Treasure chest of surprises With its turbulent, war-torn history a distant memory, Mozambique’s natural beauty, quiet charm and friendly faces will see visitor numbers swell in the future. Best mosey over now, advises
Sue Williams.
It is one of the most stunning countries in the world, yet one of the least visited. The white sand beaches often have more coconut palms swaying around their fringes than people on them, while the great swaths of turquoise ocean are unbroken but for pristine coral reefs and the odd billowing sail of a dhow sweeping majestically past.
The towns, villages and cities have graceful old colonial-style architecture, castles, forts and old merchants’ mansions. The people are a lively cultural mix, with a passion and reverential respect for their traditions, but are also friendly, and incredibly hospitable to visitors.
Welcome to Mozambique, this year celebrating 25 years of peace since the end of a ruinous civil war, and one of today’s most hotly tipped new tourist destinations.
While the southeast African country has always had far more than its fair share of natural beauty, with a 2500 kilometre-long coastline on the Indian Ocean facing Madagascar, and game parks with wildlife, it has only just emerged from a turbulent history.
But now declared completely minefree, and with a huge investment in infrastructure, the creation of several beautiful tourist resorts, an increasing range of hotels in all price brackets, and game airlifted in to re-populate its parks, it is ready and open for business.
‘‘It is such a beautiful place now,’’ says Karleen Thornhill, the general manager of the lodge on Ibo Island in the north of the nation. ‘‘It’s had a lot of difficulty in the past, but it’s through that now.
‘‘With peace, and more prosperity, we’re seeing the start of more people coming in to discover the place, and everyone loves it. I think it’s going to have a big future in the world.’’
Today, however, it’s still a relatively quiet, untouched destination, neighbouring Malawi, South Africa, Swaziland, Tanzania, Zambia and Zimbabwe, with a charm all its own. That Ibo Island, for instance – part of the Quirimbas Archipelago and just 70 nautical miles and a short boat or helicopter ride from the mainland at Pemba – is quiet and otherworldly dreamy, and enormously atmospheric.
Scarlet bougainvillea petals lie scattered over every little cobbled street, children stop and chat to any tourist they find on their way to school, and women weave gracefully through,
carrying huge urns of fresh water on their heads from the local wells. Behind them are fine sand beaches, azure ocean and leafy mangrove swamps, all looking much as they did 200 years ago.
Ibo was originally used by the Portuguese as a shipping post for sending slaves over to service the plantations of Mauritius and Reunion. Then it became a wealthy trade centre, with magnificent public buildings, churches and no fewer than three grand forts. Later, during the war of independence against the Portuguese, the same forts were used to imprison the freedom fighters who eventually triumphed and liberated the country.
Now some of those buildings, like the fort of Sao Joao Baptista, constructed in 1791, have been preserved and are used by silversmiths fashioning delicate jewellery. Other buildings lie in crumbling ruins, or are slowly being brought back to life, some as accommodation for tourists.
The Ibo Island Lodge was one of those old mansions, now converted into a luxury hotel of 14 huge rooms, looking out over the sea or gardens, with wide verandas, handcrafted furniture, two pools and an alfresco roof terrace restaurant and bar, with gorgeous ocean views.
Lodge owner Fiona Record, who chanced upon Ibo while travelling around Africa in the 1990s, fell in love with it immediately. ‘‘We found it quite by accident and a lot of good fortune,’’ she says. ‘‘It has been criss-crossed over the centuries by explorers, pirates, ancient tribes, fishermen, and smugglers.
‘‘It was nearly destroyed by an ugly civil war and yet remains an island of great natural beauty and undiscovered archaeological, historic and anthropological treasure. It is an island full of surprises.’’
She and husband Kevin employed 120 locals to help, most of whom couldn’t speak a word of English, had no construction skills, and didn’t even understand what tourism was.
Now many have learned English and become skilled in building or hospitality, working at the lodge. There are moments of a mutual lack of comprehension between guests and staff, but most end in laughter, backslapping and handshakes.
Ibo has a peaceful old-world feel but still offers plenty to do, with guided sightseeing walks, bird tours, kayaking, dhow sailing, island-hopping, snorkelling, diving, dolphin-watching, fishing, and a masseuse onsite in the lodge. Its food is exceptional, with plenty of lobster, fish brought in by the fishermen every day, prawns, crab, and fresh fruit and vegetables.
A regular sight on the island is women with white smeared on their faces. Is it tribal, you wonder, does it signify an unmarried woman ready to wed, or does it have some more unearthly significance? The answer surprises me. No, it’s a local sunscreen face mask that the women wear to protect their skin against the fierce sun and soften their complexion. They are happy for visitors to try it, too.
Another short helicopter or boat ride away is the private island of Quilalea, on a marine sanctuary, home to the Azura Quilalea resort. If ever you were looking for a paradise on Earth, this is as close as I can ever imagine coming.
The 34-hectare island is startlingly beautiful, in a marine sanctuary with a series of white sand beaches, giant baobabs in the forest in the middle, and crystal-clear water.
The resort has only nine luxury villas overlooking the ocean, each constructed with indigenous materials and handcrafted timbers, opening on to massive decks on to the beach with sun loungers and a day bed. The kingsized bed is draped in romantic African-Arabian netting.
Staying there is a haven of five-star