I heard Guludo Beach Lodge once described as “A tropical haven on a deserted beach in northern Mozambique” and that evoked a picture in my mind, and unlike other times, the picture and reality were the same.

To start at the beginning, access to the lodge isn’t easy, with a choice of Dar es Salaam, or Johannesburg as the international arrival. Having experienced the flights out of Dar es Salaam previously when going to Zanzibar I wasn’t in a hurry to repeat that experience, so we flew to Pemba from Johannesburg which wasn’t too bad.

The choices then are helicopter, too expensive, and scary for my wife, ever since we  heard a helicopter had come down at Milford Sound in New Zealand, and we’d seen it take off. My wife won’t go by boat, which left us the only and very bumpy option which is by road, which takes over three hours and goes through the Quirimbas National Park. The new airstrip will add a fourth option, probably not acceptable to my wife either!!

Guludo Beach Lodge is  just a fabulous sight a deserted beach, which makes you want to quickly strip off and swim in the warm absolutely clear water, which we did, before examining our accommodation.

We are talking sort of large tents like bandas,on a raised platform, with thatch, open at both ends, strung out along the ocean front, with beautiful sea views, and actually quite private. The marble and bamboo showers are open air, and everything is quite rustic. All the bedroom furniture has been made locally, but is very comfortable. This includes a large carved king sized bed, with mosquito nets, and the usual wash hand basin, wardrobe etc.

At this point I have to tell you, there is no electricity or running water, and how it works is that your shower gets filled up with hot water in the evening, and then it is reheated by the sun during the day. Shaving water is delivered hot in the early morning along with coffee and cakes. I found this somewhat basic, but it worked although I missed my electric razor.

The biggest downside is the toilet, only one between two tents, our good fortune was that the other tent was empty during our stay, otherwise this would have meant difficulty for us. It would be fair to say we would have missed Guludo altogether if we had read the small print about the sanitary arrangements properly, although I suppose if there was a family of four sharing it wouldn’t matter so much.

The remaining accommodation is a restaurant which doubles up as the bar, and a small seating are, but as there are only around 9 or 10 bandas, you don’t need much more.

The food is outstanding if you like freshly caught seafood, and fruit, and home baking. You could watch your next meal being brought in by local fishermen!!

The beach is fabulous, as befits one of the top twenty beaches in the world, and is deserted. Because there are islands offshore it was calm clear and safe, and the only real drawback was that it could be too shallow at low tide.

To finish, this is a beautiful escape, probably best for four or five days, post safari, although there is a great opportunity to combine it with elephant spotting.

To contact Guludo Beach Lodge Directly