Travel to Cabo Delgado

suitable for intrepid travellers in search of true authenticity

Cabo Delgado is the most northerly 350 km of the coast of Mozambique, running up to the border with Tanzania.

This is one of the most remote and beautiful sections of the Indian Ocean coastline, with superb white-sand beaches and a string of tropical islands.

However, since 2018 there have been serious security concerns in this area, with rebels supposedly associated with Al Qaeda raiding villages and burning lodges.

If this kind of talk turns you onto the place, rather than off, then you might be the kind of intrepid traveller who would appreciate the wonderful Ibo Island Lodge, which is situated in a largely-ruined historic Portuguese settlement on a remote tropical island.

From Ibo Island, it is possible to access superb diving and snorkelling, on virtually untouched sites. Sailing is also a big deal, often with picnics on remote sandbanks. Other water activities are widely available, including kayaking and kite-surfing.

Most excitingly, it is even possible to do multiple night sailing and camping expeditions on the remote deserted islands along the coast.

Cabo Delgado is the coolest and most remote beach areas on the Indian Ocean coastline of Africa. For more intrepid travellers, it can work well in combination with safari in South Africa, Botswana, Zambia, Zimbabwe, Namibia and Malawi.

The usual stay duration is 5-10 nights.

Seasonality

The Cabo Delgado area is at its best during the May-Nov dry season, but there are good reasons to visit during other months.

Getting there

Getting here costs both time and money, so you really need to appreciate the remoteness to make it worthwhile.

Access is usually by air from Johannesburg into the main airport at Pemba Town. It is also sometimes possible to arrive from Dar es Salaam in Tanzania, to the north.

From Pemba Town the remote lodges are mostly reached by light aircraft or helicopter.

something of a mission to get to