I found the pearl first. No, it wasn’t in an oyster, nor was it concealed in any other of the splendid seafood that Mozambique serves up, it was tucked away in Inhambane province in the far south, silver white amid kilometres of deserted golden beaches, aptly named White Pearl, one of Mozambique’s few-and-far-between five-star resorts.
Inhambane, 500km north of the capital, Maputo, is probably the province that South Africans and other holidaymakers know best.
Its 700km coastline is home to superb unspoilt beaches, mangrove forests, tiny coves, inviting sandbars, and perhaps, best known, the Bazaruto Archipelago, a National Marine Park, consisting of the islands of Bazaruto, Benguerra, Magaruque and Santa Carolina (you may recall the latter as the former Felliniesque Paradise Island).
Legend has it that it was raining when Portuguese explorer Vasco da Gama landed here in 1498. The inhabitants welcomed the weary sailors and gave them shelter. In their language, Gitonga, bhela nhumbane means “Come into the house”.
Today, the province is the country’s tourist hub, where you can find accommodation of all kinds, from self-catering, B&Bs and guesthouses to hotels and swanky resorts.
White Pearl belongs in the latter category. It’s pricey, but compared with similar resorts in the Maldives, much more affordable, although you’ll still need a fistful of dollars.
Spacious white clapboard chalets cling to a hill above the beach, each with a plunge pool, wraparound viewing deck facing the Indian Ocean and stylish dove grey and white interiors.
My first morning, I walked for what seemed kilometres along the beaches in both directions and saw only a couple of Mozambican fishermen casting from the rocks.
I chat with the only other guests: a Swiss couple who had come for the diving. Jean-Paul, an experienced diver, who, in spite of his seventysomething years and two replaced knees, was doing two long dives a day, said this was some of the best diving in the world.
Pristine reefs, coral gardens, fishy things of all kinds, from manta and leopard rays to black-tipped sharks (harmless), all five species of marine turtles and Technicoloured tropical fish provided daily dazzling shows.
Which brings me to the dugong. These rare marine mammals are also resident along the Inhambane coast and Jean-Paul was lucky to spot one on an early morning dive.
How these not very attractive creatures came to be the origin of the mermaid myth is a mystery.
On the way to Maputo by helicopter from White Pearl, where my young South African pilot flew for 20 minutes along deserted beaches, I also saw evidence of the floods earlier this summer. Devastating in the north, while the south escaped fairly lightly.
That night I stayed at a Mozambican landmark – the Polana Serena Hotel – overlooking Delagoa Bay since 1922 and the haunt of royalty, celebs, politicians and well-heeled holidaymakers. Today, so Rui Oliveira, chief engineer, tells me, 80 percent of the clientele are business people. The discovery of huge gas reserves is bringing a boom and the Polana is thronged with business suits.
How to describe the Polana? Easy. Just think Dame Maggie Smith of Downton Abbey – elegant, formal, beautifully grand, and indisputably classy.
I flew from Maputo to the Vilankulo Airport, a “gift” from the Chinese government to the people of Mozambique. The historic little town of Inhambane (an official Portuguese town since 1753) is the oldest settlement on this part of the coast: Arab traders settled here in the 14th century. But it’s the busy little fishing village of Vilankulo that is the tourist centre. Take a trip to Bazaruto (more world-class diving), snorkel, sail, swim or just laze on the beaches.
A 45-minute boat ride from the mainland to a peninsula took me to the 14-thatch villas of Dugong Island Lodge, situated in the private Vilanculos Coastal Wildlife Sanctuary, an eco-tourism venture where nearly all the staff were from the community. A sunset cruise on my own with two amiable boatmen produced a spectacular African sunset and seven bottlenose dolphins that danced and played around the boat as we drifted along. “You’re a lucky lady,” remarked El Capitan Jorge, “they don’t often come up so close to the boat.”
After Don and Yolande, a Sowetan doctor and his wife celebrating their wedding anniversary, left, I was the only guest, dining under the stars on fresh fish, homemade bread and tropical fruit.
In the day, there was no need to snorkel, as Dugong’s long-wooden jetty leading out into the ocean was a magnet for fish of all kinds. Thousands and thousands of tropical fish darted, streamed, swarmed and swam around the jetty struts, all clearly visible in less than a metre of clear-blue water.
But I did snorkel when staying at Casa Rex in Vilankulo, a longtime favourite with South African travellers and run with clockwork precision by Melonie and Jay, two Zimbabwean expats. Reminiscent of a Spanish or Portuguese haçienda, Casa Rex has long deep cool rooms with wooden beams, tiled floors and arched windows of golden bottle glass. The food in the restaurant is the best in town.
Accompanied by Kiwi expatriate Kerry, who co-owns and runs Sailaway, a company that specialises in boat trips, I took off in a dhow, built in the traditional way as had been done for thousands of years, for a beach picnic on Magaruque Island.
We motored out, the two-man crew brewing coffee for us in a smouldering wooden box on the floor of the dhow. Then, a day spent snorkelling along a 500m reef, sitting under a shade structure, drinking cold beer, and finally, as the afternoon shadows began to crawl across the beach, we hoisted the triangular dhow sail and skimmed back to Vilankulo courtesy of a fine south-westerly.
Mozambique is beginning to make global tourism waves. Travel firms are punting it as a must-see destination. It’s well worth the effort, and keep your eyes peeled for that pearl, dugong and dhow.
Turkington’s top Mozambique travel tips
1. No matter where you go, or how far, or at what time of year, antimalarials are a must.
2. Try to visit out-of-season, January to April, although it’s hot, hot, hot. Check if your accommodation has aircon or a fan. Always check for special deals or packages. There are great self-catering options, go Google galore.
3. Remember that Mozambique is a Third World country. Hotels are one star less than their South African counterparts.
Restaurant service is mostly slow, but the food, especially the seafood, is well worth the wait.
4. No visa is required for South African and Southern African Development Community passport holders.
5. The rand is widely accepted.
6. If you are self-driving, make sure you have all the required stickers on your car and trailer. Don’t exceed speed limits. Traffic cops are ubiquitous.
Kate Turkington, The Sunday Independent