Vamizi Island, Mozambique

Rooms & Suites: 13

Vamizi Island lodge, the first of the Maluane lodges, opened in December 2005. The spectacular 24-bed lodge is built on the northern side of the island and looks towards Rongui from the end of a long powder-sand beach. Recommended for: Beach, Snorkelling, Fishing, Sea kayaking, Birding, Walking trails, Beach picnics, Dhow sailing, Turtle & whale watching

The lodge comprises ten separate beach houses, each with its own large living room, spectacular bathroom and breezy veranda; two houses can accommodate four guests, the rest of the houses take just two guests. The houses are all secluded from each other and look out to sea from the shade of the forest that forms the centre of the island. Samango monkeys play in the trees and prowl the glades, hunting the land crabs that live there. The décor of the Vamizi lodge incorporates as much of the traditional design of the region as possible.

The roofs of the lodge are makuti (palm) thatch, based on the Mozambican style, and the emphasis is on space and openness, so the rooms are large, with high ceilings. The bathrooms have a solid slab of marble forming the wall of the shower, and hand-carved screens which provide the privacy and aesthetic detail of a Zanzibar palace. The bedrooms have king-size beds – four-posters – with free-standing frames draped in beautiful natural muslin mosquito nets. The burnt orange curtains are a fine muslin fabric, which billows softly in the wind and complements the indigo and natural colours in the room.

The private lounges lead off from the bedrooms like giant verandas, with deep cane couches and colonial-style planters chairs. Masses of cushions bring colour and texture to the rooms and encourage you to sink deep into them, put your feet up and relax into the lazy comfort of your surroundings.

All furniture in the rooms, the dining room, the central lounge/bar area has been chosen, designed and mostly custom-made, incorporating traditional carvings reflecting the Arabic influence in the area. The outside decks and private beaches have a selection of loungers, swinging beds and local 'Swahili day beds' to chose from, to encourage guests to relax wherever they wish.

Vamizi Island lodge has been designed to complement the environment and to cause as little damage to it as possible. The construction uses almost entirely local materials - timber, thatch and stone all come from the mainland or the islands themselves - thus providing help to the local economy.

Marine activities include world-class blue water fishing and fly fishing, as well as scuba diving and snorkelling in some of the most pristine coral reefs of the Indian Ocean.

The lodge comprises of ten separate beach houses, each with its own large living room, spectacular bathroom and breezy veranda. The houses are all secluded from each other and look out to sea from the shade of the forest that forms the centre of the island. Samango monkeys play in the trees and prowl the glades, hunting the land crabs that live there. The décor of the Vamizi Island lodge incorporates as much of the traditional design of the region as possible. The private lounges from the bedrooms are like giant verandas, with deep cane couches and colonial-style chairs. Masses of cushions bring color and texture to the rooms and encourage guests to sink deep into them, put up their feet up and relax into the lazy comfort of the surroundings.

Trip Type

Romantic Getaway

Airport Distance

45 minutes