It was rumours of beautiful pearls that attracted the Portuguese in the 1700s. And they were to exploit them freely until the early 1900s when a hurricane covered the oyster beds in thick layers of sand. Today there may not be pearls but you will find strings of beautiful islands, long white beaches dotted with pansy shells, excellent diving reefs and superb fishing for kingfish and marlin.
These features have made places like the Bazaruto Archipelago the tourism heart of Mozambique. The area is connected to the south by a newly constructed tarred road and Vilanculos has a bright-yellow, extremely friendly international airport. The Bazaruto Area is part of the Inhambane Province - a large slab of coast, inland lakes and forest with an estimated 1,25 million inhabitants. These are largely Chope and Tsonga people who make a living fishing and growing coconut palms and cashew nut trees.
General information
Cruise Season – Oct - May
Currency – Mozambican metical (MZN)
Language – Portuguese
Electricity – 2 perpendicular flat pins USA style or with a round pin below
Time - GMT plus two hours
International Country Telephone Code – + 258