To think that 3D-printed building elements made from sand and seawater aren’t even the most innovative thing about Kisawa Sanctuary is rather amazing. But so pioneering is this design-forward resort, which looks almost as though it had risen from the sands of one of the world’s most beautiful coastlines, that it even funds its nearby sister operation, the Bazaruto Center for Scientific Studies.
In short, the ultra-luxe Kisawa Sanctuary is on a level of its own. The property is made up of just eight residences (far too vast to be called rooms!) sitting on 300 hectares of rolling dunes and coastal forests on the southern tip of Benguerra Island, one of the barrier islands that make up Mozambique’s Bazaruto Archipelago. It’s a place for a dream beach holiday with a largely local team, and it’s a true adventure – one that starts with a swift, 7-minute helicopter ride from the airport in Vilankulo. And away we go…
Our days started with breakfast in residence brought by our dedicated butler (who also ferried us to and fro in a coral-pink electric Moke), followed by a swashbuckling sail on the high seas for snorkelling, scuba diving, or spotting manatee-like dugongs aboard the property’s traditional wooden dhow. From there, it was time for a pitch-perfect meal. For days to come, we will dream about the barbequed springbok and sea-fresh lobster we ate at the permaculture garden, strung with lanterns and tangles of passion fruit vines.
Other than at the property’s garden, meals can be taken in the impressive wine room or on the beach with a warming bonfire. An old tuk-tuk, once used as a taxi in the Mozambican coastal town of Vilankulo, is reimagined here as a food truck serving Neapolitan-style pizzas, which can be driven straight to your residence. Then there are the “official” restaurants: the open-air Moussassa serving a sea-fresh bounty of Benguerra lobster with caper butter and prawn salads; the chilled-out beach bar Baracca with Portuguese plates like croquettas and feijoda stew; and the Main Terrace, an elegant affair (and perhaps the only place where shoes are recommended) with tables laid with house-smoked serra (kingfish) carpaccio and tender-as-butter sous-vide wagyu.
| Perfect for | Fly into | Right on time |
| The Sophisticate | VNX | GMT +2 |
| While you’re Out There |
| Once a week, Kisawa Sanctuary’s General Manager, Mathieu Hellec, goes on a beachfront hike to the Red Dune, a solitary sand dune on the island’s eastern coast. He’s more than happy to bring along guests. Pack your hiking boots or do it barefoot (like Mathieu), and keep your eyes peeled: on our hike, we spotted flamingos, a man o’ war jellyfish washed up on the shore, and even a rare and elusive Western Osprey (whom Mathieu has named Tango). |
Dreamed up by Kisawa’s founder, creative director, and all-around-aristocrat-extraordinaire Nina Flohr, each vast residence nests on a one-acre plot (minimum) and includes an open-air salon with a pool deck, sofas, kitchen, and an outdoor shower. All residences are essentially the same, save for colour variations and room counts (there are one, two, and three-bedroom residences available). The design is all lean modernist curves with pan-African influences and natural materials like native grasses and East African mahogany. Everything is top quality, from door handles fashioned to look like nautical rope to the barrel-vaulted ceilings covered in a jute-like weave. Some building elements, like part of the residences’ foundation, come from an on-site 3D printer that uses a bespoke mortar of sand and seawater.
Pre-arrival preference sheets ensure residences are stocked with treats to suit your tastes (fresh juice and dried fruit for us); toiletries personalised to your Ayurvedic doshas (we chose vata because we dry out on long-haul flights); and even vinyl records based on your musical preferences (jazz, please). At high tide, a near-perfect beach is steps away from most residences such as ours, Cove 5; however, if you’re after both beach and forest views, we recommend Cove 4, which sits atop a small bluff.
At Kisawa Sanctuary, nothing is too much trouble. Nowhere is without photogenic appeal. And everything feels designed just for you. There are, quite simply, no missed beats. Rest assured knowing the hotel has a fine end goal: to fund Africa’s first permanent ocean research centre, Bazaruto Center for Scientific Studies (BCSS), which is Kisawa Sanctuary’s sister operation, located just a short drive away. Guests can visit BCSS and it’s even possible to spend the day with the scientists on a research vessel. Admittedly, paradise doesn’t come cheap, but it’s worth it.
Photography courtesy of Kisawa Sanctuary
