Inhaca Island Santa Maria, Ponta Membene and Ponta Malongane
This trip was all about finding some of the lesser explored places in Southern Mozambique and had been a long time in the planning. It finally happened in late June 2024 and was a great success. The idea was to discover some lesser known and new destinations in the deep south of Mozambique. Destinations that our team have not travelled to, and establish relationships with property operators a little off the beaten track. I was kindly hosted by Sean Wookey who runs Ponta Membene Lodge and Sky Island Resort – but more about Sean and his lodges later.
I flew into Maputo on SA Airlink from Cape Town. They have three direct flights from Cape Twon a week and it was a breeze to get there in just over two and a half hours. LAM – Linhas de Mozambique the local carrier also has direct flights from Cape Town to Maputo and there a number of carriers flying into Maputo daily from Johannesburg. You can see all the latest Mozambique flight schedules here, to help you plan your holiday to Mozambique. Of course, we book flights and packages to Mozambique for you based on your requirements.
The night before departing Maputo Sean took me out to a few local bars and restaurants. The vibe is relaxed and informal and the locals are super friendly. There are some more formal and fine dining affairs and then others dotted around the city serving only locals good value street food with a welcoming smile. We chose the latter and weren’t disappointed.
The Sailing Dhows of Mozambique
The next morning was a 5h30 start and it was pouring with rain, but we made it to the Maputo Marina and found our huge dhow tethered to the jetty under the capable hands of Sylvester – the boats captain. For those of you that don’t know – dhows are seagoing wooden boats up to 15 m in length that occur along the entire Mozambique coast. The sea faring people of Oman first travelled down the east coast of Africa with the monsoon winds over a thousand years ago and the design and style of boats has stuck ever since. You can still find dhows being built by local “fundis” with only hand tools and their skill is indeed quite an art. They use only local materials and join planks together with long steel nails made by the local village blacksmith over a charcoal furnace. The sail is rigged in the lateen fashion. The triangular lateen sail was an ancient discovery of decisive importance to medieval navigation. It is a fore and aft sail and permitted sailing against and with the wind – and importantly taking the wind on either side. With its free end, the sail is fixed to a long yard or crossbar that is connected near to the top of the mast and when sailing extends at an angle above the mast and down forward almost all the way down to the deck. Mounted at its middle to the top of the mast and angled to extend aft far above the mast and forward down nearly to the deck. The sail, its free corner secured near the stern, allows tacking into the wind. It immensely increased the sailing potential of these ancient vessels and those intrepid sailors from Oman.
By seven we were putting out of the harbor under power from the 20-horsepower outboard. The views looking back on the skyline of Maputo city and the new Catembe suspension bridge were spectacular. The rain stopped soon afterwards, the sail was hoisted and it was just Sean and I under sail in silence to Inhaca Island.
Inhaca Island
I travelled to Inhaca Island on a very brief stop about ten years ago, so this was the first visit in a long time. The trip took over three hours and what struck me straight away was the atmosphere on the island – the locals were super relaxed and we felt very comfortable. A short walk from where we disembarked there was a village square with a number of street restaurants and a few shops selling curios. We had a breakfast of eggs and good coffee and then decided to go and explore what there was to see on the island. You can easily find good clean 2 star accommodation that is mainly self-catering with one or two private villas that are hard to access.
Then Sean hustled up a land cruiser for further exploration in a matter of minutes and off we went to the western side of the island. We stopped at a large inland bay surrounded by some pristine mangrove forests to look for flamingos. Alas none were to be seen – probably because it was low tide. The birding on the lake shores was however good with some good sightings of a single Mangrove Kingfisher, various egrets, bitterns, terns and sand pipers. Ten minutes later we arrived at Universidade Eduardo Mondlane Research Center. Started by the Portuguese, this research and awareness center is a little run down – but well worth a visit. Entry is only 150 meticals and inside there are specimens of every insect, reptile, mammal and sea creature that occur on the island. There is even a dugong skeleton and we spent about half an hour discovering some weird and wonderful creatures they have there.
It was time to head back to Sylvester and the dhow and Sylvester and move onto Santa Maria which lies south of Inhaca Island.
Santa Maria Peninsula
We were sailing straight into the wind so had to resort back to the trusty outboard. We passed some world class snorkeling sites on the way that would definitely have been worth a stop if we had more time. An hour and a half later we arrived at low tide on the beach at Santa Maria. There is an upmarket establishment called Machangulo Beach Lodge on the point and then around 8 private luxury villas on the beach that you can rent as a group or family with staff and a chef. As we ambled down the beach towards Bemugis Place we were met by a very friendly smiling Benji – the co-owner of the lodge. Benji and Hetta operate Bemugis and provide this amazingly relaxed and hospitable atmosphere in their lodge.
Bemugis Place on Santa Maria
There is a range of accommodation that is suitable for self-catering and the rooms and kitchens are well equipped. All rooms have an aircon and are en suite. The pool, restaurant and bar always draw a crowd because the food is the best around and the atmosphere relaxed. The lodge is set under milkwoods and is cool and shaded and the rooms private. There are 2 and 3 bedroomed villas which are perfect for families.
Benji is a legendary fisherman so you can book fishing charters with him, as well as boats to explore and a number of other marine activities. Do not miss the Bemugi Beach Bar for sunsets and snacks – the perfect way to end the day on Santa Maria.
Ponta Membene Maputo National Park
The next morning was an early start and we were on the water by seven in a fiberglass dinghy to travel to Mabaluco where we were due to be collected for our road transfer to Membene through Maputo National Park. The sea was a bit choppy but we made it in under an hour and arrived at the entrance to a large mangrove forest and riverine system Disembarking onto a beautiful white beach we were met by Dallas – a local resident and he gave us shelter from the rain in the community center. Within minutes our Pajero arrived and we hopped on board for the hour and a half road transfer through thick sand to Ponta Membene. The car would have been there sooner had it not been for a herd of elephants who refused to move off the road for about a quarter of an hour on the way to collect us!
Ten minutes into the drive we got to the park gate and paid the entrance fee of 600 meticals to the park rangers and our game drive began. Maputo National Park was recently proclaimed and the game is re-establishing itself. Peace Parks and ANAC, the national conservation body, are introducing more and more game continually, but it’s not Kruger. The scenery however is exceptional with inland lakes, coastal forests, dunes drifting down to powdery white beaches and rolling hills of green. I saw loads of hippos, around ten young crocs, nyala, plenty of bushbuck and red duiker, vervets, a small herd of buffalo and 3 elephants in the distance disappearing over a hill. There are over 400 elephants in the reserve. The birding is apparently very good – I just didn’t have much time to look around for my feathered friends.
Ponta Membene Lodge
Sean, my host, operates Ponta Membene deep in the Maputo National Park and I was totally blown away by the service, design and setting. The lodge is set in the dune forest with a number of chalets catering for families and couples on a self-catering or full board basis. There are also a number of campsites with private ablutions that were full with South African and Maputo families having the time of their lives.
The restaurant, boma and pool are on the dune crest overlooking miles and miles of beach and glistening Indian Ocean. Service is slick and the food and setting sublime. There is wi-fi in the restaurant area for those insisting on being online.
I was treated to a forest chalet that was modern and very spacious. Percale linen, a ceiling fan, indoor and outdoor showers and a small but well equipped kitchen were all that I needed. Sean and I had dinner around the fire with spring rolls, prawns on long skewers you braai yourself sitting around the bonfire and his new tuna creation cooked on the coals that was five star.
The beach is perfect for kids to swim with good snorkeling at low tide. One client was surfing some great barrels the next morning early and that afternoon a surf ski returned with 3 big cuda.
Sky Island Ponta Malongane
We jumped into the Pajero at eight sharp and started the 2-and-a-half-hour road transfer to Sky Island and Ponta Malongane through the park in 4WD. The tar road at the park gate made the rest of the trip a breeze and it allows easy access to Ponta Malongane, Maputo and the Maputo National Park. You need a 4×4 to get to Sky Island Resort if you are self-driving – but you can leave your car in Ponta do Ouro and book a transfer.
When I got to the restaurant and reception the view took my breath away. The resort is not called Sky Island for nothing. Perched atop an 80m high hill you gaze out over the Indian Ocean and it is incredible. Sean runs a good show in his restaurant, with great cocktails and food. To be totally honest this has been the best service I have ever had in Mozambique. Trust me on this one as I have been to almost every single lodge above 3 stars in the country. It is slick and room service the same – anything you order including main courses is in your room in under ten minutes. My cooked breakfast today came in under five, with freshly squeezed orange juice on the side.
Accommodation at Sky Island Resort
I am in a Luxury Sea View Tent and it doesn’t seem close to anything you expect from a tent. See the pics of my view for starters. With a proper espresso coffee station, bar fridge, king size bed, en suite bathroom and a balcony suspended above the dune forest its tops!
There are currently two of the Sea View Tents at Sky Island with 5 more in the pipeline coming soon.
In addition, there are Meadow Chalets that are equipped for self-catering; and more luxury tented accommodation options spread privately over the property. I can truly recommend this place especially its value for money and nothing in Ponta do Ouro even comes close to it.
The resort is a bespoke and specialized paragliding center with world class launch sites and flying conditions. So if you fancy a flutter you can do a 15 minute tandem paraglide over paradise or a two day introductory course with a legendary instructor who goes by the name of Lunchbox. You can also book dive packages with Mozambique Travel that combine Sky Island with ocean safaris, scuba diving and more. The house reef also offers good safe snorkeling for kids.
Packages combining these properties
Follow our blog and social media channels to see when we launch one of the coolest, most affordable Mozambique holiday packages that will combine a dhow safari from Maputo to Santa Maria, Ponta Membene and Ponta Malongane in one package. Two nights at each property and loads of adventure in between.
There were another two weeks of adventure following this, so watch this place for more details on my visit to Massinga Beach Lodge, Zinave National Park, Inhassoro and Tofo and then the remote Quirimbas Archipelago.
Featured Packages
Ponta Membene Family Holiday Special
Per family unit
