Pristine white beaches, perfectly shaped shells of all sizes, brilliantly coloured coral reefs, waving palms, psychedelic tropical fish and giant game fish, cool breezes ruffling the gentle surf, and just a few drop-dead luxurious beach chalets. Oh yes, and some bright-eyed dolphins going through their early morning aqua aerobics 50m off shore.
If Robinson Crusoe had found himself on these islands, he would never have left.
Come with me to Rani Resorts’ tiny islands (and I mean seriously tiny) islands of Matemo and Medjumbe which lie in the impossibly blue/indigo/turquoise/sapphire blue/azure waters of the Indian Ocean just off the north coast of Mozambique in the Quirimbas Marine Reserve.
As my Airlink plane circles Pemba after its two-and-a-half hour flight from Joburg, I’m already in a different world. Here the ocean rules as it has done since the early Arab and Portuguese explorers made their way up and down this coast centuries ago. Expect long white beaches, sunny skies and a wonderfully indolent laid back atmosphere. From here it’s only a 15-minute hop by air from Pemba to Matemo Island and the first leg of paradise.
My temporary tropical island home is one of 24 air-conditioned beach chalets literally 25m from the creamy surf. (But who wants the aircon on when soft tropical breezes blow?)
Lie in your hammock as a couple of pied crows hunt for crabs around your deck, or go physical and snorkel, dive, fish, or just bob gently on your back in the blue, blue sea. The water is so salty and buoyant that you have to be careful not to doze off and drift away to India.
But you’d regret it forever if you didn’t make at least one visit by boat into the untouched marine environment. Even the most earthbound landlubber couldn't resist the unspoilt coral reefs and outcrops that circle these islands.
Flanked by the Mozambique channel on one side, and on the other by the northern Mozambique coast, you’ll never get the shivers here - the water averages 25°C. Experienced divers say this is as good as it gets.
A visit by boat to the historically fascinating Ibo Island is a highlight. As long ago as 600AD, Arab traders had established fortified trading posts along this coast, dealing in amber, jet, ivory, turtle shell and ambergris. Then came the Portuguese, and by the late 1500s nine of the biggest of the 31 islands in the archipelago were ruled by a Portuguese lord, and two by Muslims.
I visit the 18th-century Portuguese fort of Sao Joao, now being restored with US Aid money, and look out to sea past the old cannons which continue to guard the old stone walls.
Local silversmiths, using ancient tools and arcane methods, are still making exquisite silver jewellery under the cool stone roof of the fort’s entrance.
The 1791 tiny chapel of St John the Baptist is tucked into the thick walls of the fort, as are the slave cells where captives were bundled and kept before being transported.
But you’ll need to get to Ibo island soon if you want to savour the Fellini-like, surreal atmosphere of the place. Young European entrepreneurs have already moved in and are restoring some of the beautiful old Portuguese red-tiled houses – many of which have stood here for decades – and opening trendy B&Bs.
The noise of hammering, banging and construction work permeates the air as goats wander through other once-lovely homes abandoned during the freedom struggle.
“This is the island that time forgot,” Junior my guide tells me. “The war and government money passed it by. But now the government is selling the tumbledown buildings and tourists are beginning to trickle in.”
From Matemo Island, it’s only another short hop by small plane to the miniscule Medjumbe island - 1km by 500m. You can amble round the island in 40 minutes flat.
I stay at the end of the island in the last of 13 beach chalets, with a fringed thatch roof, wooden deck and plunge pool, and a cool Arabian Nights interior that would have delighted Scheharazade.
GM Jannie Claassen rules over this kingdom with attention to detail, an unerring eye and a super-attentive but unobtrusive staff that even Scheharazade’s sultan could not fault.
Jannie tells a wonderful story. The ever-changing colours of the sea are so absolutely gorgeous that one guest was determined to capture them forever. She asked Jannie for some of the little empty jars that house the breakfast jams. Out she went in a boat to collect the different colours in the jars. Think about it…
I go snorkelling with Steve, the resident dive master. We chug out to some breath-taking coral reefs, pop overboard and then marvel at the underwater wonderland before diving into another kind of spectacular delight - the seafood.
Lobster, crayfish on steroids, giant prawns, squid - all freshly caught and so beautifully presented it seems a pity to eat them. (Mind you, since reading that octopuses - octopi? - are as intelligent as dolphins, I did pause for thought before tucking in.) Moonlight silvers the waves after a spectacular golden African sunset at the end of a perfect day.
But there’s more to come. This time it’s a two-and-a-half-hour journey in a single-prop plane to Mozambique’s far north Niassa Reserve, a place so remote that few people (including me) have ever heard of it.
Lugenda Camp lies in the heart of this 42 000 square km of wilderness (twice the size of Kruger Park) where elephants and sable roam among the highest concentration of game in Mozambique.
You’ll not see the Big 5 - this place is not for first-time safari goers - but you will see an astonishing landscape of towering inselbergs. Think lots of Ayer’s Rock look-a-likes rising up from the flat plains like giant boulders.
If birds are your passion then you’ll be in a seventh heaven. Over 370 species, including Pels’ fishing owl and the Angola pitta are here.
Beach, bush and solitude. It comes at a price but one well worth paying.
- Kate Turkington was hosted by Rani Resorts and CFA Air Charters.
Factbox
- Rani Resorts
Tel: 082 600 6492
E-mail: [email protected]