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MOZAMBIQUE: Ponta da Barra, Inhambane
Prices from: £727 excluding flights
from UK,
based on 2 people sharing accommodation
Day 1:
Flight from Johannesburg to Inhambane in Mozambique where you will be met and transferred to Barra Lodge for 7 nights.
Days 2-6: Dive the
reefs around Barra, 2 dives per day.
Day 7:
Final morning dive, spend the
rest of the day relaxing or exploring.
Day 8: Transfer to the airport
for flight back to Johannesburg.
Includes: flight
between Johannesburg and Inhambane; road
transfers; 7 nights Barra Lodge (dinner, breakfast); 11 dives including
cylinders and weights (surcharge for further reefs payable locally)
Travelling to central
Mozambique, enjoy some of the best encounters with Whale sharks and Manta
rays in the world. You will also dive the cream of Mozambique’s reefs
including Manta Reef, Amazon, The Office, Workshop, Giants Castle and
Sherwood Forest amongst others. These are premier dive sites and are in
pristine condition with large schools of fish showing absolutely no fear
of divers. From June to September Humpback Whales enter the area,
sometimes breaching near the dive boats. Whale sharks are around all year
although from mid-October to May they are seen in greater numbers (in
fact, between November and March the skippers have to slow right down to
navigate around them!). Research is being carried out on the Mantas and it
has recently been confirmed that this area has the highest number of
recorded mantas in the world (to date over 350 individuals have been
identified).
A few minutes drive from
Barra Lodge is Flamingo Bay Water Lodge, Barra's younger, more
glamorous sister lodge! Built along the lines of a Maldivian water
village with stilted accommodation over the lagoon, the rooms have en suite
facilities and air conditioning. Diving is done from Barra Dive
Centre, a PADI 5 Star Instructor Development Centre. Flamingo Bay makes a
stunning honeymoon setting, especially when combined with a trip to Cape
Town. Please enquire.
150kms north of Inhambane
lies the unspoilt Pomene Bay and Pomene Lodge,
situated in an eco-nature reserve. This is an unspoilt area with beautiful
beaches set against a mangrove area. The road to Pomene is mildly
challenging being un-tarred and a 4-wheel drive vehicle is essential (or
light aircraft transfer). However, far from detracting from its appeal it
makes up the adventure of visiting this area! This is one of the few areas
in Mozambique when wild animals can be seen on land and they include
monkeys, baboons, small antelope and bird species. A sunset cruise along the
estuary makes a lovely end to the day. The rare Dugong lives in these
waters, as does a pod of Humpback dolphins. Pomene Lodge is owned by Barra
Lodge and they can arrange transfers by air and road between the two lodges
(or Flamingo Water Lodge). A visit to Pomene can be
combined with a holiday to Inhambane to give you the best diving Mozambique
offers: a combination of the big and the beautiful!
Notes:
UK passport holders require
a visa to enter Mozambique, currently GB£40 from the Mozambique High
Commission in London or US$25 at the border. Mozambique is a malaria
country.
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