Set between Maputo and Vilankulos, Dunes de Dovela offers sweeping views over the Inhambane coastline, lined with undulating dunes and lush coastal forests.
This understated, stylish beach hideaway blends in so subtly with its surrounds that you might miss it at first glance. This Mozambique getaway was constructed with the help of the local community over four years of hard work, which has indeed paid off.
As an eco-friendly, self-sufficient Mozambique beach lodge, Dunes de Dovela generates its own electricity through a generator. The generator is switched off at night and replaced by charming lanterns, which illuminate the trails leading to your room. Even the water comes fresh from a deep borehole nearby.
The warm and friendly service paired with the delightful meals (a mix of French and Portuguese) prepared at the on-site French restaurant, adds to the harmonious ambience of this Mozambique beach lodge. If you can pull yourself away from all of it, take a stroll down to the beach, snorkel in hand, and take to the rocky reefs in search of those colourful underwater creatures.
Back on land, the nearby coastal forest is also full of life, and well-marked nature trails will bring you closer to small mammals (antelopes, monkeys, bushbabies, mongooses), birds, butterflies, insects, indigenous trees and flowers.
While staying at Dunes de Dovela, you can also meander over to Dongane and Dovela village to meet some of the locals. Alternatively, spend your time on the terrace, watching for dolphins, and humpback whales (seen from June to October).