The Ultimate Beach Bar

We are proud of our accolade in the November/December 2009 Issue of the British Airways First Life Magazine: Best Hotels - The Ultimate Beach Bar.

To quote:

"The Plaza Athéné in Paris was an obvious choice, as were Dukes and Claridges in London. But simplicity wins out. ‘The bar at Benguerra Lodge on Benguerra Island, Mozambique, is an old dhow,’ says travel writer Lisa Grainger. ‘Every night the barman turns on a little Mozambiquan music and serves fresh pina coladas and cold beer, alongside bowls of freshly roasted local cashew nuts. And between sips you can go for a dip in the ocean.’"

The Beach Bar is also the 'venue' for our weekly beach barbeques and tribal dancing.

Federal Air Flight Schedule Change

For the remainder of January and February until mid March this year, Federal Air (previously Pelican Air) will not operate any flights on Wednesdays, Thursdays and Saturdays.

The option to fly from Nelspruit (Kruger Mpumalanga International Airport) to Vilanculos is available on Tuesdays and Fridays and all flights from Vilanculos return to Johannesburg (OR Tambo International Airport).

Helicopter Transfers Not Available

Helicopter transfers between Vilanculos and Benguerra, will not be available in February and March. We have, however, made arrangements with CFA (fixed wing transfers) to operate our transfers over this time.

Diving at Benguerra Lodge

One of the most striking aspects of diving the reefs off Benguerra Island is the sheer unspoilt beauty and the variety and abundance of marine life. While kitting up on the boat, before you even begin your dive, you could see batfish surfacing, a turtle rising to take a breath before diving again, a curious whale shark turning towards the boat (inspiring you to momentarily abandon your dive gear to snorkel with the biggest fish in the ocean).

Once under water exotic reef fish abound – schooling bannerfish, moorish idols, butterfly fish, blue striped snappers, oriental and barred sweetlips, boxfish, goldies, trigger fish and numerous others provide movement among the diverse beautifully coloured corals and sponges. Your dive buddy could be obscured for a few moments by hundreds of fusiliers shoaling through the coral crevices. Or it might take a while for you to recognise a giant moray, due to sheer size. Ribbontail rays try to hide on the sandy bottom; Devil rays glide effortlessly along, swooping down occasionally to rub their undersides on the sand. Schools of kingfish are attracted to the reef's food supply and circle divers bubbles before moving off on their hunt. Turtles can be seen sleeping under a ledge or feeding on a sponge, ignoring divers in favour of indulging in a tasty meal. White-tip, black-tip, gray reef or giant sleeping sharks may be seen in a cave or patrolling the perimeter of the reef. Hearing a whip like crack indicates that a grouper has seen the divers and has made a hasty retreat through the wall of slender sweepers surrounding its hideout. At the safety stop, you may have a batfish keeping you company.

The Bazaruto Archipelago's protected waters is also home to the last viable population of dugong in the western Indian Ocean and, if Lady Luck is on your side, your diving experience may be rounded off by the sighting of one of these elusive mammels - as was the case with clients in December 2009.