Bazaruto Archipelago

Location of Bazaruto Archipelago
View east from mainland of dhows and an island

The Bazaruto Archipelago is a group of six islands in Mozambique, near the mainland city of Vilankulo. It comprises the islands of Bazaruto, Benguerra, Magaruque, Banque, Santa Carolina (also known as Paradise Island) and Shell. Nyati Island locates in further south.

Geography

The group belongs to the Vilanculos and Inhassoro districts of Inhambane Province. The islands were formed from sand deposited by the Save River, which has since shifted its course.

Santa Carolina is a true rock island with deep channels and is just 3 km by 0.5 km in size. It has three beautiful beaches with coral reefs close to the shore. The island, also known as Paradise Island for obvious reasons is regarded as the ‘gem’ of the islands forming the Bazaruto Archipelago which is a proclaimed marine national park that boasts sensational beaches and magnificent scenery.

Tourist attractions include sandy beaches, coral reefs, and opportunities for surfing and fishing.[1]

Ecology

The archipelago became a National Park in 1971. There is a wide abundance of reef fish, surgeon, Moorish idols, parrots, angel and butterfly fish to name but a few. Sea turtles, game fish and devil rays are regularly seen. Various endangered marine megafaunas, such as whale shark, manta, leatherback turtle, cetaceans including humpback whale, and the dugong. Bazaruto's dugong population counts about 120 individuals, making it the largest of remnant populations in Mozambique.[2] Cetacean biodiversity had been much richer than today before being reduced by human activities including illegal mass hunts by Soviet Union and Japan in 1960s to 1970s, resulting disappearances or rarities of many species such as the southern right whales. All live free in this conservation paradise, proclaimed a national park and recognised as a Gift to the Earth by the WWF.[3]

References

Wikivoyage has a travel guide for Bazaruto National Sea Park.
  1. ↑ "Perfil do Distrito de Inhassoro" (PDF) (in Portuguese). Ministry of State Administration. 2005. Retrieved 20 October 2016.
  2. ↑ Bandeira O.S.. Silva E.P.R.. Paula J.. Macia A.. Hernroth L.. Guissamulo T.A.. Gove Z.D.. Marine biological research in Mozambique: past, present and future.. University of Eduardo Mondlane on ResearchGate. Retrieved on December 19. 2014
  3. ↑ "Dhow Safari & Bazaruto Archipelago". Mozaic Travel. Retrieved 10 May 2012.

Coordinates: 21°38′S 35°30′E / 21.633°S 35.500°E / -21.633; 35.500

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