The Real Fantasy Island: Inhaca Island, a Trip to Remember

I wrote this article in June 2000 after a 10-day visit to Mozambique at the invitation of their consulate in Dubai. I was a reporter for the Khaleej Times at the time and I was assigned to write a four page broad-sheet supplement on the country and its economic progress since the end of their civil war. The article below was never published due to space constraints so I thought it would be nice to put it up on my blog. Enjoy!


INHACA Island is 25km off the coast of Mozambique's capital city Maputo and lies conveniently at the entrance to Maputo Bay. It is considered one of the country's best kept tourist secrets. The Island lies due east of the coast of Mozambique almost connected to the mainland at the Cabo de Santa Maria and seperated only by a 150 to 200 metre wide strait popularly known as the "Hells Pass". The pass is not recommended for small boats due to strong underwater currents.

The island is a paradise retreat in every meaning of the word, secluded, untouched by too much civilsation and only 40 square kilometres in area. The Inhaca Island Lodge, run by the Pestana Hotels and Resorts chain, is the only place where you can get the creature comforts most weary travellers look for.

There is a light house at the far North end of the island and a Marine Biology Research Station and Museum set up by the Eduardo Mondalane University to the South. The museum offers a glimpse into the island's rich flora and fauna.

The island is said to have been named Inhaca after a local chief who provided refuge for shipwrecked early Portuguese explorers.

You wont suffer from motor fumes on Inhaca as in the capital, there are only a handful of vehicles on the island operated by the hotel and research station staff. The best and fastest way to get to the island is to fly their by local air charter service which have from one to three regular daily flights to the island and back. The trip takes a little more than 15 minutes from Maputo International Airport, tickets can be purchased the same day if space is available.

A ride in the 18-20 seater, twin turpbo-prop is a bit bumpy, but not as bumpy as a landrover ride on the island's dirt roads. There are no asphalt roads on the island which only adds to its rustic charm. The air station at the island is about the size of a small petrol station, but the personal service you recieve and the welcoming smiles of the local residents make this destination very attractive. "Zee plane, zee plane," you could almost hear Tatu cry, on this real fantasy island.

Among the sites to be seen on the island are the stuning coral reefs, over 160 coral reef species have been identified along the coast of Inhaca island, there is a large number of fish species available and fishing is one of the main sporting activities on the island.

The coral reefs are the most southerly reefs in Eastern Africa, three coral reefs are found adjacent to the island. One of the reefs is just off the coast at Barreira Vermellia, located between the hotel and the research station, the second is found off Ponta Torres, across from Cabo de Santa Maria, while the third is found in a small bay on Portuguese Island, a small 3 square kilometre island reserve.

All three reefs and the island are protected marine reserves, visitors are allowed to visit Portuguese Island but no permanent structures or settlements can be built there. The beaches of Portuguese island, however, are open for swimmers and a day trip to the island can be arranged from the hotel. Remember the movie "The Beach", well this is the real thing.

On arrival at Inhaca air station, passangers are met by the hotel's green Land Rover. Visitors are then taken to the hotel that is strikingly painted in hues of deep orange and purple. The Inhaca Island Lodge is a four star, 40 room resort with a superb beach and amenities. The village where the locals live in straw huts (literally), is just outside the hotel gates and is itself an interesting diversion for the visitor, with a local pub and a restaurant, "Lucas' Place", both of which buzz with activity at night.

Vasco Manhica, Hotel Director, told this reporter about his 24 year tenure as an employee of this unique resort. At 36 years of age, Mr. Manhica has been working at the lodge since he was 12 years old and has seen owners come and owners go.

Known as "Mr. Inhaca" due to his first hand knowledge of the surrounding area and its native wildlife, Mr. Manhica, is a native islander who takes pride in his job. He is grateful for having been given the chance to work while attending school in his youth, this, he said, allowed him to develop a healthy work ethic which has helped him in turn rise to his current position.

Mr. Manhica remebers a quiter time on the island when in 1975 the island population did not exceed 3,000 inhabitants. Islanders have always relied on the ample bounty of the sea for their living, fishing to this day is the mainstay of this small island's economy and by far the largest employer.

"During the civil war in my country we had a lot of refugees flocking to our island because it was a safe haven from the fighting. A lot of refugees came from the main land across the Cabo de Santa Maria and the island population swelled to around 12,000 inhabitants, the refugees in fact out numbered the local islanders. We had great difficulty trying to feed this large number of people," Mr. Manhica said.

Although the number of islanders has stabalised some what since the end of the war, to some there are still too many people on this small island. The number of people that make the island their home today stands at around 5,600. Many families living on the island, however, have bread winners who work in Maputo, therefore they do not create pressure on the local economy.

"Many of the refugees who came to the island during the war brought their own dhows which they used for fishing. Many refugees in fact had relatives on the island so they were readily absorbed into the population," he said.

Mr. Manhica said that the high season for tourists to visit the island is the summer when the hotel can expect up to 65% occupancy over the whole season. Winter, which in the southern hemisphere starts around June and continues through to September, is the low season, and the hotel can expect a mere 35% occupancy. Mr. Manhica added, however, that on weekends (Saturday and Sunday), during public and religeous holidays, like Christmas and Easter, the hotel often gets 100% occupancy.

Apart from excellent water sport facilities operated by "Dive Africa", which offers hotel guests big game fishing, squba diving and kayaking, among other activities, the hotel also offers exclusive conference facilities for upto 60 people.

Mr. Manhica said that camping along the island coast is strongly discouraged and forbidden by the government, despite this many ignore the warnings and camp along the coast unwittingly damaging the environment in the process.

"Most of our guests come from South Africa, they come mostly for the weekend. We also get guests from Scandinavian countries, France and European countries in general. For the last six months, however, we have been getting a larger number of visitors from Portugal, so much so that they are begining to out number tourists from South Africa," Mr. Manhica said.

"I think people today can feel that the war is really over in Mozambique, even though the island itself was never effected by the war, people simply assume that the whole country was a war zone," he added.

Mr. Manhica was trained in Portugal at the hotel group's Carlton Alvor Hotel and Delfim Hotel, he also worked in South Africa and Maputo, where he was awarded an Achievment of Excellence certificate by the hotel industry. His experience in the hotel industry ranges from marketing, food and beverage and banqueting to front office and accommodation services.

A bit of history: Before the second world war, Inhaca was already well known for its rich marine life. People from universities in the region, such as Witwatersrand University, paid frequent visits to the island. The marine biology research station was constructed and opened in 1951. The station became increasingly important for the training of Mozambican biologists after the inauguration of the university in Maputo in 1962.

The museum and research station has two main objectives. First, the museum has a collection of over 600 species with 2,624 different organisms, this shows the people of Inhaca and tourists the island's rich biodiversity.

Three hundred bird species have been observed from the island, some can be seen at the museum. Bird watching is a popular pass time for visitors. Among the rare species of birds are the Crab Plover, Mangrove Kingfisher, Rudd's Apalis, Sooty Falcon and Neergaard's Sunbird.

The bottlenose dolphine and the humpback dolphine are not the only marine mamals that can be seen around Inhaca, Dungong's have also been sighted near the island.

All in all, whether going on an extended summer vacation or a weekend get-away Inhaca is the place for rest and relaxation away from the city and its toxic fumes.

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