Get down to business in Bazaruto

Get down to business in Bazaruto

As a diving hotspot, a honeymoon haven and wild beach escape, Mozambique’s Bazaruto Archipelago ticks many boxes, especially when it comes to business travel.

Most companies tend to focus on Maputo when it comes to planning a meeting, incentive, conference or event, but Bazaruto proves a worthy alternative with plenty of suitable venues and accommodation options,” says Natalie Tenzer-Silva, director of Dana Tours, a Mozambique-based tour operator.

“From my experience, corporate groups can also benefit from special rates, along with value-added products and services, making Bazaruto, and many other destinations in the country for that matter, extremely appealing,” she adds.

If you’re in the middle of planning your next business trip abroad, and like the sound of a beach-based destination, we asked Ms Tenzer-Silva to give us the rundown on what to expect from this idyllic archipelago.

Getting to Bazaruto

“There’s a strong perception that Mozambique is incredibly hard to travel within, but that’s simply not true at all,” Ms Tenzer-Silva says.

“While there are parts of Mozambique that are extremely remote and still untouched by modern tourism, Bazaruto is easier to get to than you think.”

Ms Tenzer-Silva describes the journey as typically going through the coastal town of Vilankulos (known as the gateway to Bazaruto), which is easily accessible from Maputo in Mozambique, and Johannesburg and Nelspruit in South Africa.

There are five direct flights per week between Maputo and Vilankulos, which take one hour and fifteen minutes in duration, as well as direct daily Airlink flights between OR Tambo International Airport (1h45m), and Kruger Mpumalanga International Airport (1h10m).

From Vilankulos, it takes 45 minutes by boat transfer to the island, but if delegates are not wanting to stretch their sea legs, Ms Tenzer-Silva advises the option of arranging a charter flight, conducted by a third party.

Accommodation and conferencing facilities

To get your bearings, Bazaruto comprises five tropical islands in total, with the two largest, Bazaruto Island and Benguerra Island, being the most popular. When it comes to accommodation, Tenzer-Silva describes Bazaruto’s hotels as being a mix of “glitz and glam, and castaway-chic.”

She pinpoints Anantara Bazaruto as her team’s top recommendation when it comes to business travel.

It boasts 44 elegant villas featuring tropical outdoor showers, sunken bathtubs, garden hammocks and gorgeous views of the beach or sea, along with what-more-could-you-need facilities like an on-site Mediterranean restaurant, and complimentary Wi-Fi throughout the venue.

The Bazaruto Conference Room can host up to 60 delegates theatrestyle. “There’s also an incredible beach bar, where delegates can spend some time networking at sunset, and as a value-add, complimentary boat transfers are offered to guests from the mainland,” says Ms Tenzer-Silva.

Anantara Bazaruto is located 30 km off the mainland and is also reachable by private air and helicopter charters, which land at the private airstrip.

Bazaruto team-building activities

Not only is Bazaruto perfect for sunbaking on endless beaches in between answering emails, but the archipelago also offers an excellent variety of activities to spice up any business travel itinerary.

“Declared a national park in 2000, the archipelago brims with dive sites that are among the best in the world, with rare dugong, seahorses, manta rays and whale sharks being regular visitors,” Ms Tenzer-Silva says.

“Adding a leisure element to business travel has become increasingly popular, and it’s easy to incorporate on Bazaruto with experiences like exploring the island on horseback, sandboarding down the dunes, snorkelling, fishing and boating around the surrounding islands.”

She also highly recommends getting delegates better acquainted with Mozambican culture with a local village visit or cooking lesson.

“Anantara Bazaruto offers their Spice Spoons cooking workshop, an immersive, step-by-step class starting in the resort’s own orchard and vegetable garden.

“If there’s one way to keep business travellers happy in Mozambique, it’s through our exceptional bounty of fresh seafood and Piri-Piri chicken,” she said.