andBeyond Benguerra Island

On Benguerra Island in the Bazaruto Archipelago, andBeyond Benguerra Island occupies a position on one of the most extraordinary marine wilderness areas in the southwestern Indian Ocean, where the Bazaruto Archipelago National Park protects a system of coral reefs, seagrass beds, and coastal habitats that support the largest remaining dugong population in the western Indian Ocean alongside populations of green and hawksbill turtles, bottlenose dolphins, humpback whales, and the manta rays that characterise the archipelago’s deeper channel waters. The 12 stilted chalets are positioned above the beach in the coastal scrub vegetation of the island’s western shore, with views across the shallow channel separating Benguerra from the Mozambique mainland and direct access to the beach below each chalet’s private staircase. The architecture of natural materials and open design reflects andBeyond’s commitment to minimal footprint within a sensitive conservation landscape.

Marine activities constitute the primary guest experience at Benguerra: snorkelling on the island’s fringing reef and in the shallow seagrass beds where dugong feed, diving on the outer reefs with the resident PADI instructor team, kayaking in the mangrove channels, and the celebrated horse riding along the beach at low tide when the sand flats are exposed and the ocean views extend to the horizon in three directions. The kitchen’s menus draw on the Mozambican coastal culinary tradition and the fresh seafood of the archipelago’s waters, with the outdoor beach dinners under the southern sky providing the most atmospheric of the dining settings. The star quality of the Mozambican night sky above an island with no light pollution provides an additional dimension to the evening experience.

andBeyond Benguerra Island’s conservation work is integrated into the management of the Bazaruto Archipelago National Park through andBeyond’s operating agreement with the park authority, with marine monitoring, turtle protection, and community development programmes in the fishing communities of the adjacent Mozambican coast coordinated through the andBeyond Africa Foundation.