Holidays In Southern Mozambique

Southern Mozambique is famous for its miles of unspoiled shores and turquoise, warm waters. This remote destination is home to several of the finest beaches in Mozambique and offers an amazing location for water sports enthusiasts with excellent scuba diving, surfing, sailing, snorkelling and kitesurfing. You can spot manta rays, turtles, whales and various other reef fish while chances of whale shark sightings are also particularly good in this area. This area is also one of the few in Southern Mozambique where the last remaining Dugong can be seen.

This area on the east coast Mozambique was developed as a trading post and was one of Vasco de Gama's favorite spots in Africa. Due to the colonial history, this area is rich in culture with churches, mosques and Hindu temples all common sites. The fishing village of Vilanculos serves as the main tourist area and gateway to the surrounding exquisite islands. The area still maintains an authentic local feeling and is home to a number of great restaurants and bars where you can try the local seafood and enjoy a sunset cocktail.

Diving Southern Mozambique

Vilanculos Bay has calm and shallow waters which are ideal for watersports and just beyond the bay lies the magnificent Bazaruto Archipelago. Vilanculos Bay offers an incredible variety of dive sites and diving options which will suit everyone, including beginners and newly qualified divers. In the bay, dolphins are frequently encountered and for the luckier, it is also possible to see a dugong (the very rare sea cow or manatee). The variety of marine life is outstanding: rays, sharks, turtles, giant groupers, massive morays, black cheek morays, nudibranchs, big shoals of surgeon fish, fusiliers and all the reef fish you can imagine. Whether you like them small or big, colourful or funny shaped, you'll find them here.

For experienced divers staying in Vilanculos the diving of the Bazaruto Archipelago is a 45-minute boat trip away. The idyllic islands of the Bazaruto Archipelago in Mozambique are known for their unspoiled beauty and diverse ecologies. There are actually six islands within the Bazaruto Archipelago, home to a number of exclusive luxury hotels which are easily reached by boat or light aircraft from the mainland town of Vilanculos

The coral reefs of the Bazaruto Archipelago in Mozambique are known for being incredibly varied and are home to more than 2,000 fish species. Beginners can also get into the swing of things with great dive schools located at the hotels while more experienced divers can explore depths of up to 30 metres.

Water temperatures are generally between 22C in winter and 27C in summer and a 3mm-5mm wetsuit is more than adequate. The best times to go is from June to September and it is also the time to see migrating humpback whales. Whale sharks can be seen during most of the year but the best time to see them is from October to March. During the winter months, Europe's summer, large numbers of humpback whales migrate along the coastline and come very close to shore in Southern Mozambique while large pods of dolphins can be seen all year round.

The Weather In Southern Mozambique

The sea conditions can vary from very calm to quite choppy, depending on the location with certain areas particularly clear and shallow and perfect for water sports like water skiing and kitesurfing while the reefs are a firm favourite with divers and snorkellers and boast visibility between 10 and 30 metres.

The water temperature in the Indian Ocean varies from 23 to 29 C and the summer months are from October to April while winter months are May to September. Cyclones can hit the area between January and March while the best time to visit for wind sports is in the spring/summer months between August and December when the wind is most reliable.