Ponta Do Ouro Partial Marine Reserve 1
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RVA MAR SE IN E H R A M P O A Ç R A C M I A B L I Q U E PONTA DO OURO O P R PARTIAL MARINE RESERVE O U N O TA DO 1 PONTA DO OURO PARTIAL MARINE RESERVE Caine Delacy 2 ANAC O RCIAL R PA U A H O N I R A O M D A V A R T E S E N R O M P O U E Ç A M B I Q THE REAL SHOW OF TURTLES IN AFRICA! Fotografia da capa: Caine Delacy PONTA DO OURO PARTIAL MARINE RESERVE 3 PONTA DO OURO PARTIAL MARINE RESERVE The real show of turtles in Africa! Established in 2009, with an extension of 678 km2, the Ponta do Ouro Partial Marine Reserve is located in the southernmost part of the country, along the Mozambique Channel and close to the South African border. Its natural landscape comprises beautiful beaches with coral reefs, sea grass beds, estuaries and stunning mangrove forests. From the sands, you can observe dolphins and whales emerging on the clear water surface. The turtles also offer a beautiful spectacle of nature, nesting during the hot season, along the Reserve’s coastline. The beaches attract tourists from several nationalities who enjoy the beauty and the emotions this paradise has to offer. 4 ANAC Matt Prophet PONTA DO OURO PARTIAL MARINE RESERVE 5 Maputo Boane Katembe HOW TO GET Bela Vista TO THE RESERVE Salamanga BY ROAD Coming from South Africa, the best route to Ponta do Ouro is from the Kosy Bay border. The border is 673 km away from Johannesburg, 498 km from Durban and it is open every day, from 08h00 to 17h00. To reach the accommodation locations, a 4x4 vehicle is advised to drive in the sandy roads Ponta do Ouro that surround the reserve. The Kosy Bay border has rent-a-car services and a parking lot in which you can park your vehicle for a daily charge. By Road By Road / Sea The journey between Johannesburg and the Kosy Bay border is estimated to take 7 to 8 6 ANAC hours, depending on the road conditions. hour and transports both vehicles and When scheduling, plan your arrival at the passengers. From Katembe to Ponta do border for a few hours before closing time. Ouro, drive for about 110 km in a dirt road. A 4x4 vehicle is recommended. Enjoy the landscape of the the Maputo BY ROAD / SEA Special Reserve and the animals that cross the fields and the road in the zone Coming from the Ressano Garcia border, between Salamanga and Zitundo. When follow the EN4 until Shoprite and then you arrive at Ponta do Ouro, relax and take a right turn into EN2 to Boane. take your first dive! After that, drive towards Ponta do Ouro for about 170 km. Alternatively, from The distance between Maputo and Ponta Maputo, cross the bay via ferryboat to do Ouro is estimated to take around 3 Katembe. The ferryboat departs every hours via Katembe and 4 hours via Boane. PONTA DO OURO PARTIAL MARINE RESERVE 7 BEST TIME TO VISIT In Mozambique, there isn’t a cold season equivalent in temperatures to the northern hemisphere’s winter. Therefore, any time of the year is adequate to visit the Park. The hottest season is between November and April, with temperatures ranging from 22 to 35ºC. Caine Delacy 8 ANAC ACTIVITIES In the Reserve’s heavenly beaches allow yourself to practice activities like snorkelling, scuba diving, boat rides, surf, kitesurf, canoeing and hikes. The accommodation locations in Ponta do Ouro also offer individual or group leisure activities. PONTA DO OURO PARTIAL MARINE RESERVE 9 ACCOMMODATION There are several accommodation options, such as the Devocean Resorts, Coco Rico Resort, Ponta Gamboozini Lodge, Kaya Kweru, Lar do Ouro Guest Lodge, Planet Scuba, The Waves Lodge and the Motel do Mar. You can find more lodging options in other beaches in the Reserve, such as in Ponta Malongane, Ponta Mamoli, Techobanine, Ponta Chemucane, Santa Maria, Inhaca Island or Portugueses Island. 10 ANAC Andrea Bogarello PONTA DO OURO PARTIAL MARINE RESERVE 11 MAIN ATTRACTIONS The Reserve has excellent beaches, snorkelling and scuba diving allows you to swim alongside whale sharks and dolphins, as well as discovering the textures and liveliness of the colours of the coral reefs. The nesting of two species of sea turtles, the loggerhead and the leatherback sea turtles, which normally occurs between October and February, is a stunning natural phenomenon, not to be missed. 12 ANAC MOST EMBLEMATIC SPECIES Take the chance to observe several emblematic marine species, like dolphins, whales, sharks (including the whale shark), rays, coral fishes and sea turtles. DolphinCareAfrica PONTA DO OURO PARTIAL MARINE RESERVE 13 CURIOSITIES The Reserve is part of the first and only African Marine Transfrontier Conservation Area, named Ponta do Ouro-Kosy Bay and also the Libombos Transfrontier Conservation Area, involving Mozambique, South Africa and Swaziland. It possesses a scenic splendour with a diversity of habitats of exceptional beauty and a great variety of land and marine fauna and flora species, some of which are endemic. It has a flat coast, forming vast sandy beaches, intertwined with small rocky edges and wide parabolic dunes covered in vegetation. For this reason, it was proposed to UNESCO its designation as World Heritage. 14 ANAC Caine Delacy PONTA DO OURO PARTIAL MARINE RESERVE 15 ENJOY NATURE CONSCIOUSLY! Find out more by venturing into the Reserve. We await you Ponta do Ouro Partial Marine Reserve Viewing hours: 24 hours (everyday) Phone: (+258) 827276434 2017 16 ANAC.