Mozambique Packing List

The three things that drive this list

Everything below follows from three facts. It is hot and humid. Mosquitoes carry malaria across the whole country, which is why the CDC recommends prescription medicine to prevent it for travel anywhere in Mozambique. And the FCDO records that medicine availability is variable and often in short supply, so the pharmacy you are counting on may not have your item.

Medicines, which is the section that matters

• Your antimalarial course, complete. The CDC's recommended options for Mozambique are atovaquone-proguanil, doxycycline, mefloquine and tafenoquine. Which one suits you is a conversation with a doctor, not a decision to make from a packing list. Note that the courses start before you travel and continue after you return.
• Every prescription you take, in its original labeled packaging, with enough for the trip plus a week, plus a copy of the prescription.
• A rehydration salts supply. Cheap, light, and the single most useful thing in the bag if you get a stomach upset in the heat.
• Antidiarrheal medication, painkillers, antihistamine, antiseptic, plasters, blister dressings.
• A thermometer. Malaria presents as a fever, and knowing you have one changes what you do next.

See a travel clinic at least eight weeks before you go, which is what the FCDO advises. That is the lead time for vaccine courses, not a suggestion.

Insect protection, treated as equipment

• Repellent with a high DEET concentration, enough for the whole trip.
• Long sleeves and long pants in light fabric, for dusk and after. Mosquitoes that carry malaria bite at night, so this is an evening habit more than a daytime one.
• A mosquito net if you are staying anywhere that might not provide one, and permethrin treatment for clothing if you are going to be outside at night a lot.

Clothes

• Light, loose, breathable. Cotton and linen over synthetics in this humidity.
• A modest option. Mozambique is a coastal country with a strong Muslim presence along the north and a generally conservative dress norm away from beach resorts. Shoulders and knees covered will be right far more often than it is wrong.
• Swimwear for the beach, not for the street. Walking through a town in it reads as rude rather than relaxed.
• A light rain layer if you travel between November and April, and a warm layer if you are in the far south in winter, where evenings are genuinely cool.
• Sandals plus one pair of closed shoes that can take a wet boat landing and a sandy path.

Sun

High-factor sunscreen, a wide-brimmed hat, sunglasses, and a rash vest if you are going to spend hours in the water. The sun over this coast is stronger than the temperature suggests, and reef-safe sunscreen is the decent choice around the archipelagos.

Documents, in print

• Your entry authorization, printed.
• Passport with at least six months validity beyond your arrival date, plus a photocopy stored separately.
• Proof of accommodation and a return or onward ticket, which an officer may ask to see.
• Your yellow fever certificate if your route passes through a transmission-risk country.
• Travel insurance documents, including the evacuation cover. The FCDO notes that serious illness or injury may require medical evacuation to South Africa, and that is the number you want to be able to find quickly.

Electricity and connectivity

Bring a universal adapter and a power bank. Power is not uniformly reliable outside the cities, and a phone that is flat is a phone that cannot show a booking, a map or an insurance policy.

What to leave behind

Valuable jewelry, anything you would be distressed to lose, and camouflage-patterned clothing, which is a poor idea in any country where the military is visible. Take one bag you can carry yourself over sand.

Sources

• US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention: Travelers’ Health, Mozambique: malaria prophylaxis for the whole country, chloroquine resistance and the recommended drugs. Accessed 14 September 2026.
• UK Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office: Mozambique health advice, including the cholera outbreak, the emergency numbers and the standard of healthcare. Accessed 14 September 2026.
• UK Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office: Mozambique entry requirements: the Electronic Travel Authorisation, its cost and lead time, passport validity and vaccination certificates. Accessed 14 September 2026.