Mozambique - Hope floats

With azure seas, marine life aplenty and seriously chic accommodation, Mozambique’s Bazaruto Archipelago is quickly evolving into one of the world’s hippest beach destinations. Matt Phillips decided to visit one new lodge that is making waves for all the right reasons. Rachel was holding on for her dear life. We were enshrouded by darkness, the surrounding seas were truly churning and Becca was screaming. Our trip to Azura on Benguerra Island wasn’t exactly what I’d hoped for… it was much, much better. Paulo was a masterful skipper, repeatedly taking Becca – Azura’s twin-engine, 500hp catamaran – obliquely up the face of waves, over their crest and down into the trough with aplomb, a considerable task considering he was doing it in the dark. My wife George, who’d grown up around amphibious ships (her father being a lieutenant colonel in the Royal Marines), was as impressed with his skills as she was enamoured with the exciting situation. The same could not be said for Rachel, Azura’s assistant manager – her stomach was simply not designed for such seas. She did put on a brave face, even laughing at herself as she stood, fingers clinging to the stainless-steel railings, hoping to cushion the mighty blows of the sea. And to her credit, she’d made the return journey for no other reason than to make us feel welcome and well looked after. You see, visitors to Azura (and Rachel) don’t usually make the 14km journey from Vilankulo on the mainland to Benguerra Island by sea – it’s almost always covered in the comfort of a helicopter. It was only when our flight arrived late, touching down just before sunset and ensuring we missed the window for flying that a trip by boat was even contemplated. Knowing we’d be tired after our journey from Paris, and realising the seas were heaving, Rachel had actually recommended that we spend the night in Vilankulo, and had even gone to the trouble of arranging our accommodation and transfers. However, upon hearing that we’d both grown up on boats and weren’t afraid of a bumpy ride, she checked that the situation was safe, launched and then joined the pick-up party. Because the cockpit lights were off to help Paulo navigate, my eyes could make out the shadowy shapes of waves moving around us, and the glowing trail of bubbles flowing away from Becca’s stern. Then Azura appeared, its presence growing alluringly from mere specs of light on the black horizon to whimsical, warmly-lit structures as we drew near. With the tide high, Paulo backed Becca to within yards of the beach, where our welcome party was waiting with cocktails and towels. When our feet plunged into the warm shallows, we were ecstatic – not because our remarkable journey had ended, but because it had just begun. And it would probably be fair to say that the source of Rachel’s delight was much the opposite. Azura is the newest arrival on Benguerra, one of the four main islands that make up Mozambique’s stunning Bazaruto Archipelago. The archipelago was designated a marine national park in 1971 to protect many of the species that inhabit the area, including the endangered dugong. Also supported by its waters and coral reefs are dolphins, giant lobsters, eagle rays, moray eels, migratory whales, marine turtles and numerous fish species, while out of the water, the islands’ habitats are home to suni antelope, freshwater crocodiles, endemic butterflies and some 180 species of birds. Benguerra, along with Bazaruto and Magaruque islands was actually part of an extensive sand peninsula that once stretched northwards from the mainland several million years ago. Today, the sheltered west coasts of the islands, which host the archipelago’s five lodges, face shallow, azure-coloured seas. Beyond the rich coral reefs on the east side of the islands are the deep, dark blue waters of the Mozambique Channel. It’s in these depths that marlin, sailfish, tuna and other game fish lurk, and from where humpback whales emerge on their annual migrations. Bazaruto, the largest island in the group, is home to the archipelago’s two biggest lodges: Bazaruto Lodge, the first lodge in the area, which has 40 rustic A-frame chalets; and the much more upmarket Indigo Bay Island Resort and Spa. The latter, set on the edge of a sweeping bay, has 29 beach chalets, a dozen luxury villas and a few ultimate 5-Star suites. With satellite TVs throughout, large facilities, plenty of activities, attentive staff and fewer honeymooning couples, Indigo Bay is a great choice for outgoing couples and families visiting the archipelago. Sharing Benguerra Island’s extensive western shoreline with Azura are Marlin Lodge and Benguerra Lodge. Marlin is South African-run and specialises in big game fishing, though a great time can be had without ever casting a line. Benguerra Lodge is slightly more private, with just over a dozen casitas spread along the beach, each with an oddly North African-feeling décor. Wanting to be more a part of Benguerra than simply an employer, Azura has embraced the island’s community as much as it has the embraced the ethic of conservation. Not only are the community contributors to the lodge, but they are also shareholders, something seen only in a handful of other properties in Mozambique. And Azura’s Rainbow Fund – financed by voluntary guest contributions of US$10 per night – supports a variety of environmental and social projects, such as the building of a new school for all the island’s children, basic literacy training for adults and AIDS awareness campaigns. Before the first brick was laid, or even made (yes, they produced their own), Azura brought in an environmental consultant to determine how best they could minimise the environmental footprint of the lodge. His work, in conjunction with the community, literally shaped how Azura would rise: sustainably-sourced wood was to be made locally into window frames and doors; jekka grass for the villas’ thatched roofs was to be provided by local women; and large trees downed in a cyclone would be used for supporting beams. Instead of bringing in outside contractors to get the resort up and running in the shortest time possible, which would have quickly generated revenue, Azura chose a more organic approach, training islanders in vital building skills and thereby, giving them new tools for future employment. It was these islanders who built their resort on their island by hand. Everything that needed to be brought from the mainland, with the exception of the construction sand, was ferried over by local sailors in their dhows, again benefiting the community. You’d be forgiven for thinking that this back-to-basics building philosophy has resulted in something that is, while charming, ultimately less than spectacular. But you’d be wrong. The results are nothing less than extraordinary. Beneath the jekka-thatched roofs of the 15 luxurious beachside villas are clean, contemporary lines and a natural modern elegance that sits in complete harmony with its environment – by day they are airy and spacious, and by night they entice you with pure candlelit chic. Between each villa’s shady verandah and the plump pillows on its thatched beachfront sala, is a manicured garden of endemic flora, a private pool and a sunbed deck. The lodge’s communal areas – the cleverly designed Star Bar, the elegant but understated lounge, the striking dining room and the Gecko Deck for al fresco eating – all spill onto the beach, and are equally inviting. Together, they are the knot of this beautiful beach bow tie, set in the centre of it all. Despite being in its first year, the accolades quickly rolled in from the likes of Vogue, Condé Nast Traveller, who put Azura on its 2008 ‘Hot List’, and Tatler, which ranked it as one of the world’s top 101 hotels. Although some technology is blessedly missing from the villas – TVs, internet access etc – they’ve installed more important bits behind the scenes to reduce the lodge’s impact on its surroundings: solar powered showers, a state-of-the-art sewage treatment plant, and a system to recycle grey water into the gardens. A further boost to Azura’s eco-credentials came recently when the Carbon Neutral Company, based in the UK, verified the resort as carbon-neutral, the first such designation in Mozambique. Nature seems to like the results as well, with more and more birdlife have made the lodge’s new gardens home. And having helped local fishermen to change their fishing habits, which previously involved dragging nets along the bottom of the shallows, life is now also returning to take root on the seafloor, and dolphins can now be seen regularly visiting the beachfront to feed on the fish that are thriving once again. To subscribe or buy back issues, click here  Mind you, all this activity isn’t necessarily quiet, and it was to the glorious cacophony of birdcalls that we woke on our first morning. Considering it had almost reached noon, we actually owed the boisterous crowd our gratitude. Although our day would not have been wasted lounging in bed while watching birds sipping water from the pool and seeing the tides pull the ocean outside our open patio door, there were two things we couldn’t wait for: a serious swim, as our brief knee-deep plunge upon arrival had truly whetted our appetite; and lunch, after all we’d slept through breakfast. Neither disappointed. The sea’s temperature was cold enough to be refreshing, while warm enough to keep us in its grip for eternity, and lunch… well, as all meals would be during our week, it was something to be truly cherished. Fresh seafood filled the daily menus, as did wonderful meats, vegetables, and salads along with little treats like kudu carpaccio with parmesan shavings, and deserts like chocolate fondant. Halfway through one evening’s seven-course tasting menu, George – who’s never at a loss for words – proudly proclaimed: “I’ve officially run out of superlatives!” Days on Benguerra can be happily filled by doing a lot of nothing, or a little of everything. Organised trips include drives to the island’s ‘wild side’, where you can climb a massive dune for a lofty perspective on things, search for freshwater crocodiles on the lakes’ shorelines and watch the countless crabs play in the surf. Trips from Azura can also include cultural encounters with local communities, as well as visits to projects run by their Rainbow Fund. While the lodge does its best to juggle guests’ activities so that they don’t overlap and can be enjoyed in private, this can’t be guaranteed. If doing your own thing is what you’re after, take a stroll along the beach – you’ll find plenty of peace. We walked north for over an hour in complete solitude, crossing the island’s dunes at its north end and sprawled on the wild side’s sands before a quick dip in the surf. Our only encounter during the three-hour walk was with a crab that took exception to my close-up photography and gave chase – I’m not proud to say it, but I ran. And it wasn’t pretty. I could deny it ever happened, but George has it on video. With aquatic treasures surrounding the Bazaruto Archipelago there is no shortage of water-based activities. Without taking a plunge beneath the surface, options available include big game fishing, saltwater fly fishing and the most pleasant of all, sunset dhow cruises. Yet if you’re willing to get wet, things get more exciting. Although we didn’t take advantage of Azura’s Padi Gold Palm dive centre, we met an American couple who did and had the privilege of receiving a fly-by from a humpback whale and its calf on one of their dives. I can’t begin to imagine what it would feel like to look up and see two such massive creatures soaring gracefully past. Other divers have had interactions with flotillas of eagle rays, pods of dolphins and inquisitive sea turtles. While on an ‘Island-Hopping’ adventure, our underwater action took the form of a snorkelling trip out to Two Mile Reef, which sits between Benguerra and Bazaruto Islands. Choppy conditions didn’t enable us to drop into the heralded ‘aquarium’ but snorkelling along the reef’s western fringe was quite spectacular. It took us through massive heads of coral, past plenty of colourful fish species and remarkably close to the largest puffer fish I have ever seen. Prior to snorkelling we’d warmed up by climbing, and then running down, a massive parabolic dune on the south end of Bazaruto Island. It later turned out that the final part of our island hop would also involve plenty of sand. This time we landed on Pansy Island – a sand bar exposed only at low tides – where staff members from Azura had already arrived on a separate boat and had set up an extraordinary feast for us. Thankfully, a neap tide (and strong bladders) allowed us to extend this paradisiacal situation for several hours until the sun was close to setting. Back at Azura, as the wind picked up that evening prior to dinner, I noticed several of the staff join forces to transfer the elaborate dining set-up from the beach back into the dining room, while another staff member was rapidly doing the same much further down the beach, moving a private beach dinner (created for all guests on their last night at Azura) onto the verandah of his guests’ villa. As they ran to and fro with storm lamps, tiki torches, bean bag chairs and tables, while continuously stoking the small campfires they had built to complete the scene, I couldn’t help but think that they were a massive part of why our week was so very special. Not just because of their hard work, but also because of their warmth, their smiles, their genuine openness and the sincerity and pride in what they were doing. Because most new properties, whether in Africa or Europe, suffer from growing pains due to staffing and training issues, one would think that Azura should be racked with them, especially since more than 90 per cent of its employees are from disadvantaged communities in the islands or nearby towns on the mainland, meaning most have had little or no education. However, the truth is exactly the opposite. It’s because many of the employees currently working at Azura were also the ones who recently helped build it brick by brick – they believe anything is possible with hard work. And with Azura’s policy of empowering, educating and promoting their staff, they know no bounds. They are proud of their work and their country, and will do all they can to make you feel the same. That hope floats eternal. Matt Phillips’ trip to Azura (www.azura-retreats.com) on Benguerra Island was organised by To Escape To (www.toescapeto.com). His flight from London Heathrow to Johannesburg was generously provided by Kenya Airways (www,kenya-airways.com).

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