Despite being located in one of the wildest places on earth, set among the Quirimbas Archipelago in the calm, cyclone free waters off the coast of northern Mozambique, Vamizi offers the definitive experience of barefoot luxury in Africa.
The simple pleasure of being able to walk for hours along miles of deserted wild beach is a rarity.
Of all Vamizi’s attractions, its beaches are undeniably one of its greatest, especially as the Private Villas are strung loosely along them. At times the sea can be so mirror calm that the silence of a beachcombing walk is not even punctuated by the sound of waves.
There is evidence of Vamizi having been a stopping place for Arab dhows in the 15th century, when the island, then known as Amisa, had a Muslim population and a prolific weaving industry producing a fine fabric known as Maluane cloth. This attracted Portuguese traders. Most of Vamizi’s historic remnants are relics from the Portuguese era including a church, a fort, several wells and a lighthouse.
As well as fabric, Vamizi offered trade in indigo, ivory, timber, manna (an edible gum) and turtle shells. Today the turtle population is protected rather than exploited. The island’s most recent settlers are the owners of an award-winning luxury lodge established in 2005, who have also initiated community projects and a conservation initiative. The Lodge and the Private Villas have attracted guests from all over the world, in search of a rare and authentic wild African island experience.
The Carltons Series 