Peter's Post: Discount passes for Melbourne

Our travel expert answers queries on routes and destinations around the world

We will be in Melbourne in January and February for the Australian Open tennis, but will spend a week afterwards to explore the city. Is there a museum pass or discount card we could buy to visit the city's top attractions? - Jane Botha

You have two main options: you can opt for a See Melbourne Card or a Five in One Attraction Pass. The See Melbourne Card gives you access to more than 35 attractions over two, three or seven consecutive days. You can purchase the cards with or without free public transport. Prices range from A$145 (around R1190) for a two-day card without transport to A$279 (about R2292) for a seven-day card with transport. In contrast, the Five in One Attraction Pass allows you to visit five of Melbourne's top 20 attractions over a three-month period. The cost of this pass is A$125 (about R1027). Among the attractions available on both discount cards are the Melbourne Aquarium, Eureka Skydeck and the Royal Melbourne Zoo. For further details check out the Melbourne tours pages on www.viator.com.

CRUISING INTO 2012

My friend and I would like to take a cruise to Mozambique, or a city where we can celebrate New Year. We would like to leave around December 28 and be back on January 2. - Thokozani Dlamini

There are two cruises off the South African coast during the New Year period, both offered by Starlight Cruises. The one which suits your dates best is a return cruise from Durban to Madagascar aboard the MSC Melody. This six-night trip departs on December 28 and returns on January 3, with prices starting at R8680 per person sharing. There is a one-day stop at Fort Dauphin in Madagascar. If that does not appeal to you, you can take an 11-day cruise aboard the MSC Sinfonia, which departs from Durban on December 27 and returns on January 7. You get to spend one day on Reunion Island and three days on Mauritius. Prices start at R18590 per person sharing.

All prices quoted exclude port charges and insurance, but include all meals and entertainment on board. For further details, go to the www.starlightcruises.co.za website.

KOSI BAY CROSSING

We are planning to visit Ponta do Ouro over Christmas and plan to enter Mozambique at the Kosi Bay border post. What are the opening and closing times for the border and what documents are needed to get the vehicle through? Which is the last petrol stop before the border, and do you need a 4x4 vehicle to get there? - Dan Simpson

The Kosi Bay/Ponta do Ouro border post is open from 8am to 5pm daily. You should get there by 4.30pm at the latest, although it is sometimes kept open later during the busy December periods. To take a vehicle into Mozambique you need ownership papers and proof of insurance. If your documents don't state that the vehicle is covered in Mozambique, it is best to buy the 30-day insurance cover available from agents at the border.

The last chance to fill up with petrol and buy supplies is in the town of Kwangwanase (Manguzi), which is 20km before the border. You can get to the border from the SA side in a two-wheel drive, but that's where the tar road ends and you need a 4x4 or a high-clearance vehicle to travel on the sandy Mozambican tracks leading to the resorts. If you are in a two-wheel drive you can park at the border police station and walk across into Mozambique. Most lodges will collect you there.