Go! Drive & Camp – September 2019

Briefly |

Complexo Palmeiras

Campsite 35 stands, all on sand and

mostly under trees. The ground isn’t

100% level, but it’s nothing a brick under

a wheel of your caravan can’t fix.

Ablution facilities Dilapidated, but

serviceable. There is no toilet paper.

Price R60 pppn plus R80 pn per site.

Arrival and departure times 14:00

and11:00.

Contact 00 25 82 825 9019

(Mozambique)

[email protected]

complexopalmeiras.blogspot.com

Nearest town The resort is in Bilene.

What does the road look like? Tar all

the way.

GPS S25.28213 E33.25971

go! Drive & Camp says You come here to

play with your jetski and to snorkel – just

avoid the less than desirable half of an

otherwise good resort.

http://www.weg.co.za go! Drive & Camp^ September 2019 |^37

If you are told to
camp to the right of the
entrance gate, you should rather ask for
your money back and find somewhere
else to go. There are five spacious stands,
with little shade and the power outlets
are often nailed to a tree with a limp tarp
covering tem. Judging by the scorch marks
on the sockets, these coverings don’t
work that well in separating water from
live electricity.
The advantage of having few trees is that
you have grass, but the stands are uneven
and they’re next to a busy road near a

street bar that can get rowdy at night.

THERE’S NOT ONLY BAD NEWS: the

resort is on the shore of the lovely Uembje

lagoon, which is 27 km long, 8 km wide

and in places up to 50 m deep. There are

man-made reefs in the lagoon where

you can snorkel and Palmeiras also has

a diving centre where you can rent scuba

gear if you don’t have your own.

The main reason you’d want to camp at

Palmeiras, however, is the slipway where

you can launch your boat and water ski.

In December, several boats play on the

Uembje lagoon, but it’s large enough that

the sailboats and motorboats don’t get in

one another’s way and spoil the fun. The

resort also has a ferry service (on request)

that will take you across the lagoon to the

sea if you didn’t bring a own boat.

To the left of Palmeiras’s restaurant,

the water is exceptionally shallow, and

you have to walk a long way before it gets

deep. It’s the perfect spot for your toddler

to splash around in the water.

Despite the shortcomings, Palmeiras is

still a great place to stay with friendly staff

and an excellent lagoon.

FUNKY TOWN The street markets (below) sell cute

trinkets and because the resort is in town you can

walk everywhere. The single ablution block (bottom)

is inadequate during peak season.