Island of Mozambique

Ilha de Mocambique is a former Portuguese trading-post on the route to India. The island was a major Arab port and boatbuilding centre long before Vasco da Gama visited in 1498. The Portuguese established a port and naval base as early as 1507, while the Chapel of Nossa Senhora de Baluarte, built in 1522, is considered the oldest European building in the southern hemisphere.



Year Decision Comments
1991 Inscribed Reasons for inscription

Reviews

Llewellyn Jones (South Africa):
The Lonely Planet says the Ilha de Moçambique (Mozambique Island) is one of the country’s most fascinating destinations. It describes the Island’s architectural charms and social heritage – dating back many centuries before European colonisation – in the most alluring terms. It says the Island is between 200m and 500m wide and about 3km long. I have read the descriptions and suggestions for things to do on the Island many times over, but absolutely nowhere does it mention the fact that the Island has 14 000 inhabitants, half of whom crap on the beach on a daily basis. When an Islander says:- “I’m just going to the bog,” he, or she means that they are actually going to take a lazy stroll down to the beach and, depending on the urgency, possibly dig a little hole in the soft, golden sand and take a crap. Afterwards, depending on how well bred he or she is, they will step into the warm, tropical bidet to clean off. Then it’s just a matter of zipping up, tucking in and making themselves generally presentable, maybe nodding a greeting to a neighbour who hasn’t noticed the tide coming in, before strolling back to hearth and home relieved, refreshed and happy.
It even seems like a bit of a social event sometimes. You can see them lining up in the late afternoon, five or six squatting in a row, hotly debating where the fish are biting best as you stroll along the beachside boulevard trying to ignore the fact that there is a group of men, or women – never men and women together – taking a communal crap just yards to your right.
Without actually mentioning the crap, the Lonely Planet says an effort is being made to clean up the beaches, and that holidaymakers can swim at the beaches on either side of the 16th century fort at the north-eastern tip of the island. The guide goes on to warn would-be swimmers not to venture away from these two beaches as strong tides make it dangerous to swim around the northern and southern ends of the island.
Strong tides. That’s it. Nothing else! No mention of turds bobbing up and down on a gentle tropical swell. Maybe it’s just me, but I would have thought that the possibility of catching a dose of dysentery or ecoli poisoning merely by taking a refreshing dip in the warm waters of the Indian Ocean, would have been a far more compelling and appropriate warning.
When my wife and I were discussing possible destinations for a romantic island vacation over New Year, I might have said something like: “While it may appeal to my sense of adventure, swimming around in ocean of shit, beating off flies, doesn’t really appeal to my sense of romance and relaxation. Maybe we should look for another option.” I certainly wouldn’t have booked a ten-day vacation on the island.
 
George Warrington (United Kingdom):
I went to the island shortly after the war ended, so this review may be rather out of date. It was an unforgettable experience. I flew from Maputo to Nampula and drove in a battered taxi for three hours through the rain soaked jungle. It took three hours because of the huge craters from mines littering the road. I would say about 40% of the local people had injuries or were maimed from mines. The Island of Mozambique lies like a glittering pearl in an blue-green lagoon. It is reached via a single-track concrete pillared causeway built by the Portuguese in the sixties. During the war the population, migrating to the coast from inland, expanded from 3000 to 25000 in a few years, and the population continues to rise, placing unsustainable pressure on the scant resources of this tiny island. Water shortages are common, there is strepticocca all over the coral surrounding the island from unprocessed human effluent. This situation may well have improved since my visit, but the floods of a cuple of years ago cannot have improved the situation. The island itself is beyond comparison in the Indian Ocean. Zanzibar, Kilwa, Mombasa, even Lamu, cannot hold a candle to it in terms of historical importance, beauty, charm, variety... The 17th century Portuguese fort is magnificent, the baroque gateway carved from stone and white coral, and the old bronze cannon still there, rotting in their emplacements. The ancient chapel on the tip of the island being restored by a small team of dedicated craftsmen; the governors palace, a Visconti-esque fantasty of tattered damask curtains and Indo-Portuguese furniture; the fabulous Neo-classical Hospital, once the healthcare marvel of the Indian Ocean, now a decaying hulk; the old slave-huts and Admiralty, the fruit and spice market, the mosque, the beaches, the old colonial palaces and houses -all beautiful. I can't recommend it highly enough. Be careful what you drink; theres hardly anything to eat except lobsters and pineapples; its highly malarial there; negotiate your boat trips, including fuel, before you set off; there are marvellous beaches across the lagoon on the island with the lighthouse. Everyone should go there NOW, before it is restored and commercialised to death. This is bound to happen sooner or later - its just too good an opportunity to miss!
 


Have you been to Island of Mozambique? Share your experiences!

Add your own review