Dec

On Location Feb 07 – Mozambique by Kieran Murphy

I was lucky enough to visit Northern Mozambique in January for the third time in three years. This area is really beginning to open up to tourism and now is certainly the time to go, as it is a rapidly changing area, although luckily the building of hotels and lodges is being done in quite a contolled way. The Quirimbas have approximately 27 islands, of which 5 have accommodation on them. There is also one safari lodge in Northern Mozambique in the Niassa Reserve, called Lugenda Bush Camp, but this is only open from May to November, so I was unable to visit it.The weather in January was boiling hot and sunny for the 10 days that I was there and I had two short rain showers. It was also incredibly windy but to be honest without the wind it would almost have been too hot. Interestingly though it did cool down once the sun had gone down in the evenings.

Quilalea I returned to Quilalea Island for my third visit. Quilalea was one of the first islands to build a luxury lodge in the Quirimbas. It is owned by John and Marjolaine who live nearby in Pemba and visit the island on a regular basis. To get there it is a 15 minute helicopter ride from Pemba, which is a fantastic way to arrive as you are flown over turquiose waters studded with pristine islands with white sandy beaches, with local fishermen out in their dhows. The island has 9 villas. My favourite room is no 9 as it offers the most amount of privacy. The manager Ernst is from South Africa (Ex Aman Bhutan) and is young but charming, professional and friendly. Quilalea offers various activities including snorkelling, canoeing, fly fishing, dhow trips, deep sea fishing, island walks, historical tours to Ibo Island also has a new boat called Kiraku, which is a catamaran, which sleeps 2 comfortably or can be used for ½ day and day charters. For people wishing to sleep on it I would advise experienced sailors. The dive centre is extremely well run with good equipment although sadly the visibility was poor on the dive that I went on due to the winds but I have had some great diving on previous visits. Quilalea has its own time and is an hour ahead of the mainland

Medjumbe To get to Medjumbe is a 40 minute flight from Pemba in the big plane (12 seater) or 45-60 minutes in a small plane. There are 13 rooms, 1-8 on one side of the main area and 9-14 (there is no room 13) on the other side by the runway. The rooms are all exactly the same. The rooms are wooden with thatch roofs and are exactly the same as the rooms at Matemo apart from the fact that they will have plunge pools at Medjumbe. The rooms have air-con, fans tv’s minibars, telephones, hairdryers, so more for guests who need all the mod cons. The manager Tony who is a South African was very friendly. Lindy is the dive instructor and is excellent. The dive school is a small shack, although the diving was superb with unbelievably beautiful coral. The food was more European with a wide choice, such as lasagnes, burgers, lobster, steak, piri piri chicken etc.

Ibo Island To get there is a 30 minute flight from Pemba. There are currently 9 rooms with 5 more opening next year.. The new rooms can also be rented as a separate villa. Out of the 9 rooms there is 1 room in the main building, 4 rooms in the main building next door and then 4 garden rooms. The main staff are all Zimbabweans and are charming, although the locals were being taught English and trained. I was taken on the most fascinating historical tour of Ibo which lasted about 1 ½ – 2 hours. We were also taken to see the silver smith who makes very intricate jewellery. I also went on a boat trip through the mangrove swamps (looking for crocodiles and saw lots of lovely birds) and we stopped off at a local fishing village. Another great activity was going kayaking through the Mangroves and then back along the edge of Ibo and the historical buildings. I was also taken out to the sand bank with drinks, an umbrella and snorkelling kit, where I snorkelled and saw stunning star fish. Other activities on offer are nature and bird walks, snorkelling excursions, sunset dhow cruise (when the dhow is finished), trips to Quirimbas Island, (which is next door to Quilalea), private lunch on Mogundula Island (owned by Ibo Lodge) diving and fly fishing will be on offer later on in the year. The food was fairly good, with fresh seafood and this was either served in the garden for lunch and then on the rood terrace for dinner, which has wonderful views.

Guludo I popped into Guludo for lunch and a quick site inspection. I was taken by boat from Ibo which took around 45 minutes and then a long walk up the beach as the tide was out. For guests, they can fly to Matemo and then go by boat, which is 15 minutes or go by road from Pemba which is 3 hours and not a great road. Unfortunately Amy one of the owners was unwell with Malaria, Neil her partner showed me around. They have 9 rooms which are all the same and face the beach. There are 3 guest rooms on one side of the main area and 6 on the other side. The tents are actually made of mosquito netting with a thatch roof. They are also putting in a Lamu tower with a bar and library.

Londo This is owned and run by a Dutch couple, PJ and Eveline and their 2 little girls. It is a 15 minute boat ride away from Pemba and they can take you there in the dark if necessary. Londo is situated almost opposite Pemba but tucked away around a corner, so it is very private. It is on the mainland but as you get there by boat and as it is in a remote area, you almost feel like you are on an island. Londo currently has six rooms but are planning on building more. The first will be the bush room which will be built around a baobab tree. The rooms are beautifully decorated and spacious with lovely views. Activities include: Mangrove boat tour, village visit-you can walk there from Londo, dhow cruise, diving, they are Padi registered, water-skiing, doughnuting, massage, facials, fishing, snorkelling, dolphin watching, whale watching (Aug, Sept, Oct), bush walk with a surprise breakfast on the beach. Mobiles work and there is internet access on request. The food is fantastic. Eveline who worked as a chef in a restaurant in Spain for 5 years currently does the cooking. One day for lunch we had amazing Sushi. There are also various different areas to eat.

Vamizi To get to Vamizi is a 50 minute flight in the extremely smart and brand new Vamizi plane, which seats about 10/12. Alternatively you can charter from Dar, at quite an expense. The rooms are well spaced out which means privacy but quite a long walk if you are at the end. All the rooms are the same apart from the family room which is interconnecting. The beach is long, white and sandy with clear turquoise waters. There is a dining room, small sunset bar, big main lounge, office and dive hut. There is no shop and no spa. The waiters mostly from Maputo are all charming. Activities include: Snorkelling, diving which is incredible with amazing fish life and I dived with grey reef sharks. I was also lucky enough to watch a turtle lay her eggs and went fishing and caught several barracuda.

I also popped into Matemo and Pemba Beach Hotel very briefly. They are very resorty but would be perfect for families.