Vilancoulos & Bazaruto Archipelago


I first came to Bazaruto exactly 31 years ago. A week before my 19th birthday. Sailed up from Durban with Ocean Sailing Academy. Not much has changed in a few decades, it really is a small piece of heaven on earth. Still relatively unspoilt. Still breathtakingly beautiful. Still amazing people. 

It is devastating to see the effect of Covid on a country that relies so heavily on tourism. The Mozambican people do not get Government aid or grants. Their borders are open but the beaches are closed and tourists are a rare sight. Few are brave enough to travel with the challenges & restrictions that Covid brings. Swimming and watersports are currently banned for tourists but we did manage a day trip to Bazaruto with Sunset Dhow Safari. A 45 minute boat ride got us to Bazaruto. Climbed the dunes, wallowed in the ocean (the island Rangers permitted swimming but no snorkeling). The crew prepared a sumptuous lunch of chicken, calamari, salads & fruit. On the return journey we stopped on Benguerra for a quick stroll, you can get a taste of what the island has to offer in this YouTube video:

Benguerra Island https://youtu.be/VszOGha3YdA 

The local fishing boats go out daily to ply their trade. They can be heard in the early hours of the morning puttering out to sea & returning well after the sun has dipped below the horizon. Their waters are so rich and abundant with seafood and you would be mad to eat anything else here. We support local as much as we can. Our local seafood supplier, Orlando (as in Orlando Pirates he affirmed), supplied us with calamari, Red Snapper & Barracuda at  400 MT/kilo (R110/kg). Tourist price but still cheap for us on the Rand. All fresh off that day's boats. Weighed in front of you (we were only advised later by an expat that it's wise to carry your own scale), cleaned & fileted. I am allergic to shellfish but Olgierd also ate buckets of clams and Blue Swimmer Crab. 

We would have loved to stay longer on this little stretch of paradise but due to the beaches being closed, we decided to push north to Tanzania.

Comments

  1. HelsbelsMarch 23, 2021 at 12:47 AM

    Gorgeous photos, so glad you having a great time❤

    ReplyDelete
  2. UnknownMarch 24, 2021 at 12:03 AM

    I'm sure this must bring back amazing memories of your younger days. Enjoy and treasure every moment - make the most of it while you can.

    ReplyDelete

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