Significant safety concerns; travel only if you have a clear reason to go. Political freedoms are limited and travellers should be mindful of local sensitivities.
Regional breakdown
The picture in Mozambique splits sharply by region. The official advisory guidance warns against all travel to most of Cabo Delgado Province in the far north. Where an Islamist insurgency has displaced communities since 2017. The only carve-outs are Palma town and the areas around Pemba and the Afungi peninsula, and even those sit under an essential-travel-only warning. Attacks on villages, roads and small towns have continued in waves through 2025 and into 2026. The warnings stretch beyond Cabo Delgado. The official advisory guidance tells travellers to stay out of the Memba and Eráti districts of Nampula Province, and the Mecula and Marrupo districts of Niassa Province. The official advisory guidance lines up with this and flags the Niassa Special Reserve as Do Not Travel because of terrorism risk. These are remote bush areas with thin policing and long response times. The rest of the country looks calmer. Maputo, the capital in the far south, plus Inhambane and the Bazaruto Archipelago on the central coast, sit outside the named warning zones. Petty crime, road accidents and the odd protest are the main day-to-day risks there rather than armed groups.
Recent advisory changes
The official advisory guidance last updated its Mozambique page on 26 February 2026. It keeps the two-tier warning structure: all travel warned against for the worst districts, all-but-essential travel warned against for the wider buffer zones around them. The wording on Cabo Delgado has not eased. The official advisory guidance also reminds travellers that insurance can be voided if they enter a zone the office tells them to avoid. The official advisory guidance reissued its advisory on 16 June 2025 and pulled the country-wide rating down from Level 3 to Level 2. Exercise Increased Caution. The reason given was a drop in election-related protest activity after the 2024 vote. The Level 4 Do Not Travel tag still applies to Cabo Delgado, the Niassa Special Reserve and the northern Nampula districts. Neither government has ordered the departure of staff or dependants right now.
What travellers should know
Anyone heading to Mozambique should check which province they are actually visiting before booking. A beach week in Vilankulo or a city trip to Maputo is a very different proposition from a trip up the N1 toward Pemba. Overland routes through the north are the main way travellers drift into warned zones without meaning to. So flying between regions is worth the extra cost. Protests can flare up with little notice in Maputo and other cities, and they sometimes turn violent. Avoid crowds, political rallies and roadblocks. Petty theft, bag snatching and carjacking happen in urban areas, especially after dark. Keep car doors locked and bags out of sight. Health cover matters. Malaria is present across most of the country and cholera outbreaks have hit several provinces in recent years. Carry repellent, take prophylaxis on medical advice, and only drink sealed water. Make sure travel insurance explicitly covers medical evacuation, because hospital capacity outside Maputo is limited. Confirm the policy is still valid for every district on the itinerary, since entering an official advisory guidance warned area can void cover.