Northern Mozambique

A visit to Coral Lodge is not complete without a visit to Ilha De Mozambique, commonly known as Mozambique Island.

This magical island is the only UNESCO World Heritage Site in Mozambique and is steeped in centuries of history and culture.

Just 3km in length, and approximately 600meter’s at its widest, you can discover the island in a day.

Coral Lodge offers daily return transfers to the island, one of which is complimentary during your stay, then any further trips are at an additional cost.

Coral Lodge has a prime location for sightings of Humpback Whales. Sightings usually occur each year from August until October, as the whales migrate from the Antarctic to our warmer waters of Mozambique, to mate and give birth.

Bottlenose dolphins and Humpback dolphins are also frequent sightings during July through to September.

Coral Lodge offers Half-day sailing experience to view the whales and dolphins by traditional boat or in a motorised boat.

Explore the magical underwater world that wraps itself around the shores of Coral Lodge.

Our crystal-clear lagoon provides the perfect snorkeling experience, for those that do not like to venture too far away from shore. Children can also snorkel safely here at low tide.

Some of the common fish in our waters include Bannerfish, Pipefish, Nudibranch, Lionfish, Boxfish, amongst many other reef fish.

For those that enjoy the open ocean, there are endless snorkeling sites that our experienced team can guide you to.

The island if Ilha De Mozambique also offers unique guided snorkeling experiences around the historical island and even shipwrecks.

Snorkeling equipment is available to use on a complimentary basis. Subject to availability.

Setting off in a traditional dhow, in search of the next perfect Mozambican sunset, you can’t help but feel connected to a piece of history. Imagining the yesteryears of the seas, and how it must have been to have travelled for many miles in these basic, yet highly effective traditional boats.

Ice-cold beverages of your choice compliment your sunset sail experience served with a selection of canapés. A sundowner memory to last a lifetime.

Discover the beauty of the lagoon, our bright sandy beaches, and the meandering mangroves, in one of our Coral Lodge canoes.

Our canoes are designed for either one person or two persons to share paddling duties, and have more opportunities for holiday selfies!

Cabaceira Pequena is the closest community to Coral Lodge and a fishing village with lots of history.

The majority of our Coral Lodge Family were born there, and are still residing there, with their families. Since 2010, Coral Lodge has continued to grow as lifeline source of income for many that live there.

Being a relatively short walk away from our lodge, our team members will take you on a personal guided tour of their community, to meet the people, and learn of the history of the area there too.

It is also essential to understand the reality of the lifestyles that many of the local Mozambicans and see how basic, yet often very happy lives that they live – a humbling experience. A warm welcome in Cabaceira Pequena is always waiting for guests of Coral Lodge.

Glide over the turquoise waters of the lagoon, and slowly meander through the maze of mangroves, on a stand-up paddleboard. Or head out past the lagoon, into the aqua blues of the ocean, enjoying the birds-eye view of the marine world below you.

Stand-up Paddle Boarding has been a sport of choice for hundreds of years for Polynesians, and in recent decades, with surfers, for training purposes. Over the past few years, it has become a favorite water sports activity worldwide.

Coral Lodge is the perfect playground for both beginner and advanced Stand-up Paddle Boarders.

The ancient baobab tree found tucked around the peninsular of Coral Lodge creates an idyllic setting to watch the African sunset beyond our shores.

We will pack a picnic basket filled with delicious delicacies and some of your favourite chilled beverages to savour as the sun goes down over a Mozambican paradise.

The Indian Ocean that surrounds Coral Lodge is a fisherman’s playground.

Whether you choose to go deep sea fishing or try your hand at traditional fishing methods with our experienced team, you are almost guaranteed to bring back an exciting catch of the day.

Why not help our chefs prepare your fresh fish for dinner, and serve it to your loved one, or family, with pride. Memories in the making!

Spoil yourself with a relaxing and rejuvenating massage or body treatment, by our qualified Coral Lodge therapist.

Choose to enjoy the treatment in the comfort of your villa or perhaps outside, on your private villa deck. Alternatively, our therapist can set up a therapy bed on the beach or by the pool.

The protected reefs in the Quirimbas Archipelago offer some of the most spectacular scuba diving in the World. These undisturbed, untouched dive sites are abundant with a variety of fish and corals, and offer a range of depths and reef topography to suit beginner and experienced divers alike.

Our stunning house reef offers quick and easy access straight from the main beach. This is perfect for a refresher or first time dive and a unique location for a night dive for qualified divers. In addition to our house reef, there are another 17 dive sites that we can visit inside and outside of the Quilalea Marine Sanctuary, including some fantastic drop offs and coral gardens.

Azura has a full range of new professional Mares dive equipment. Our training pool on the bar deck is perfect for refreshing your diving skills or taking the plunge for the first time, and for training dives the house reef is ideal being just a few metres out from the beach. If you are interested in learning to dive and would like to try it out contact our dive instructor. A PADI Discover Scuba course, which includes your first reef diving experience, can be completed in just a few hours. Children are welcome to learn to dive from the age of 10 upwards.

PADI Scuba courses at Azura Quilalea range from those designed for children and beginners throughout to full certification up to Divemaster level of training; Bubblemaker, Discover Suba, Discover Scuba Diving, Scuba Diver, Openwater Diver and Advanced Open Water Diver are all on offer.

Wonderful selection of reef fish for beginners and advanced alike. Some of the world’s best fishing for Marlin, Sailfish and Tuna. Azura has a fully equipped fishing boat with local guides. Range of professional tackle for both beginner and enthusiasts. Tag and release policy on protected species.

Enjoy Quilalea Island from the water while kayaking on the ocean and around the island. Guided kayaking available or opt for a kayaking trip through the mangroves of Sencar Island.

Our kayaks are available for your pleasure at any time, please ask at the watersports centre for paddles and safety equipment. Please let us know where you plan on kayaking and your expected return time, and be cautious of the strong currents we experience at certain times, as well as the wind direction if it is blowing offshore.

The stunning house reef off the main beach is paradise for snorkelers, with easy access at all times of day. Take the plunge and you will see a colourful array of hard and soft corals, and a variety of reef fish. A vast array of marine life thrives including tropical fish like Sweetlips, Angelfish, Triggerfish, Pufferfish amongst breath-taking coral reefs riddled with Lettuce coral, coral "Bommies" reef banks and soft sponges. Other interesting sightings you may see include Moray Eels, Stingrays, Honeycomb Morays, Ribbon Eels, Grey Reef Sharks, Loggerhead, Green and Hawksbill turtles. Snorkelling can be done at any time, but is best at low tide. Pop past the watersports centre to collect your snorkelling gear on arrival, and you are welcome to keep it with you throughout your stay.

Guided Night Snorkelling
A must for lovers of snorkelling, we guide you out onto the house reef with underwater torches to see how different everything looks at night, as the shrimp and lionfish emerge from their daytime slumber a whole new underwater world awaits you.

Turtle Beach is the most beautiful beach on Quilalea Private Island, with soft powdery white sand and views out to the pounding surf of the Indian Ocean, it’s a great place to relax and spend a few hours while enjoying a picnic and refreshments.

We set off on an Island Baobab nature walk to explore the island’s indigenous vegetation, with statuesque age old baobab groves and stunning flora and fauna, it’s a real nature lover’s paradise. We will meander along the islands paths until we reach the stunning Turtle Beach, where we will host you to a special picnic (breakfast/lunch) and then leave you to enjoy a few lazy hours in the sun, with shadecover, cushions and beanbags provided for your comfort.

During Turtle nesting season (November to January) you may even be lucky enough to witness a female coming ashore to lay eggs on the beach.

Join us on a 40 minute trip by speedboat to Ibo Island, the foremost heritage site in Northern Mozambique. Prior to 1902, Ibo was the provincial capital of Cabo Delgado province, after which Pemba became the new provincial capital. Ibo is full of fascinating architecture, old ruins and lots of cultural history. We will arrange you a specialist guided tour of the island, with the chance to see the Silversmiths at work, the village and the famous pentagon shaped ruined old fort, before hopping back on the boat to enjoy a cruise back through the mangrove channel.

The houses and buildings on the island are remnants from the 1500’s, built by an amalgamation of Portuguese, Dutch, Indian, Arabian, and Chinese settlers that have all sailed through and used Ibo as a base whilst on route along the coast.Ibo sports some of the oldest buildings in Mozambique and as such has been designated as a future World Heritage site. It is believed that Arab traders builtsome of the forts on Ibo as long ago as AD600. From these fortified trading posts, they would ship slaves, gold, jet, amber, turtle shell and ivory back to the Arab world.

The fort of Sao Joao Batista (St John the Baptist), built by the Portuguese in 1791 is a very iconic building and architecturally a very interesting place to visit. It is now occupied by the silversmiths that work in its entrance. You will be able to visit the small shop that sells a small collection of the silver jewellery that they have intricately and lovingly hand crafted.