Border Hop · Mozambique
Four days on the Indian Ocean, leaving from Harare. White sand, a full day out on the Bazaruto Islands, and someone else doing all the driving and the paperwork.
11 days until departure
Read this before you book
Border hops travel overnight. That is the whole reason this trip only costs you a couple of days of leave — you sleep on the bus instead of spending a working day on the road.
Boarding is Wednesday 26 August, from 9pm, at Greenfields Mall in Harare. We aim to roll out at midnight, and sometimes earlier — anywhere from 9pm — if the border or the road calls for it. Your exact time comes through in the group chat a few days before.
The poster says 26–30 August. That is the trip itself, starting Thursday 27 August. The bus leaves the night before that, which is why boarding is Wednesday 26 August. Put that evening in your diary, not the following morning — we won't be there in the morning.
Why a border hop works
That is the whole idea. A proper beach holiday usually means a week off and a flight. This one leaves late on a Wednesday, straight from work, and has you home on Sunday.
Wed 26
After work
Thu 27
Leave day
Fri 28
Leave day
Sat 29
Weekend
Sun 30
Weekend
2 days off work · 5 days away
No flights to book, no visas to queue for weeks in advance, no car of your own on that road. You bring a bag and a passport.
The package
We list both. The second column is the one that stops surprises at the border.
Day by day
We travel overnight so the days themselves stay yours. Five days away, two days of leave.
Real trips, real photos
These are from Lake Malawi and Lusaka — the same crew, the same bus, the same format. Vilanculos photos land here after this departure.
Money
$460
per person sharing · $100 deposit secures your seat · payment plans available
Pay the deposit and your seat is held. The balance is due before departure, and if you'd rather spread it, message us and we'll set up instalments. Spaces are limited and this one has a fixed bus capacity, so the deposit is what actually holds it — not a reply saying you're keen.
If you can't make it: tell us early and we'll try to move your seat to someone else first, free of charge. If that isn't possible, what you've paid moves to another trip on our calendar. And if it's a death or hospitalisation in the family, there's no charge at all — that's the law and we apply it. Full terms are on our terms page.
Before you ask
Wednesday 26 August, from 9pm. The poster dates are the trip itself, which starts Thursday 27 August. Because we travel overnight and leave at midnight, boarding always falls on the evening before. Departure can be brought forward to as early as 9pm if the border or the road calls for it, and your exact time comes through in the group chat a few days out. Assume midnight, be there from 9pm, and don't plan anything else for that evening.
Private return transport from Greenfields Mall, accommodation at two people per room, breakfast and dinner daily, the tuk-tuk city tour, and a full day on the Bazaruto Islands with buffet lunch. Lunches, drinks, border fees and personal spending are on you.
$100 holds your seat. The balance is payable before departure, and we can set up a payment plan if you'd rather spread it out.
Two — Thursday 27 and Friday 28. We leave late on Wednesday straight from work, so the Wednesday costs you nothing, and Saturday and Sunday are the weekend you already had. That is also why we pull out of Vilanculos early on the Sunday morning: it gets us back into Harare late that night, so you are not spending a Monday on the road.
Tell us as early as you can and we work through it in order. First, send someone in your place — free, up to five days before departure. Second, if that isn't possible, what you've paid moves to another trip on our calendar, valid twelve months. And if you can't travel because of the death or hospitalisation of the traveller or an immediate family member, there is no cancellation charge at all — that's your right under Zimbabwe's Consumer Protection Act and we're not going to argue about it. Full terms are on our terms page.
Two people per room. Tell us who you are sharing with when you book — if you are travelling alone we will pair you up with someone from the group.
Breakfast and dinner every day. Lunches, drinks and anything you buy on the beach are on you.
Passport valid for at least six months past the travel date. A yellow fever card may be asked for at the border — if you do not have one, carry $5 to $10 to sort it there. Entry requirements vary by nationality and do change, so message us and we will confirm what applies to your passport before you pay.
Greenfields Mall, Harare, late on Wednesday 26 August. We drive through the night, cross at Forbes/Machipanda and reach Vilanculos on the Thursday. Travelling overnight is what keeps this to two days of leave instead of four.
Long, and rough in parts on the Mozambican side, especially south of Inchope. We say that up front because it's true and it's the one thing people wish they'd known. Bring a travel pillow. The border is the part we prepare hardest for, and our crossings are quicker than most because of it.
Early morning out of Vilanculos, to keep as much of the drive as possible in daylight and get you home at a reasonable hour. Sleep on the bus — everybody does.
Yes. Border hops run late nights and early mornings, and this bus does not do quiet. Nap if you can, dance if you can't.
Most people book alone or in twos. The group caps small on purpose and everyone knows each other by the second fuel stop.
