Snorkel Indian Ocean reefs from Machangulo Beach Lodge

At Machangulo Beach Lodge we are surrounded by pristine beaches, turquoise channels and bays and beautiful offshore islands. From the lodge we can see Inhaca Island, which is known for its snorkelling and village. To reach the village it’s a 25-minute boat ride from here to the jetty. We make a day of it – we’ll call ahead to the Inhaca Lighthouse to arrange for guests to climb to the top for amazing views over the Machangulo peninsula. There’s good humpback whale-watching between June and September and you can sometimes see whales from the top.

There are plenty of shops, and a small market, and we’ll have lunch in the village at Lucas’s – a seafood platter with juicy crayfish, prawns and calamari, or the local piri-piri chicken. There’s time for a little bit of shopping and a visit to the marine-biology research station and its small museum which has some amazing specimens.

If you like snorkelling, the island’s main appeal is the marine reserve and the colourful reefs off the west coast. You can access the reserve from the beach, where you’ll see plenty of fish, including many types of angelfish. For coral however, we’ll head out into the blue where guests can jump into the warm Indian Ocean from the boat. A usual comment is “that was outstanding.” The picnic snorkel to the island is one of our most popular activities.