Vamizi Island

Discover the spirit of Africa in the Land of Smiles

A slender coral island off Mozambique’s remote northern coast, Vamizi Island is an insider’s tip for all those looking for pure seclusion and an excellent diving spot. Vamizi is part of the Maluane conservation project. Through continued donations and a conservation fee charged to every guest, the Maluane Project continues to support marine research, community outreach and direct conservation initiatives. Vamizi Island and neighbouring Rongui Island are set either side of an ocean basin that is extraordinary - with its vast fish stocks, abundant marine life, whales, dolphins and turtle populations.

Rates
Beginning from USD 1,970 per Villa/night for up to 2 guests.
Additional adult beginning at USD 405, child USD 340, Infant USD 55 per night.
We have special Family and Honeymoon offers! – feel free to ask us.
Rates include: Accommodation in private Villa; all meals & drinks (soft drinks and house beers, wines & spirits); daily laundry service; guided activities including, sea kayaking, birding, guided nature walks, dhow sailing, hobie cat and dingy sailing; land transfers from air strip.

Location
The spectacular Vamizi Island Lodge is built on the northern side of Vamizi Island and looks towards Rongui from the end of a long powder-sand beach. The island is covered with thick forests of acacia, hibiscus and casuarina trees. Vamizi Island lies off the coast of northern Mozambique, in the Quirimbas Archipelago. The Archipelago consists of 32 tropical coral islands and stretches for 100 km along the coast from Pemba to the Ruvuma River, the natural border between Mozambique and Tanzania.

Accommodation
The lodge comprises 13 villas, each with its own bed and living room, bathroom and private veranda overlooking the ocean. Each villa is approx. 165 sqm in size. Two of these villas are double villas with two bedrooms (with en-suites) leading onto a joint terrace. Three of these villas are so-called family villas with a second bedroom with en-suite adequate for three beds built right behind the main villa and linked to the backside of the main villa platform. The guest villas are all secluded from each other and look out to sea from the shade of the forest that forms the centre of the island. The décor of the Vamizi incorporates as much of the traditional design of the region as possible.

On the outside deck and on the beach, there are sun chairs and Swahili daybeds, perfect for an afternoon of lazy beach bliss. The roofs of the lodge are makuti palm thatch, based on the Mozambican style and the emphasis is on space and openness, so the rooms are big with high ceilings. The bathrooms have a solid slab of marble forming the wall of the shower and hand-carved screens, which provide the privacy and aesthetic detail of a Zanzibar palace. The bedrooms have four poster king-size beds with free standing frames draped in beautiful natural muslin mosquito nets. There is a fan above the beds for better air circulation at night, but no air condition.

Dining
The main dining room is an open-fronted structure on the beach. There is also a bar stocking a wide variety of alcoholic and non-alcoholic beverages. Fresh local ingredients spice up every meal with Mediterranean and Indian Ocean flavours. Fresh fish, prawns in season, calamari, lobster, crab and crayfish are cooked to perfection. Meat and vegetarian options are also readily available. You can retreat to Muntu Nkulu, the new castaway restaurant on the north side of the island, for a buffet and total relaxation. Picnics can also be arranged in various deserted locations on or off Vamizi Island.

Activities
There are plenty activities on offer at Vamizi Island Lodge. Certainly you can simply relax and enjoy walks along the pristine beach. The marine life is incredible. 350 species of fish have been identified in the unbleached coral reefs around Vamizi. There are 16 different dive sites from shallow dives for beginners, to vertical wall dives for more experienced divers. All diving and snorkelling equipment is available at Vamizi Island. For keen fishermen, the drop-off beyond the reef between Vamizi and the other nearby islands Rongui and Macaloe, is teeming with sailfish, marlin, tuna, giant trevally and wahoo.

Vamizi has some of the most diverse flora and fauna in the world, with 112 species of birds, Samango monkeys, 4 species of turtle, giant coconut crabs and dugongs. Humpback whales can normally be seen between June and October. A myriad of trails will take guests through the coastal forest. Guided or solo kayaking adventures through the mangroves and shallow reefs are available. Vamizi Island also has 2 shaded dhows, which are anchored off-shore, close to some of the best snorkelling spots. Armed simply with a generous picnic and a radio, guests can be dropped off for a few hours of idyllic privacy and isolation. There are also a number of secluded coves waiting to be discovered and explored.

Best time to travel
Mozambique has a tropical and subtropical climate with 3 climate zones. It can get very hot during the rainy season between December/January and March. However Vamizi is a low-lying, off-shore island and will not get the rain that hits the mainland. October to April are the hottest months with an average of 27–30 °C, June to August are the coldest months with an average of 21–25 °C. October and April are the best months in terms of excellent diving.

Getting there
Vamizi Island can be reached best by seat-in and private charter flight from Dar es Salaam in Tanzania, which takes approx. 2 hours to Mocimboa plus 10 minutes to Vamizi. Alternatively, there are scheduled flights from Johannesburg to Pemba (gateway for the Quirimbas Archipelago), which take approx. 3½ hours, followed by an approx. 45 minutes seat-in or private charter flight to Vamizi Island.