Bazaruto Island is one of five principal islands in the Bazaruto
Archipelago.The Archipelago's islands were formed when sand was deposited here
hundreds of thousands of years ago by the waters of the Limpopo River. During
low tide many white sandy islands pop up, covered in shells.
It is of the furthest away of all the islands in the archipelago. Before the
Portuguese put down their anchors in Mozambique in the 1700s, Arab traders set
up extensive trade routes with the Middle East and Asia trading pearls, ivory
and rhino horn.
The Bazaruto Archipelago is the best place to explore the exquisite and
fragile coral reef ecosystems. The whole Bazaruto Archipelago is an ecological
gem that has been granted National Park status.
Bazaruto offers game fishing, scuba diving or the pleasure of simply
fanning through the crystalline waters, adrift over reefs teeming with a
multitude of brilliantly coloured fish. Here, one can hitch a ride on the back
of a harmless whale shark, swim alongside turtles and dolphins and look out for
the rare dugong, the creature which gave rise to the legend of the mermaid. The
visitor may also laze on palm-fringed beaches, soak up the sun, sip cocktails or
eat seafood delicacies from this island paradise.
Being within the tropics the Bazaruto Archipelago never gets cold, except
some rare evenings during June and July. For the rest of the time,
swimming costumes and light tropical wear are all you need. The summer months of
November through to February can be extremely hot. This is the rainy
season, though storms seldom last long.