Maputo - I have to admit to a moment’s anxiety about embarking on my four-day dhow safari in Mozambique’s Quirimbas National Park after I had, the day before, wandered down to Ibo Island’s small quayside to watch the end of the annual Kueta Siriwala festival.
A dhow race was about to start – always the highlight ending of the weekend’s cultural festivities. The little pier was packed with locals laughing and yelling encouragement across the water. Crews fussed around on their boats out in the bay, winding homemade coconut palm ropes, furling and unfurling the large sails.
I obviously missed the signal above the din, but it seems without warning they were off.
Or at least some of them were off. There was little wind, so sails flapped ineffectively as the crews scrambled around hauling and tugging everything into place. One dhow had gone back to the beach to collect someone and there was much hilarity as the crew suddenly realised people were leaving without them. Another dhow headed straight towards the packed quayside, scattering spectators before tearing after the leaders.
On the quayside the next day, things were rather more sedate and we made a peaceful departure without any fanfare, heading off into the quiet waters of the Quirimbas archipelago.
There was a gentle breeze, just enough to fill the sail, and we watched Ibo Island disappear into the blue behind us.
I would go as far as to say that a dhow safari is the only way to enjoy this region. Even though I have been known to suffer from minor bouts of seasickness, I am more of a water person than a road person, so a dhow safari suits me perfectly. You are never too far from land, and even on a fairly windless day the trips between island camps are generally a maximum of four hours. Considering that this region is remote and possibly one of the more difficult places to access because there are hardly any roads, the camps are wonderfully luxurious.
In addition, many South Africans love a holiday near the sea and I, for one, am particularly partial to a holiday that involves warm water, remote beaches,palm trees, friendly people and seafood.
The Quirimbas tropical archipelago consists of a necklace of 27 beautiful coral islands and atolls that adorn the neck of Mozambique’s northern coast adjoining Tanzania.
Depending on the trade winds, which on the east coast of Africa change direction twice a year, dhow safaris operate from Ibo Island northwards, or from the more southern and beautiful Arimba region south of Ibo back towards the island.
Activities on safari are flexible and you can indulge in kayaking, snorkelling, birding, sleeping under the trees, swimming, great walks, fishing, climbing palms and “shelling” on the pretty beaches.
About an hour after setting sail from Ibo Island, we spotted an odd apparition rising from the middle of the ocean.
As we sailed closer we realised it was a tiny, sand island, not half the size of half a rugby field. Not a tree. Not a footprint. Nothing. Just white sand. The setting was so beautiful that we leapt straight off into the warm ocean, without waiting for our dhow to anchor or any of the gear to be off-loaded.
The water was so crystal clear that, in reality, it had no colour at all. Harris Mpundzi, our Zimbabwean guide, soon joined us, bringing fins and masks and we swam off to snorkel around the nearby coral reefs and enjoy the underwater spectacle.
While we were cruising the coral, a small, rather hilarious “desert island” drama was unfolding. It involved forgotten matches and therefore no fire to cook our food.
Some of our crew kayaked all over to the half dozen dhows in the region asking if they had any we could “borrow”.
Luckily, in no time at all Mombo, our chef, and Jordan, our waiter, soon had not just a fire going on the beach, but also a little table set up and beautifully decorated with table cloth and shells.
Not long after we were happily licking lemon, garlic and peri peri off our fingers while tucking into a huge plate of prawns, rice, salads and pau (homemade Portuguese rolls – a speciality of Mozambique) right there on the beach with not another soul around.
This was just the start of many seafood braais and five-star meals on beaches tucked away in beautiful mangrove estuaries and deserted islands in the Quirimbas; islands with secret lakes, mysterious shell-covered sand bars that appeared and disappeared before our eyes, dhow butterfly sails and topaz, turquoise, blue, blue water to match the sky.
Our first overnight was at Ulumbwe, an estuary on the edge of what is apparently one of the largest mangrove forests in Africa where many amazing rare, as well as common, species of bird can be seen.
The dhow beached gracefully, us less so, but in no time Harris had us kitted with life-jackets paddling off into the maze of mangroves in our kayaks, while camp was set up in our absence. As we paddled, fish eagles called, kingfishers swooped and herons stalked the many fish using the estuary as both a nursery and a place of protection.
Children from the nearby village stood thigh-deep with their hand-lines, catching fish for the family meal, while young men scaled the tall family palms to hack coconuts that thumped unceremoniously on to the ground.
Later, a walk around the nearby village was politely and kindly received by old women twining rope, old men weaving mats and families going about their daily chores.
Although life is hard here, and poverty and hunger a daily threat, people were friendly and open to strangers wandering through their village.
Our next overnight was at Mogundula Island, “Place of the Respected ones”. Nobody lives here, but we still felt the spirit of the Respected Ones – not the least reason being because their graves welcomed us at the top of the little shell-lined path leading from the tidal beach to where camp was established.
Our tents were set up under beautiful shady trees, and after hot tea we walked around the island perimeter.
Later, Harris took us to see the beautiful eeriness of the island’s sacred lake and the rest of our time was spent snorkelling, kayaking and reading on the beach until the gentle waves came lapping at our feet and the sun sank into the orange sea. - Sunday Tribune
If You Go...
l Ibo Island Lodge and dhow safaris: www.iboisland.com