Azura Benguerra Island
Azura Benguerra Island Is A Luxury Beach Lodge On The Exclusive Island Of Benguerra In Mozambique’s Bazaruto Archipelago.
Azura Benguerra Island is a sophisticated yet barefoot beach lodge on a long sandy beach on the northern part of Benguerra Island. The property is spread out along the beach, with all villas nestled under palm trees amidst the indigenous vegetation and leading directly onto the beach. The accommodation is luxurious but light and airy in style and the lodges offers a friendly vibe with excellent service. 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 offered for a maximum of 50 guests in a range of 20 luxury beach villas. As standard all of the villas have twin or double beds, a small seating area, en suite bathroom facilities including both indoor and outdoor showers, and air-conditioning. To the fore of each unit is a furnished sun deck, plunge pool, and a private beach sala set directly on the white sands. Each room has a private butler/host who will look after your needs during your stay. The differences between the room types are the size and amenities.
There are three standard Beach Villas which are more compact and have a smaller pool. The three Luxury Beach Villas have a larger sun deck and pool and have a sofa in the bedroom. The 10 Infinity Beach Villas are again larger and have a bath, while the outdoor areas are also significantly larger with a larger pool. The Royal Beach Villas have a master bedroom linked by a walkway to a living area with corner sofa and flat screen TV. This second room can be converted into a second bedroom for young children. Each of the Royal Beach villas also has a 10-metre swimming pool and a Jacuzzi. For family groups or complete privacy there are two large private villas – Villa Amizade which has two bedrooms and a 10-metre private pool; and the larger Presidential Villa which has three bedrooms and a 16-metre infinity pool.
Central Areas
The central areas include a formal lounge, a library with flat screen television, the Jellyfish Restaurant and the Star Bar where guests congregate in the evening and discuss their plans for the following day. There is a spa offering a range of treatments, some of which can also be offered in the privacy of your own villa. Located beyond the Presidential Villa is the Peri Peri Beach Club (Portuguese style BBQ menu) and the massage pavilion/swimming pool. The Peri Peri Beach Club is open twice a week (11am until sunset on Wednesdays and Saturdays) and offers a lovely place to spend the day and enjoy a change of scenery. You can walk along the beach or be transferred by vehicle.
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 fresh water 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
The activities included in your stay are a sunset dhow cruise, the use of kayaks and paddle boards, and scenic island drive by Land Rover. The island drive takes you to visit local communities (including the school and clinic supported by Azura’s Rainbow Fund), while taking in the breathtaking landscape of the island and learning about its flora and fauna. A range of additional activities (extra costs apply) are available to explore the beautiful location: on site there is a PADI 5-star scuba dive centre and a fleet of boats for deep sea fishing (species include Black Marlin, Sailfish, Tuna, Bonito, King/Queen Mackerel, Prodigal Son, Wahoo, Dorado, Barracuda and Giant Trevally) while island hopping boat trips, snorkelling trips, and island picnics are also offered. A guided seahorse experience is also available – just offshore from Azura Benguerra Island lies a protected seagrass sanctuary, home to the Giraffe Seahorse and Kuda Seahorse. Led by Azura’s in-house marine biologist, guests can gently explore this underwater habitat while learning about the conservation efforts protecting it.
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 Azura Benguerra, and there are a variety of villas available that cater for families.
Azura Benguerra is committed to local communities and the preservation of the pristine environment in which they operate. The property’s Rainbow Fund supports local and environmental projects including the island clinic and school. The Fund also supports over 20 scholarships for island children to have further education on the mainland. Guests have the option to make a contribution (currently $20 per villa) on departure from the lodge should they wish.
Through the National Park Levy, each guest contributes to conservation within the marine reserve which is managed by African Parks – conservation work centres around positive relationships with local communities, and also patrolling for illegal activities which helps protect Bazaruto’s dugong and turtle population – the Bazaruto Archipelago National park is home to the last-known viable dugong population on the eastern coast of Africa. African Parks has also helped to introduce a detailed code of conduct for wildlife viewing, snorkelling and scuba-diving with over 100 boat skippers from the tourism sector trained on various aspects of best practices.
