“You can have the right water and the wrong man at the wheel and come home with nothing but photographs of the sea.”
Fishing was productive. The big bill fish, marlin and sailfish, teased us all week: they came up on our baits, they hit them, and not one of them stuck. Every hit had somebody out of the chair. Nobody got the picture. That is fishing, and it is also exactly why I am not waiting long to go back.
The eating was a story of its own. Seafood extravaganzas every day, mixed up with local specialities: peri peri chicken, Portuguese fillet steak, and seafood pizzas out of a wood burning oven. Our own catches came back to the table as fresh fish and sashimi with every meal.
We did not spend all of it on the boats. We snorkelled a local wreck, and we went into Vilanculos to walk the market. I put both in as the quiet days between the fishing days, and both turned out to be the favourites. If you are bringing someone who does not want six days at sea, that coast has plenty for them.
In October 2026 I am going back with a small group. Further south this time, to a private fishing lodge south of Maputo, reached by jeep through the Maputo Special Reserve, with two boats and eight hours a day on the water. Everything that comes with it is listed below.
Mozambique · 23 to 31 October 2026
The trip at a glance
Eight nights at a private fishing lodge south of Maputo. Ten people, ten rooms, each with its own bathroom.
Included
- A night at the Southern Sun in Maputo, bed and breakfast.
- Jeep transfers from Maputo through the reserve to the lodge, and back.
- All food and drinks at the lodge, alcohol included.
- Two deep sea boats and eight hours of fishing a day, launched through the surf. A fuel surcharge can apply.
- The lodge’s fishing gear.
- A jeep outing with a picnic and cold beer.
- One evening of lobster, prawns and crab.
- Night fishing on the beach, with a fire and dinner.
- Snorkels, kayaks, a fishing jet ski and surfboards at the lodge.
- A transfer to Echo Divers, a PADI centre 18 km away, for a two tank dive. The dives themselves are extra.
- Reserve fees and fishing licences.
- Towels, and wifi in the main lodge.
Not included
- International flights. The route is Munich, Doha, Maputo with Qatar Airways.
- The visa on arrival, at the moment about €155 for Austrian passports.
- Travel insurance. Please take it, it matters.
- Shower gel and shampoo.
Before you go
Your passport has to be valid for six months beyond the trip, with three empty pages.
If you want to be on one of those boats next time, tell me now, and I will keep you posted.
Gordy
Gordon Rankin · St. Johann in Tirol and Cape Town