Go! Drive & Camp – September 2019

http://www.weg.co.za go! Drive & Camp^ September 2019 |^41

fence provides privacy and shelter from

the wind, and there is a power socket if

you want to connect your off-road caravan

to the resort’s power supply. Machubo

relies on solar power and a 10 kVa

generator, which is why they charge a fee

of R75 pd for the electricity (guests are

asked not to plug in energy guzzlers such

as hair dryers and air-conditioners).

If you don’t feel like camping, there is

a house for 14 people, a chalet with six

beds and a four-bedroom flat. A fourth

house that will sleep 18 is currently under

construction and should be done by June

2020. Bertie built all these structures
      himself with the help of local people.
      The Stander family co-owns the resort
      with a local chief, and a percentage of the
      resort’s income goes to the community.

IT IS, HOWEVER, the pristine beach that

gets the most attention. Here you can

frolic in the waves during the day and

fish late into the night. Bertie has erected

a shelter to ward off a chilly breeze

while you fish, and a table on which you

can clean your catch. Frightfully ugly,

but equally deliscious Cape gunards

are abundant here, as well as white

musselcrackers, but you may pull out 10

blue crabs for every musselcracker – not

that anyone complains, because these

crabs taste great too, particularly with

coconut curry and chili flakes.

The Stander family also offer guided

tours into Maputo to visit the fish market

and other attractions (R500), and Bertie is

a member of the Turtle Watch group which

allows him to drive on the beach and to

search for turtles – you go snorkelling at

Turtle Rock near Bilene (R500).

This is a fishing resort where you can sit

day after day on a remote beach without

anyone bothering you.

Corrie and Nicky Gouws of Nelspruit drive a 2000 Mitsubishi Pajero 3.2 DID and camp

with a Campmor dome tent. Their grandchildren Michaela and Michael joined them

on this trip to Mozambique together with their friends Charlotte and Barry Barnard.

“This is our tenth visit to Machubo, and Bertie

and Lynne have become like family. We love

the simplicity, nature and the lack of cellphone

reception at Machubo. No one bothers you

here because it’s far from the hawkers and

tourist traps. Mozambique generally feels

safe and friendly, and this is why we prefer

to spend a holiday here rather than in South

Africa. This is the third time that Barry and

Charlotte, also from Nelspruit, have come to

Machubo, and when they hear us making

plans, they’re ready to join us.”