Visit to Ilha de Moçambique (Mozambique Island) mysterious Mozambique

The Island of Mozambique/Mozambique Island – Ilha de Moçambique in Portuguese -, is one of the most beautiful and historically culturally interesting places to visit in Mozambique.

We visited the island in 2017 for the first time and I loved it. I will never forget staying in this centuries old house named Casa das Ondas (House of Waves) which was full of beautiful wooden furniture. I felt like I had stepped into a different era, a different time. A time long gone but still so present and so tangible that present and past intermingled in an almost surreal way. The image of a local lady dressed in a beautifully-coloured capulana (type of a sarong) sitting in front of the house, gazing over the endless calm turquoise blue Indian Ocean, is an image printed in my memory.

This time it took us a bit longer to get there, as we didn’t fly to Nampula like we did in 2017. Instead, we travelled on local transport all the way from Vilanculos. We were lucky that, after leaving Gorongosa National Park early at sunrise to wait for a bus, that one came almost immediately, taking us all the way to Nampula (16 hours) from where we could go on to Mozambique Island the next day.

To get to Ilha, we took a chapa (local minibus) from Nampula and while we were waiting for the bus to fill up, local sellers passed by selling fresh fried prawns on a stick in homemade Peri-Peri sauce, for 5 meticais (about 5 Euro cents). Delicious!

Cramped in a jam packed chapa, the journey took much longer than expected, partly because we lost half of the cargo halfway down the road and had to go back and find it. Secondly, these chapas stop EVERYWHERE as they need to load off their cargo. They are really more cargo carriers than passenger buses which frustrates me immensely and there were quite a few times I lost my temper on this trip. Not very mindful, I know, but travelling on local transport in Africa has its challenges. We finally crossed the bridge to the island after dark.

Arriving on the small island, my memory had not played tricks on me. It was still a beautiful and special place. It felt like arriving in a different world, a different time zone, a different energy. An energy of peace, of inspiration and beauty.

We based ourselves in Hotel Central, had a cold beer and I had a quick walk around town feeling like I had travelled far back in time, just like I felt back in 2017. I visited Casa Gabriel, the guesthouse of Italian Gabriel who has been living on the island for years, and who beautifully restored one of the old buildings into a charming and cozy little guesthouse, which is very reasonably priced.

Ilha de Mozambique was declared a UNESCO World Heritage site in 1991 because of its important cultural history. It was the capital of Portuguese East Africa under Portuguese colonial rule, after Vasco da Gama discovered the island in the late 14th century. It then became  the first capital of Mozambique. Its name was derived from sultan ‘Ali Musa Mbiki’, a sultan who ruled the island in the 15th century. And that’s how the country also got its name.

Later, the Dutch also tried to attack and conquer the Portuguese settlements here, but didn’t succeed. However, history goes much further back than that. Arabian tradesmen already came to the area around the 10th century and Bantu-speaking people- perhaps as early as the 3rd century- migrated from inland to the coastal areas. This mixture of Swahili, Arab and European influences make the island a unique destination in Mozambique to visit. Different cultures and religions have peacefully lived here together for centuries and the island breathes an atmosphere of openness and tolerance, which feels very pleasant.

The following day we visited some beautiful and unique accommodations for Unique Mozambique’s portfolio. For example, Terraço das Quitandas which is a 300 year old building next to the old customs house, now beautifully restored into a boutique design hotel. In Jardim dos Aloés (House of the Aloe Veras) we were warmly welcomed by Italian owner Bruno who has transformed an old warehouse into a unique, cozy and personal guesthouse where you will be treated as a king or queen. Stepping through the old Arab doors you’ll find a different world. My favourite on the island!

Bruno invited us to breakfast the next day where we met lovely other guests. Breakfast here is a real feast and owner Bruno is a true encyclopaedia and ambassador for the island. The luxurious Villa Sands hotel personally had less appeal to me, it’s a nice hotel but part of a chain which immediately makes it feel a lot less personal, even though the staff were super nice and friendly.

We had a stroll around historical Stone Town and met the lovely Fahar from Ilha Blu, who organises dhow tours, bicycle and historical walking tours as well as whale watching and sunset boat trips. Sailing around the blue waters of Ilha, seeing  the UNESCO heritage site from the Indian Ocean on a historical dhow sailing boat – how unique is that! Ilha Blu is based in a beautifully restored building, now a cafe with lovely staff and great cocktails!

We indulged ourselves in the delicious culinary culture of Ilha and its very nice restaurants, eating the local speciality Cava Cava (type of lobster) which was super tasty. We went to another local restaurant and I had the best Matapa I have eaten in Mozambique. The cuisine on the island is a mix of fresh fish with Arabic influences of herbs and spices which makes for the most delicious dishes.

We stayed on the island for 4 days, met the friendliest of people, visited the interactive exhibition where, with 3D and virtual reality and took a journey through the past and Makua culture.We visited the Fortaleza de São Sebastião (fort of San Sebastian) and the museum where the wildly enthusiastic guide told us all about the island’s history. In the evening we were entertained with upbeat live music in one of the cafes.

Visit the Island of Mozambique if you want to learn more about Mozambique’s rich history, culture and cuisine. It is a true highlight of any trip to Mozambique and one of the most special places in southern Africa I have been to.

How to get there? No worries, I will help you organise the trip. We can plan a (video) call to discuss your needs and preferences for accommodations, route and activities in order to completely customize your holiday.