andBeyond Benguerra Island
Andbeyond Benguerra Island Is A Luxury Beach Lodge On Mozambique’s Exclusive Benguerra Island.
andBeyond Benguerra Island is nestled into the palm trees and indigenous forest of the west coast of Benguerra Island, which is part of the Bazaruto Archipelago in southern Mozambique. Overlooking a long sandy beach facing the sunset over the African mainland, the exclusive lodge offers luxurious accommodation in a traditional style with barefoot living and sophisticated hospitality. The setting is remote and serene, with a very different vibe from more traditional beach resort locations. Benguerra Island is a place to visit for escapism and marine activities such as fishing, diving and snorkelling.
Rooms
Accommodation is provided for up to 32 guests is provided in 15 villas. Ten of the villas are called Casinhas, while two are called Cabanas. These spacious landscape-orientated rooms have a central bedroom area with four poster bed, a sitting area with day bed to one side, and a bathroom to the other side. The bathroom includes double vanity, a separate toilet, bathtub and a door leads to the outside shower. Wooden louvered doors open onto a vast private deck which includes a small pool, sun loungers and gazebo with a sitting area and where meals can be served. Each villa has a private shaded sala on the beach with a swing bed.
The two Cabanas are also situated on the beachfront. These villas have exactly the same facilities as the Casinhas but are slightly smaller.
For families or groups of friends wanting privacy and exclusivity, the three bedroom Casa Familia is located at the far end of the property and boasts a main bedroom suite and lounge area, two interleading en suite bedrooms on each side, and a private swimming pool.
Each villa has air conditioning, fans, mosquito nets draped over the beds, a safe, personal mini bar and tea & coffee making facilities. The decor reflects the country’s former Portuguese heritage with dark woods and decorative touches throughout the lodge. All of the villas are set in indigenous gardens which are kept very natural, hence they have varying outlooks – some with a more direct sea view than others.
Central Areas
The central areas of the lodge are under thatch and comprise a dining and lounge area, a library where books can be exchanged, an exceptionally well stocked shop and a small television lounge. The social hub of the lodge is the dhow beach bar which is adjacent to the central swimming pool. Cuisine is naturally orientated towards the sea, with fresh fish, calamari, and crab prepared together with traditional Portuguese dishes and all seafood is sustainably sourced from local fishermen.
Facilities
Wi-Fi – Yes
Power for Charging – Yes
Swimming Pool – Yes
Area
The Bazaruto Archipelago lies some 10 to 15 kms offshore of Vilanculos in the southern Mozambican province of Inhambane. It consists of five islands, Santa Carolina (also known as Paradise), Bazaruto (the largest by a long way), Benguerra, Margaruque and Bangue and was gazetted as a Marine National Park in 1971. Some 3500 people, mostly involved in fishing, inhabit the islands (supported by a number of freshwater lakes on each island). Both Bazaruto and Benguerra islands have a number of hotels offering exclusive beach getaways. Diving is very good (both the 2 and 5 mile reefs), as is deep-sea fishing, reef and fly fishing, and snorkelling.
Activities
Activities available during your stay and included in the accommodation rate are sea kayaking, sunset dhow cruise, a scheduled snorkelling trip, a castaway picnic, Stand-Up Paddle boarding, horse riding and a local village tour. Activities available at extra cost include Scuba diving (PADI certification courses are available), scenic helicopter flights and whale watching boat trips in season (between the months of June and December each year, southern right whales are seen close to shore; while from mid-June to October migrating humpback whales can be spotted). Fishing can also be arranged at extra cost (marlin season is October to January and sailfish is April to September). Massages can be arranged at extra cost.
Seasons
The best times to visit the Bazaruto Archipelago are from mid April through to late May, and then from August through to December. June and July are very pleasant but can be a little cool due to the southern Africa winter (average daytime temperatures around 23/24 degrees), whilst the rainy season technically runs from November through to March, with most rainfall falling in January and February which is also the peak cyclone season.
Children of all ages are welcome at the lodge, although there are limited family accommodation options. Their Casa Familia is great for families, but expensive. Their Casinhas are large enough to provide an extra bed for a child, but cater for a maximum of three people.
andBeyond’s sustainability initiatives focus on care of the land, wildlife and people. Through partnership with community and conservation development partner Wild Impact, and their own marine conservation initiative Oceans Without Borders, they have been able to support sustainable community development projects including the funding of a healthcare clinic, conservation education and dugong conservation.
In terms of wildlife conservation, efforts include marine-themed conservation lessons for children in local communities and the establishment of a no-take Marine Conservation Area in front of the lodge – ecosystem changes will be documented to demonstrate the benefits of protected areas to local fishing communities. Their Marine Predator Tagging Project recognises the critical role that top reef predators, giant trevally and grey reef sharks play in the health and balance of their marine ecosystems. Three underwater acoustic receiver stations have been positioned in the Bazaruto Archipelago (part of a broader network of receivers managed by other research and conservation teams) to record the passing of tagged reef predators and to monitor the movement patterns and environmental stresses of these indicator species.
Community support includes improving access to clean water, provision of solar lanterns for households without electricity, training of local community members as lodge staff and marine rangers, the expansion of the island medical clinic and the building of a community centre.
