Vilanculos is Mozambique’s untouched gem with its benevolent sun, sand, surf – and horses, as this writer discovered.
The photographs in the brochure show poised, slender women sitting atop horses in the ocean. Why then am I struggling to get a foot into the saddle and horse trainer, Mary Retzlaff, is trying to heave me onto her horse, Black Beauty. The scene is anything but beautiful and I narrowly miss slipping out of the stirrup and crashing face first into the cold Indian Ocean.
But once atop the brown beast, the view is magnificent and as Black Beauty begins to gently gallop with me wobbling to find my balance, I feel like I’m on top of the world.
“Horses love water,” Retzlaff chuckles, knee-deep in waves. She and her husband, Pat, rescued dozens and it’s all detailed in her book, One Hundred and Four Horses: A Memoir of Farm and Family, Africa and Exile.
Pat and Retzlaff were farmers in Zimbabwe whose lives were turned upside downin early 2001 when armed members of President Robert Mugabe’s War Veterans’ Association reportedly began violently reclaiming farmlands owned by white Zimbabweans. They were forced to flee.
Loading...
As families across the country abandoned their land, they left behind their horses. Devoted animal lovers, Pat and Retzlaff – virtually bankrupt themselves – vowed to save homeless horses, risking their lives and using all their money, to bring them to safety across the border into Mozambique.
Now visitors to the coastal town of Vilanculos, about 750km north of Maputo, Mozambique’s capital, can ride atop some of the horses the Rezlaffs saved. It’s the perfect vantage point to soak in the pristine beaches and dazzling views that make this a traveler’s paradise.
Growing extensively over the last decade, the town of Vilanculos is the gateway to the Bazaruto Archipelago, a chain of islands in a marine national park. The area has become a favorite Mozambique holiday destination and stopover for many sunseekers. Known for their unspoilt beauty and diverse ecologies, the crystal-clear coral reefs are home to more than 2,000 fish species as well as whales and dolphins. Famous Mozambique prawns and beers are readily available in the town’s markets where the stalls spill over with fresh fruit, vegetables and a variety of arts and crafts.
“When visiting Vilanculos, there’s a lot of things you can do,” smiles Mayor Joaquim Quinto.
“We have the islands, cultural tours where you can experience how people live, boat trips or you can simply take a walk on the beach. You fall in love again when you are in Vilanculos,” he says.
This is true for co-owner of Mangal Beach Lodge, Paula Almeida.
“We decided to build something because we wanted people to get to know this place. When we came here, there was nothing; it was empty. We fell in love with it,” she exclaims.
South African, Steven Kotze, has been holidaying here since he was a boy. Five years ago, he and his family settled in Vilanculos permanently to realize a lifelong dream of taking tourists out on their boat.
For Kotze, it’s all about making dreams come true.
“The beautiful bay has calm and shallow waters which are ideal for water sports and fun in the sun. This is a unique and beautiful place. While Mozambique might not be the first destination one thinks of when planning a holiday, I can promise you that this will be one of the most exciting destinations of your life.”
A former Portuguese colony, Vilanculos, apart from the funny name that makes you smile every time it is pronounced, is a hidden jewel of Africa. As Ana Paula Simoes Da Silva, owner of Villas Do Indico, sums up, “This place is like a gem, it’s untouched … for now. Thirty kilometers of beach from north to south with nothing. It’s a place to do nothing, which is what people are looking for. To do absolutely nothing,” she chuckles!
Loading...