The Lodge is located in a historical Portuguese trading building built directly on the waterfront. It houses nine high rooms within metre-thick walls that keep the heat of the day at bay. Several rooms face the courtyard garden, the rest are accessed via the large front veranda. The rooms are furnished with simplicity and elegance, without imposing on the building's original character. The veranda offers guests the opportunity to sit in comfortable wicker chairs and watch people about their daily business, or gaze over the sea in wonder of the dhows sailing elegantly by.

The property has its own large swimming pool and a well-groomed garden, where guests take lunch under shade-giving trees. The restaurant is located on the upper floor and offers the ideal place for a sundowner. It also serves up excellent seafood, which is brought to you at dusk by its sincere, friendly staff.

The Quirimbas Archipelago is located in the Indian Ocean in the most northern part of Mozambique, close to the border with Tanzania. The archipelago comprises 32 islands stretching over 100 km along the coast of Pemba to the Rovuma River, which marks the border with Tanzania.

Freshwater springs and a secure position meant that Ibo Island was the perfect trading post and base for slave trade for both the Arabs and Portuguese. The old Portuguese houses and the large fort were left to ruin over the years, but are now undergoing continual restoration. Ibo is a monument to its prestigious past, and the vibrant inhabitants add both a surreal touch and a wealth of charm to the scenery.

Ibo has no beaches to speak of, however, the lodge organises beautiful boat outings to remote sandbanks where a picnic is also served. The sandbanks are first evacuated again when the tide returns, and the tiny island is flooded… There is the possibility to snorkel around a shipwreck.

Guided tours through the village, with an interesting visit to the tollhouse, are also on offer. A guided kayak tour leads guests over the bay to the mangrove forest, and through a tiny channel towards Quilalea Island. Please note that incoming and outgoing tides can make paddling quite a strenuous affair!

Guests travel from Pemba Airport to Ibo Island ‘airport' by light aircraft. Visitors quickly notice that the coast in the north of Mozambique is covered with huge mangrove forests. Further islands can be reached by light aircraft or boat from Ibo. Light aircraft do not fly daily, but can be chartered at extra cost.

SwissAfrican Travel Service
Dammstrasse 27
8702 Zollikon
Zurich, Switzerland


Telephone: +41 (0)44 451 40 51