Anvil Bay Lodge

Anvil Bay sits inside Maputo Special Reserve, a one-thousand-and-forty-square-kilometre protected area on the southern Mozambique coast that combines dune forest, wetlands, grasslands, mangroves and a long coastal stretch. The reserve shelters the only coastal elephant herd left in southern Africa and sits within the Maputaland-Pondoland-Albany region, a biodiversity hotspot recognised among the twenty-five most ecologically dense and threatened terrestrial zones on earth.

The camp holds ten accommodation units — casinhas, a local word for a small home — built in canvas and thatch on stilted wooden decks set back in the dune forest. Each has its own path to the beach. Rooms come with indoor and outdoor hot showers, a minibar, mosquito nets and a private deck. A family casinha sleeps up to four adults or two adults with children; the honeymoon suite sits at the quieter end of the property, furthest from the shared dining area.

A bar, lounge and restaurant occupy the centre of the bay; casinhas at the north and south ends have more distance from the shared space. Meals are served either barefoot on the sand or in the thatched forest restaurant, drawing on fresh seafood and Mozambique produce. The camp runs entirely on solar power.

Activities include sea kayaking, stand-up paddleboarding, bodyboarding, snorkelling, shore fishing, dune forest trails, beach cycling and rock pool exploration. Motorised options — ocean fishing, whale watching, game drives and village tours — carry a separate charge. Turtle encounters run from August to March. Scuba diving is offered as a private charter, booked in advance, on reefs within the reserve. The camp is community-owned and reached by helicopter or road transfer from Maputo airport or the Kosi Bay border crossing.