Ibo Island Lodge

We were absolutely blown away by our recent stay at Ibo Island Lodge!! It is a secluded island getaway that fully exceeded our expectations. The staff is incredible, so kind, helpful and spoke great English. Management was wonderful in helping accommodate our little one and we loved our staff. I cannot say enough good things about the room, food, decor and ambiance. We have traveled extensively in Africa and no other resort has compared.

After travelling through Namibia, Botswana, Malawi and three days on Ilha de Mozambique, we were very pleasantly surprised by the comfort and elegance of the lodge beginning with the decoration and facilities in the generously sized rooms surrounded by beautifully kept gardens. The lodge also has many quiet and interesting places to read and rest or watch the nest building activities of the social weavers. Had a very special day sailing by dhow to islands to snorkel. The team prepared a perfectly cooked breakfast followed by lunch. Another great adventure was the historic tour through the village. Dee, Kissinger and the rest of the team were all brilliant hosts. Meals were delicious. ||Show less

A very special 7 night trip, included was a very memorable 4 night dhow safari. Ibo lodge is an oasis of hospitality & care in an area which has undergone hardship. The staff are amazing & go the extra mile to make you feel at home. The dhow safari was a highlight, such an attentative crew & a well curated itinerary. Echo's of Lamu & Zanzibar experiences.... we loved it all.

At Ibo Island Lodge you don't get the sanitised version of Africa that so many other, particularly very luxury, lodges offer. You hear the Muslim call to prayer, the big soccer game being watched, see the local people walk past or on their motorbikes, the fishermen out on their boats. And I loved this, witnessing island life. It is a beautiful and well managed lodge, with stunning decor that was obviously sourced over an extended period (and also made on site) and a fascinating history of how it came to be. The staff, in particular Kissinger, Gillie and Nito, can't be more friendly and helpful. Kissinger must have the biggest and best smile in Africa. All special or out of the ordinary requests were handled as if I asked for a G&T. Food was delicious - crayfish almost every day. The rooms are spacious and include everything you need. Beautiful garden, verandas and pool, with lots of areas to lounge. The sandbank excursion is a highlight, especially when you have the sandbank for yourself. Also good snorkelling close to the sandbank... the coral is in such a beautiful condition. ||Ibo Island feels like a place lost in time... but shaped by its history as one of the oldest settlements in Mozambique, once an important trading post for Arab traders and the Portugese, including slave trade, the site of conflicts between these nations and others, the slow demise when the capital moved to Pemba... this is seen in the architecture and old buildings, the forts, the ruins. And makes for one very unique destination. This is not your typical commercial Indian ocean island. It is as if you've been taken back in time, yet you're having an island holiday. ||The evidence of cyclone Kenneth is still visible in places - many homes are being fixed (or still need to be fixed) - but the lodge is fully operational and nature seems to heal itself. But the island's people need our tourism money to recover fully from this devastating disaster in early 2019.

If you are looking for a place with a soul to switch of, with no mass tourism and people with a soul and passion than that is the place to go. We were unlucky with the weather when we stayed for 10 days from Christmas till after new year as we planned a kayak island hopping but Kissinger went out of its way to make the stay the best replacing it with half-day trips, snorkelling, dolphin tour and the like when he weather permitted. Weather can change in a day there so they are flexible and adapt to it. The efforts put into the restoration of the place is amazing and i hope the island recovers from the bad internet media reports on security in northern Mozambique ( they are completely unfounded for the Quirimbas which is in no way touched by main land issues at the far northern border with Tanzania ) . I must say that the island is VERY saved and is untouched by problems reported in the Province of Capo Delgado main land at the time of travel. In fact, Ibo Island is safer than most places i have visited you can walk anywhere day and night, people know each other well and will immediately see if there is an intruder. Kids and people greet you friendly and don't beg or are intrusive ( unlike other places less poor i visited outside Mozambique and even Namibia where we live). SO have a peace of mind the place is SAFE and probably safer from where you come from :) and NEEDS your support, the progress and hope on the island depend on you and the people give it back again. Kissinger the manager on-site with his admin colleague will keep you happy. Food is good and you can enjoy seafood and all the fish every day if your heart desires it . :) marine life is amazing and its worth going there at different times of the year to expierence it all .

Me and my partner stayed while on assignment during the Cyclone Kenneth disaster. When all things did work this place was still 5 star. J can put that the warmth of the Ibo Island community is the warmth of the Kndian ocean.

The part we stayed in was ok. Had to move rooms cause of non-working aircons. Rooms not that well maintained. No bottled water in the rooms. Found some cockroaches in mine. Gardens NOT as brochure suggests. Breakfast was really nice!

Ibo Island Lodge is wonderfull and perferct for a stay in IBO ... We satyed there for the 2018-2019 new years eve ... It is an all inclusive lodge excluding drinks ... the location is the best in IBO Andre and His Wife are excellent on receiving the guests and even organised this 2018-19 an excellent dinner on the beach for all the guests ...||Top for a romance stay ... we advice an historical tour on IBO, Silversmith visit and main Citadel also Dow sailing, Snadbank safari (Andre organize easy) diving ( be aware of your stamped PADI dive logbook) Andre organised for us an game fishing trip with local fisherman ISMAEL wich provided rods & rapallas and boat, as the catamaran from the lodge had an gearbox failure.||On my opinion all was good only thing i would like miself was that there should be more fish and seafood plates as it is plenty available on IBO...||There are or i did not found any local seafood restaurants in IBO there is a Bar on the main street near the police building where you can have beer ( not culture is muslim) there are other lodges one just near IBO ISLAND LODGE - mwani house (spanish couple) you can go for a visit and 5 portas we advice...