Most travellers use Maputo as a launchpad rather than a destination in itself. The easiest escape is Inhaca Island, two hours across the bay by ferry, with good beaches and a marine reserve. South of the bay, Ponta do Ouro on the South African border is the country's main dolphin-diving and surfing village. North up the coast lie the long beaches around Xai-Xai and the larger town of Inhambane, gateway to the celebrated diving at Tofo.
Inland, the Maputo Special Reserve (formerly Maputo Elephant Reserve), about 80 km south, has a small but recovering population of forest elephants, antelope and good birding in the coastal dunes — newly accessible by paved road and reachable as a long day trip with a 4x4.
