PrintMozambique is a destination that is truly a rising star in the world of African travel. Explore Gorongosa was our first foray in to marketing Mozambique, and with the addition of Machampane in the doLimpopo Transfrontier Park we knew this was a destination we quickly needed to learn about. This trip was an independently organized fam for me to quickly see as much as I could of the country’s beach and bush. It’s safe to say that at this point organizing travel through Mozambique can be a challenge. Flight schedules change all the time, access into key areas is through small cities (Vilanculous for example) that have limited air access, and can be costly in some instances (between the lackluster LAM, the national airline, and charter companies). But it was a great learning experience for me and I hope this trip report will be a great learning experience for you!
Thursday, July 16 2009: Arrive Johannesburg
This time I took the scenic route to South Africa, traveling Atlanta to Amsterdam and Amsterdam down to Johannesburg as direct flights were sold out now in peak season. It was a long journey, but one good way to avoid the 17 hour direct flights. I arrived around 9:30 pm in to a very cold Johannesburg! This time around the passport line was very quick and I quickly collected my luggage and was off to The Peech hotel. The Peech hotel is a new boutique property near the Wanderers stadium in Johannesburg. The main area is cozy, with a crackling fire and cat snoozing on the modern furniture, and the art and décor are unique and classically African, with a mix of new and old art covering the walls. I arrived at the hotel after 10pm, so there were a few hiccups with such a late check in but soon enough I was in my room enjoying a much needed hot shower, with a huge waterfall head and luscious Molton Brown toiletries. The beds are extremely comfortable and soon I was out, for three hours anyway! I’ll be sure to stay here whenever I come through Johannesburg.
Friday, July 17 2009: Johannesburg to Vilanculous to Benguerra
After an early wake up and late transfer to the airport, I was finally on my 7am Pelican Air flight to Vilanculous. After a short 30 minute flight we stopped in Kruger Park to take on a few more passengers, then about 45 more minutes and we landed in Vilanculous. This is an excellent to combine the Kruger park with Mozambique. Immigration was painless, after being given a form, paying the clearly posted $31 (bring USD exact change for this) for a visa, we were in Mozambique!
From above Mozambique is as flat as a pancake and shockingly vast with small villages far and few between. All you can see are red dirt roads that intersect every so often, giving the impression of a jig saw puzzle from above.
This particular day there was a large group going to the Pestana property in Bazaruto, so the five of us going to Benguerra were transferred by the lodge’s vehicle to a property called Casa Rex. Casa Rex overlooks the water, has a lovely veranda and is overall quite nice. It is possible to stay here, but I’m not sure why you’d want to when the islands are only a short flight away. Marlin Lodge, one of the properties on Banguerra Island, has a lovely lounge right at the airport where guests can have a cold drink and snack while they wait for the short flight to the islands.
We arrived at the airstrip after a short 10 minute flight from Vilanculous flying low over the ocean. In some parts the water is so shallow you can see to the bottom even from the plane. On the flight the other guests were asking each other “how did you find out about this place”, as if it was so remote that they couldn’t believe that anyone else could possibly know about this place on earth besides themselves. That’s the sign of a great property in my opinion! In both cases it was a recommendation from their travel agents The archipelago is made up of Bazaturo, Benguerra, Maganique, Bangue and Lunene islands.
So put yourself in my, or your client’s, shoes. I left the USA on Wednesday morning after a domestic flight to Atlanta, all night flight to Amsterdam, another 10 hour flight down to JNB, three hours of sleep then up early for the flight to Mozambique, waiting for a small charter to Benguerra Island and then arriving at the island around noon on Friday. Basically three days of travel and believe me I’m ready to rest. This is probably the longest I’ve traveled in one go to get to an Africa destination! While for many travelers it would make perfect sense to start an itinerary in the Bazaruto archipelago, with a late arrival into JNB two nights at The Peech would have been divine and allowed for a sleep in, perhaps a township tour or other afternoon activity in Johannesburg and a chance to sample the fine dining for dinner at The Peech before an early night in preparation for the 7am flight to Mozambique.
Benguerra lodge sleeps a maximum of 32 guests. Each of the casitas, newly built after the Cyclone of 2007 which took out most of the island, are on the beach, each with private butlers (that serve the room as well as all your drinks and dinner in the main lodge), plunge pools, outdoor showers and private covered chairs right on the beach. The most popular casita is #4 which has their private pool off to the side of the casita, and #6 and #7 are also very nice, as the units are closer to the beach. Benguerra really makes things special for honeymooners, with little surprised such as champagne upon arrival, champagne baths and private beach dinners.
Benguerra Lodge is in the process of building 14 amazing villas, which are privately owned and rented out to guests certain times of the year (as per Mozambique government regulations when people build private vacation homes, in the interest of further developing quality tourism product). They are absolutely spectacular, with 4 casitas, a main lounge with infinity pool, TV room, massive kitchen, rooftop cushy lounge, amazing gardens, etc. Pricing isn’t available as yet since they are so new, but for 4 couples travelling together or to celebrate a milestone, these are amazing. When these are available to inspect, certainly worth a trip out if you’re in the area!
The property also has 10 horses, which are available for use by anyone on the island. It’s a great location for horseback riding.
Unlike many places on our Mexican Rivera or elsewhere in the Caribbean, here you have a real sense of place. You feel like you’re in Africa. About 1200 people live on Benguerra island and you’ll see them walking along the beach going about their lives. No one tries to sell you anything or pester you but everyone will stop and wave a friendly hello. The people here are lovely, friendly. Benguerra is a lot like Africa in general; layered, complex, rugged and beautiful.
My butler, Antonio, brought me a wonderful lunch of cold salads on my private porch. It was exactly what I needed after three days of airplane food and I ate every bite!
Guests usually congregate for drinks in the bar around 6:30, and on cooler nights a nice fire is built on the deck as well. This is a spectacular location for sundowner drinks as the sunsets here are amazing. The beach side dhow bar is a stunning setting for a cocktail any time of day. There are several options for meals, and tonight’s dinner for me was seafood soup to start, then poached Kingfish medallions with Arabic Dukkah and citrus salsa and a taste of moist chocolate fudge cake in a pool of Amarula Anglaise and vanilla ice cream for dessert. Thee dining hall is dark, candlelight and has some nice African island tunes playing in the background. Meals and drinks are served by your private butler. The chef comes out to say hello as the main course is served as well.
There is a lot happening in Mozambique. I was told about Sao Sebastiao Peninsula, a new game area on the mainland nearby that has just been sold off into concessions for the development of small boutique guest houses. There is a fantastic young energy here in Mozambique. The people that live here and run the properties genuinely love what they do and love living in Mozambique. It’s amazing to think that only 17 years ago the country was coming out of a horrific civil war. People here are optimistic and enthusiastic. If they try something and it doesn’t work, they learn from the experience and move on to try again. They want to do things right. The government is extremely pro-tourism and once again I believe tourism will help pull Mozambique into the next chapter.
Saturday, July 18 2009: Benguerra to Bazaruto
This morning I left early to inspect Marlin Lodge, one of three on Benguerra Island. The drive was through the island, and I had a chance to see the villages and school along the way. The island is clean and the people are friendly. The three lodges on the island support the school, which is free for kids ages 7 – 15. As mentioned Pelican Air now stops three times per week to collect clients in Kruger Park in South Africa, which I’m told has been very good for business, making for an easy post-safari extension to the islands.
Marlin Lodge is slightly bigger than Benguerra Lodge, with a little more of a resort feel. They have a huge dive and fishing center with all necessary equipment available for use. This property was also rebuilt after the cyclone and is looking fantastic. Their standard rooms are quite nice, again with outdoor shower. The executive rooms also have a private sun tanning area near the beach.
At both properties the staff is exceptionally well trained, with the right mix of service and attention to detail without being overbearing or too formal. From Benguerra Lodge, and anywhere on Benguerra, guests can organize sea fishing expeditions, and it’s one of the best places in the worked for sea fly fishing. Both Benguerra Lodge and Marlin Lodge started as fishing camps, so the roots of fishing here are quite strong.
The season here is a rainy season in December and January and February is the cyclone season. But like most places in the world I’m told that this February was lovely, warm and cyclone-free. The best months for diving are March – May and then September – November. In December the plankton come into the waters, along with the warm weather, so it’s the best time to see the whale sharks but the water is a bit cloudy for diving. I have a detailed marine calendar from Marlin lodge, please contact me if you’re interested in more detail and I can email it to you. These particular days in July were quite cold, and not really beach weather. The properties all seemed to be quite busy, given that it’s European and American holidays, but I’d say March – May and then September – November would be the ideal times to be on the beach in Mozambique.
In the Afternoon the same pilot and little Cessna with CFA charters picked me up at the Benguerra airstrip for a short 5 minute low flight to Bazaruto Island, where Rani Resorts’ Indigo Bay is located. These little jaunts are fun! And at between $80 and $100 per leg, no too pricey. From the moment you land at the airstrip you can tell you’re going to be at a large property. You’re greeted by a smiling server with a cool towel and ushered into a huge blue open sided overland bus. Check in was fast and impersonal and I was showed to my room. The rooms are lovely and you can tell they have just been redone, in stylish light blue and brown motifs.
The beach at Indigo Bay is not spectacular. It’s rocky and full of jellyfish. The pool is lovely, with a swim up bar. The grounds are immaculate and the service is well trained and quite good. The food, while served buffet style, was fantastic. While the property is quite nice, I’m not sure it has the WOW factor that a North American traveler would be looking for in an Indian Ocean beach experience. While it certainly would be possible to find an out of the way corner or steal away to find some romantic space, the other small properties have privacy built into the experience. I would recommend Benguerra Lodge or Marlin Lodge, both personally hosted and much smaller, for North American travelers.
Sunday, July 19, 2009: Bazaruto to Maputo
Today I fly to Maputo in the afternoon, after yet another small hop back to Vilanculous. This time I was on Indigo Bay’s private Caravan, a very nice aircraft. Upon arrival I received some very bad news. Even though I booked online apparently my payment didn’t go through so they canceled my booking (even though the hotel confirmed last night that I was on the flight) so I was forced to rebook at extortionate rates twice what I was quoted online. This is why it’s critical to book with a tour operator and they will then reconfirm everything with LAM (locally referred to as “Late And Maybe” airlines). And the flight I was scheduled to take to Beira tomorrow was full, so I’m arriving 3 hours later than planned. LAM does have scheduled flights to most of the main cities in Mozambique, but apparently the schedule is always changing and they don’t have very good connections; which means I have a forced overnight in Maputo this evening. It’s good however, as I now have a chance to have dinner with Bart who, along with his wife, is opening Coral Lodge 15.41 further North on the coast.
Upon arriving at the airport I had arranged a transfer with the Southern Sun, where I was staying. I saw transfer vans for most of the other hotels, but not the Southern Sun. I was able to contact the hotel and they advised he was on his way. I waited for about 30 minutes and he finally showed up. In this case it was helpful to have a mobile phone. If clients are booked through a ground handler I’m sure they provide meet and greet service, which is priceless. Interesting to note, however, as I was standing there a few different people who noticed I was standing around inquired where I was going and offered to call the hotel for me. While at first intimidating, I quickly realized that people were friendly and just trying to help. It was refreshing, and that is the feel I got during my stay in Maputo. Maputo is a friendly African city, with strong remnants of the Portuguese colonists, giving it an exotic, European flair.
My last two days of inspections has given me pause about the differences between large and small properties and what it takes to WOW North American travelers. I’m in a rare position to experience both in rapid succession and experience the feelings and emotions that go along with both experiences. I’m constantly asking myself, “what is worth flying half way across the world to see?” In most cases, a large property, even with good food, service and rooms, could be anywhere in the world. Small places that are hosted and offer a uniquely African flair tend to “WOW” travelers and become what we in the travel industry find worthwhile to travel half way across the world to see.
Overnight at Southern Sun in Maputo.
Monday, July 20, 2009: Maputo to Beira and onwards to Gorongosa National Park
After a relatively leisurely morning at the Southern Sun, enjoying a nice breakfast, I made my way to the airport for check in to the flight to Beira. As a result of my forced expensive last minute booking (apparently in business class) I was able to use the “Flamingo Lounge” through LAM. The great news is that starting August 17th, on Tuesdays and Fridays CFA (the same charter company that does all the island hops) has a flight that connects Vilanculous to Chitenga (the main gate/lodge in Gorongosa National Park) and then goes on to Beira. Which means you could leave Bazaruto on a Tuesday, spend Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday in Gorongosa, then get picked up on Friday, connect in Beira then back to JNB or on to another safari destination. Perfect!
My driver to Gorongosa is from Gorongosa National Park, and Explore Gorongosa organizes transfers through the park, which is another great source of job creation. The drive leaves Beira, which is a relatively large city (for Mozambique standards!) then heads through villages and finally into bush as you approach the park over about a 3 hour drive. The roads are quite good, a few pot holes but certainly very comfortable. Driving across the country you get a sense for how happy and optimistic the people of Mozambique are. With the war now 17 years behind them, African commerce goes on, selling various foods and goods on the side of the road (cashews seems to be common), you see kids walking from school and music playing on radios everywhere. And of course the ubiquitous cell phone. It had recently been raining, rare for this time of year, and everything was lush and green. The air is sweet and smoky like it often is in Africa. Indeed the people are poor, but they seem have happiness about them, not the hardened and ragged look that I’ve seen elsewhere in Africa. Finally we cross over the brown Pungue river and we’re in the park, arriving at Chitenga, the main public camp and main gate to the park. Explore Gorongosa is the first private safari operation in the park and is owed, run and managed by the very hard-working Rob and Jos Janisch.
Tonight Vasco, who is the Communications Director for Parque Nacional Da Gorongosa, is in camp with his family with us. He is a wealth of knowledge and has just spent the last few months interviewing old park rangers (from the 60’s when the park was in it’s heyday) and is preparing for a huge exhibition that will travel the globe on the history and restoration of Gorongosa National Park. All the old hands he’s interviewing, both living in Portugal and Southern Africa, continue to say that “that time in Africa was the best time of my life.” Today the park once again employees nearly 500 people, working on restoration, planting trees, managing Chitengo, etc.
We set out on an evening game drive as just as we exited camp we came across two female lion right in front of us! They were walking quickly to meet up with the rest of the pride, and even the next morning we could hear them calling. On the night drive we also saw Bush Babies, White Tailed Mongoose, and many antelopes.
Dinner was a hearty meal of chicken, potatoes and veggies with a nice soup started and cheese tray for dessert. A night cap around the fire was the perfect end to the day!
The beds at Explore Gorongosa are simply amazing. The whole premise of Explore Gorongosa is traditional, eco-friendly safari tented camp, and Rob and Jos think long and hard about every last detail. The beds and linens are something they have decided to invest in top quality, and they are cozy, warm and wonderful. Some of the most comfortable mattresses, plush pillows and duvets I’ve had in Africa! I was in heaven and sound asleep in minutes.
Tuesday, July 21, 2009: Gorongosa National Park
Last night we heard lion roaring in the distance. Before our walk this morning I had a steaming hot shower and enjoyed a cup of coffee in the tent. While I was in the shower two elephant strolled by camp and as we set out on foot we continued to hear lion calling. Spectacular!
The tents at Explore Gronongosa are private and well spaced. At this point there are four, but they expect to grow to six in total, not including the fly camping tents. One of the tents will soon feature a large sitting area and double shower to make up the honeymoon unit. Everything at Explore Gorongosa is personal, the décor, the service, them meals, etc. Rob and Jos continually ask themselves, would we do this if this were our home and these were our houseguests? This mentality truly makes this a spectacular, intimate and personalized experience. After breakfast, we set out on foot. Our walking safari took us through stunning yellow fever trees set against a cloudless bright blue sky and down near the river and back. We saw great bird life, warthogs, bush pigs, and many antelope.
After the walk we returned for a hearty breakfast (made to order! A common question at Explore Gorongosa is “what do you feel like” or “what are you hungry for”) and afternoon at leisure. I was able to take a walk around camp to see how things work, and while the focus here is on the rehabilitation story and the exclusivity of the only operator in the park, this camp is extremely eco-friendly and subscribes to the philosophy of eco-innovation. With no generator, all cooking is done over the fire and all power is solar. Everything has multiple uses and the camp is built to leave as minimal impact as possible. I saw where a tent had just been moved and there was almost no trace left. As Rob and Jos will tell you, they are doing everything they can to further the park’s rehabilitation and help make it sustainable, because as the park becomes sustainable their business will become sustainable as well. Their objective is to sell the company to their employees in about ten years time, and they are working very hard to make sure the business is strong a viable in the interest of supporting the local community for the long term.
Next year, 2010, is the 50th anniversary of the park so expect to see some fantastic promotion and publicity surrounding that event. Last year 4,000 people visited Gorongosa National Park, and in it’s heyday 72,000 people visited the park. Clearly there is room to grow and the park envisions about 30,000 visitors annually.
After a wonderful afternoon siesta we met for coffee then set out on an evening game drive. We quickly came across two female lion and a male, and surprisingly the male, who was still quite young, was mating with both of the females. Eventually as it got dark we headed over to the flood plain for a wonderful sunset and sundowner.
On the way back we stopped at the Lion House and watched the stars on our back. The Lion House is the remains of a camp that was built by the Portuguese in the early 1940’s. However, the camp was constructed in the dry season, so the first wet season the area flooded and the camp was washed away. In the park’s heyday the lion used the remains of the main area to view game and sun themselves, with a record 28 lion recorded on top of the house.
As often happens on safari bed time is quite early! After a “TV Dinner” of pizza in front of the fire and I headed off to an early bed in the super cozy bed.
Wednesday, July 22, 2009: Gorongosa National Park to Johannesburg via Beira
This morning was a 4 hour road transfer back to Beira, then a direct flight to JNB. The road transfer isn’t too bad, the roads are nice, but it does get a bit long. The best option would be to do it one way and then take advantage of the new flights coming into Chitengo, the main camp and park gate, direct to Vilanculous or charter to an international connection in Johannesburg.
Gorongosa National Park closes mid-December through February due to the rains. Explore Gorongosa closes after Christmas and through January. They then take February for staff training and camp development.
Mozambique is real Africa, with a growing tourism infrastructure for the North American market. I feel lucky to have explored the destination at this early stage and look forward to heading back soon!
