Vamizi Island lies off the coast of northern Mozambique in the Quirimbas Archipelago. It remains one of the last pristine marine wilderness areas left in the Indian Ocean. On the island, eight kilometres of white beach lie between indigenous tropical forest, and turquoise waters.
Vamizi Island has 12 luxurious beach houses, two of which have double suites for families or friends. Each house looks onto its own private stretch of beach, and the ocean beyond. On the outside decks there are plenty of sunchairs and day-beds, perfect for an afternoon of lazy beach bliss. The interiors reflect the mix of Swahili Coast traders and explorers to the area over the centuries; old hand carved furniture and natural fabrics, comfortable and inviting.
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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.
For keen blue-water fishermen, the vertical drop-off beyond the reef between Vamizi and the other nearby islands Rongui and Macaloe, teams with sailfish, marlin, tuna, giant trevally and wahoo. For fly fishermen, 12 different species of fish have been caught on the fly to date.
Vamizi has some of the most diverse flora and fauna in the world, with 112 species of birds, Samango monkeys, four species of turtle and giant coconut crabs. But what really sets the island apart is its untouched underwater landscape, which features some of the world's last remaining unbleached coral reefs in their raw, natural beauty. To protect the area, the Cabo Delgado Biodiversity Project runs in partnership with the Zoological Society of London and the island's fishermen, who have been trained to monitor green and hawksbill turtles, dugongs and humpback whales. |
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Accomodation:
Crusoe invented castaway chic, but Vamizi Island Lodge defines it, with ten impossibly romantic timber villas strung loosely along one of the world’s most beautiful beaches. Simply grand, or grandly simple - this lodge isn’t about the usual five star luxury and all mod cons, it’s about the more rarified pleasures of exclusive island life.
Imagine wafting through muslin and filtered sunlight, flopping straight from your room into a private ocean, enjoying elegant lunches with your toes in the sand…
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It’s hard to compete with the perfect desert island so, we don’t. We just take what comes on the breeze, and mould it into a more civilized form.
Ten villas (1 or 2 bedroomed) are right on the shoreline, with to-die-for views of the ocean. 'Exclusivity is one of Vamizi Island’s greatest assets, and as the only lodge on the island, it has the space to spread wide, so each villa amply commands its own part of the beach.
Both airy and generous - with over 170 square metres of timbered floor to pad about on, they have plenty of space for spreading beds, sofas, a marble shower and vanity area and outside chilling deck.
Vamizi Island is not about the ordinary five star stuff, so don’t expect TVs or air conditioning - it’s all about barefoot relaxation, and rooms as open as they can be, to catch the natural breezes .
That said, if you can’t drag yourself away from your villa, there’s a mini-bar and the means for a deluxe cup of tea or coffee, as well as private dinners in the room.
Beyond that, we just leave you alone, in the peace of your own private paradise.
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Activities:
Evenings shape up glamorous, but with a castaway twist, fuelled by grills on the beach, or more fancy cuisine under lantern light in the dining room.
With cocktails and fine wines from the barmen - and acres of cushions and sofas for sitting very soft at any point - you might just feel that heaven can wait.
During the day, there’s the relative formality of our thatched open dining room on the main beach, or you can retreat to Muntu Nkulu, our new castaway restaurant on the north side of the island, for a buffet and total relaxation.
You can also take the total desert island approach - alone with a shipwrecked picnic on some deserted beach.
On the surface, Vamizi Island is utterly mellow. Go a few feet below and everything changes, as the Vamizi seas - which lodge residents share with no other tourists at all - are bristling with big ocean action.
Some of the dives here are said to be the best in the world, and the deep sea fishing better than the whole East African coast. Fortunately, we have PADI dive instructors, professional fisher-folk, and all the toys and kit you’d want to make the most of this extraordinary marine world. |
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For the less committed thrill seekers, there are snorkeling trips, castaway picnics, whale watching expeditions, and lots of messing about in boats, from kayaks to traditional dhows. Landlubbers may of course prefer to wander the miles of sugar sand untouched beaches, or delve into the bush for a spot of monkey - or bird-watching.
The humpback whales know it, so do the turtles and the many species of fish that breed in the Vamizi seas: young ones thrive in Vamizi. It’s safe, and private, and the living is very easy.
A gently shelving beach, perfect sand and plenty of sunshine make Vamizi Island a haven for parents and children. The sea is rarely rough on the shore, and the water is a perfect temperature, with no end of shallows to toddle about in, and small wondrous things to see, hear and feel.
There are plenty of toys for children and adults: kayaks, sailboats, snorkelling gear, windsurfers, fishing equipment.
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Fishing trips and sea cruises are a full-on marine biology lesson, with huge varieties of deep sea fish emerging from the depths, and whales, dolphins or flying fish often in sight, if not right by the boat.
Scuba instructors can also introduce those slightly older children to their first experiences underwater, whether snorkelling or diving, and nature guides can help them discover the island’s land based wonders – exotic birds, monkeys and giant Coconut crabs.
Two rooms have been specifically designed as family rooms, with large double, (possible triple) bedrooms adjoining a central decked lounged area. All beds are mosquito netted, even though malaria is not thought to occur on the island. and for the night-time babysitters can be arranged.
As a reflection of Vamizi Island - the yin to the ocean’s yang - our health and wellness professionals can treat the whole you - mind, body and spirit.
You couldn’t want for a better place for healing: Vamizi Island is basically one big spa - with nurture for the entire self both above and below the water. We’ve also added the luxuries of some of the best energy and body treatments available –such as shiatsu, reiki and cranio-sacral therapy.
Meanwhile our Ashtanga yoga teacher can help you look at yourself and your surroundings from a whole new – and much more relaxed - angle.
We’ve also introduced beauty therapies that are uniquely Vamizi, using natural recipes borrowed from the local ladies, and creating a few oceanic inventions of our own - minerals ground from Vamizi rocks, local seaweed masks and sea salt scrubs - to prepare your pelt for that perfect tan.
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Reservations and Enquiries |
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