remainder on the ground to appease the ancestors.
The queen will then assign someone to accompany you to the top of the mountain, where
another short ceremony may be performed for the ancestors.
About two-thirds of the way from the village is a spring where you can refill your water
bottle, although it's considered a sacred spot and it may take some convincing to persuade
your guide to show you where it is. Just after the spring, the climb steepens, with some
crumbling rock and places where you'll need to use your hands to clamber up. Once near
the summit, the path evens out and then gradually ascends for another 1.5km to the moun-
tain's highest point. The top of Namúli is often shrouded in clouds, so you may have bet-
ter views during the climb than from the summit itself.
It's theoretically possible to do the climb in a long day from Gurúè if you get an early
start and drive as far as Mugunha Sede (three to four hours), from where it's about five
hours on foot to the summit. However, in practice this often doesn't work out, as you need
