Anantara Bazaruto Island Resort
A Mozambican island in a national park, shared with fishing villages and another lodge.
Bazaruto is the largest island of the Bazaruto Archipelago off Mozambique, reached by helicopter or light aircraft from Vilanculos. It is a big island — around thirty-seven kilometres long — with dunes, freshwater lakes and villages on it, inside a marine national park that protects one of the last viable dugong populations in the region. The resort occupies one stretch of coast; it does not hold the island, which is why this register records it at P2 rather than P4.
Around forty-four villas make up the property, with a spa, a dive centre and access to the park's reefs and sandbanks. Anantara has run it for years and the operation is well established. The interior dunes, the lakes and the village life are part of what guests see, and are the reason the island reads as a place with people rather than a resort island.
A national park with residents. The dugongs, the dunes and the villages all predate the hotel, and the park's rules govern what the resort may do.
Big island, small footprint. Thirty-seven kilometres of island and forty-four villas means the resort occupies a fraction of it — the opposite arrangement to most entries here.
Who it is not for
Bazaruto is wrong for guests expecting an island to themselves, since villages and another lodge share it. It is wrong for travellers wanting easy logistics, given the flights through Vilanculos. And it is wrong for those who want a compact walkable island. Those wanting exclusive use in Mozambique should look at Kisawa, with the same caveat, or at Thanda further north.
Sources
- anantara.com — around forty-four villas, Bazaruto Island, Bazaruto Archipelago National Park
- Villa count, island length and dugong population figures unverified. Confirm before publication.
Booking
Private Island Resorts arranges each stay on request, quoting the rates available for the island and dates. No benefit should be assumed unless it is confirmed in writing for the individual reservation.
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