Discover luxury hotels and villas on private islands in Benguerra Island, Mozambique

Calling all castaways: things can’t get better than this. The totally tropical Bazaruto Archipelago is formed of five islands, and Benguerra, 14 kilometres from the mainland, is its second biggest. An untouched landscape of pristine shores, crystal-watered seas and swaying palms, roads are merely tracks in the sand around here. Sail the sapphire waters in an old wooden dhow boat, or go subaquatic and scuba-dive your way around the coral reefs and sparkling shoals of fish. Inland, the landscape is made up of forests, freshwater lakes, wetlands and savannah. It may be cut off from the rest of the country, but there’s no laid-back island life on Benguerra. The community welcomes visitors to join in and help out with some of the many conservation projects: building clinics, protecting dolphins and sponsoring local football teams.