Dunes de Dovela

an incredibly relaxing location

Dunes De Dovela Eco Lodge is located close to the town of Inharrime in the Inhambane area in the Southern region of Mozambique.

This is a really pleasant option, one of the nicest in the country.

It is located almost an hour down a rough sandy track from the main road and set up on vegetated sand dunes, backed by palm plantations and raised above deserted ocean beaches.

Open-sided public areas contain modest lounge and dining areas.

Rooms

Guest accommodation at Dunes De Dovela is in just three lovely circular rooms, reached by a network of sandy pathways and perched high up on the dunes.

Further accommodation is provided in rather cool dome tented rooms with shared outside bathrooms, representing really good value for money.

Activities

Dunes De Dovela provides access to the following activities, not all of which are usually included in the room rate …

• Beach picnics
• Cultural visits
• Birding and nature walks
• Diving (not included)
• Snorkelling
• Whale-watching

Note that for diving and snorkelling, it is necessary to drive an hour south to the town of Zavora, a pleasant rural journey, but not necessarily something you want to do multiple times.

Inhambane tends to feature in safari and beach trips relatively rarely, since it is that much more difficult to get to than the Bazaruto area to the north. But for those who do make the effort, it does have a considerably more remote feel.

The usual stay duration is 3-4 nights, often in combination with a lodge in the Bazaruto area, making 6-10 nights total on this beautiful tropical coastline.

Seasonality

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

Getting there

Access to Dunes De Dovela can be quite tortuous.

The nearest town is Inhambane, around two hours to the north, but flights in and out of here are notoriously unreliable.

We most commonly connect from the town of Vilanculos to the north, which can be accessed by scheduled flight from Johannesburg and Kruger. You can either spend a night or more in Vilanculos and then head south to the lodge, or can transfer the same day. The drive is around 4.5 hours, which includes a short guided tour of the town of Inhambane on the way down and a picnic lunch on a beautiful remote beach, so it really is quite fun.

usually visited in combination with the Bazaruto area