While Mozambique has had more than its share of difficulties-not least of which was a long, horrific civil war-the atmosphere is upbeat, and reconstruction has proceeded at a remarkable pace. The country’s modern face reflects a unique blend of African, Arabic lndian and European influences-its cuisine is spicier, its music more tropical, and its pace laid-back than its formerly British neighbours. Mozambique’s coastline is one of the longest on the continent, with endless stretches of white-sand, palm-fringed beaches and unexplored offshore reefs.

June to August, when rainfall and temperatures are at their lowest

Visiting Pemba, a coastal town at the mouth of a huge bay with a great beach, some interesting buildings and a lively atmosphere Exploring llha de Mocambique (Mozambique lsland), the northern half of which has been declared a Unesco World Heritage-listed site Swimming at the Bazaruto Archipelago National Park Seeing the grand Zambezi River dammed by the Barragem de Cahora Bassa-set in stunning scenery at the head of a magnificent gorge Lazing on the long, beautiful beaches of Tofo and Barra

Read Dumba-Nengue-Historias tragicas do Banditismo by politician, journalist and environmentalist Lina Magaia

Listen to Leman’s Automy dzi Txintxile (Changes of Life) and Katchume by Kapa Dech

Watch matapa (cassava leaves cooked in a peanut sauce, often with prawns) in the south and galinha a Zambeziana (chicken with a sauce of lime juice, garlic and hot pepper) in Quelimane and Zambezia province

Drink sura (palm wine) or nipa, a local brew made from the fruit of the cashew

Lixile (good morning)

Friendly people; guerrilla war; poverty; beautiful beaches; land mines

Large mammals believed to be extinct or on the verge of extinction in Mozambique include the rhino, white rhino, giraffe, roan antelope and the African wild dog

lf you are offered a gift, in many parts of the country it is considered polite to accept it with both hands, sometimes with a slight bow or, alternatively, with the right hand while touching left hand to the right elbow. lf you receive with only one hand use the right one, always give things with the right hand.