Bob Dylan has this hit song called ‘Mozambique’. It’s a delightful ditty about the girls being pretty, but the line that always sticks in my mind is ‘magic in a magical land’. And right now, as I float amidst a veritable forest of old-growth mangroves, that ‘magic’ is unfolding all round as I feel all my worldly stresses dissipate into the surrounding wetlands.
Azure water, the amber rays of the setting sun filtered by thousands of rustling leaves, and the tide pushing in from the Baya de Inhambane all make for picture-perfect paddling conditions. There’s hardly a breath of wind, and the bow of my kayak ripples across a mirror image of cotton candy clouds drifting up on high.
It is hardly imaginable that – less than six hours ago – I had boarded a plane in Joburg, swapping the concrete jungle for a piece of paradise. But now I’m here, and everything is full-on real… ‘Here’ is the Linga Linga Peninsula, a tiny spit of land situated across an aquamarine bay from the town of Inhambane, and my base is the sensually rustic Castelo do Mar.
The hotel sprawls right along the Indian Ocean’s edge, and it oozes authentic Mozambican charm.
The real deal lies beyond the handsome suites and sultry pool deck, though. Once you step outside the laid-back interior of Castelo, the great outdoors awaits, literally awash with all kinds of adrenaline and feel-good stoke. My ‘Mangrove Mission’ is one of at least a dozen outdoor activities on offer in this exhilarating space, and all you need do is step out of the hotel and walk for five minutes to where the kayaks wait.
Once you launch your boat, then it’s right into the maw of Mother Nature. A raucous chorus of squawks, caws and reedy whistles greet you as you quietly glide into the narrow channels bisecting this verdant water world. Green walls rise on either side, with a profusion of aquatic birds perching within the sprawling branches.
Cormorants scud off like feathered missiles at my approach, while grey and green-backed herons regally crane their necks for a better view. Egrets spiral skywards like a confetti on the breeze, while pied kingfisher arrow across the limpid pools to spear their supper.
Down one of the wider channels, I find a flock of greater flamingos hot-stepping like flamenco dancers, then spreading their cerise wings to take to afire-flecked sky, as if in a salute to what must be as perfect day as you will ever experience in Africa. Muito obrigado, Mozambique. Yup, no doubt about it: Thank you for the magic!
Words by Jacques Marais
Photography: Jacques Marais, Unsplash, Courtesy Images
