On the road to Pomene

Off to Pomene we go!!!!

I was so happy when the time for our holiday finally arrived. Have been looking forward to this trip for months now. So after a nice and lazy morning, we tossed a couple of essential items in a few bags and got on the road for a nice leisurely drive to Pomene. Such a pleasure that it is a mere 4 or so hours drive away from our Barra home  so you can really make a nice day trip out of it and stop at the small little villages along the way if you so wish to.

We stopped at the famous One Stop restaurant in Maxixe from which you can sit and watch the little dhows cross the channel to Inhambane. Still have not been on the dhow, but I am getting better at convincing Dru that all these crazy ideas I have is good for him :)

Having a Sunday snooze, why not!

Not sure what this sign means, but we were on the lookout for huge crabs everywhere. Didn't find any...

Once we stopped at the reserve gate we parked and locked up our car and the lodge came to fetch us in  a very dirty, very oily old land rover where we tossed all our luggage, dive gear, fuel, camera equipment etc. on the back and then jumped on to sit on our gear and take in the scenery as we traversed across many sand tracks into a dense forest area and out the other end to find ourselves in paradise.

As far as we were concerned 100% worth the hour to hour and a half long journey with the wind in our faces and having a somewhat warm "2M", pronounced "doge emm", Dru lighting a cigarette right next to four fuel spugs containing a hundred litres of fuel, and ducking and diving so the palm fronds coming overhead don't smack you in the face at a somewhat high speed.

Why not? Lets live on the wild side a little :)

Pomene Lodge - We've arrived.

Pomene is just an absolute paradise on water and we had a wonderful short break here for Dru's birthday. We both just couldn't get enough of the most gorgeous sunsets, so loads of photos. Sorry if it is a bit repetitive :)

A little bit about Pomene....

Pomene lies on a sandy peninsula with a fabulous mangrove estuary (of which you will see the diving photos in a later post), on the one side and the beautiful blue indian ocean on the other side.

It is rated as one of the best remote tourist destinations within Mozambique and it was clear to see why.

Pomene Bay, covers over 200km of deserted beaches flanked by crystal clear waters with just so much marine life it makes your head spin under water. Above water it is truly a birders paradise and any keen wildlife photographers who have a passion for birds will have a field day here. You will however very literally have to go mangrove swamp walking to get to some of the "good stuff".

Pomene Bay is part of the Pomene National Reserve, which was declared a national reserve in 1964. 

There is lots to do for the adventurous traveller like scuba diving, some of the best deep sea fishing in the world, quid bikes, horse riding, kayaking on the estuary and the mangroves, birding etc. If you are not so adventurous and just wanted to have a relaxing holiday, then long walks on the beach, visiting the ruins of the Old Pomene Hotel, or just simply soaking up the sun and having cocktails on the deck will never be boring as the views on both sides of the lodge is just spectacular.

For us as diving travellers we definitely came to the right place and it was once again easy to understand why Pomene diving has been rated one of the top 10 diving destinations on the coast of East Africa. 

If you ever wanted to experience a Robinson Crusoe-like holiday, then this is the destination for you. But do not take someone that is attached to their high heels, or convenience items such as a hair dryer etc. on this holiday, they will more than likely never speak to you again. 

If your partner is one of these book them on their own holiday to a different destination and rather bring along your football called "Wilson"....

What a sunset, even better with a nice gin & tonic in hand.

Our little water chalet home for a few nights.

Our house in the water... Could get use to this!

Shall we go for a swim, lets just jump off the balcony.

Out and about in Pomene City

So we had a day where the weather wasn't optimal for diving and we decided to see the surrounds of Pomene. 

Ian, the manager of Pomene Lodge, was nice enough to give us his quid bike for the day and off we zoot to see Pomene City and the Old Pomene Hotel (More about the Old Pomene Hotel in my following post).

So what comes to mind when you hear the word "City"?

Well I would say that it needs at least one building with some form or concrete in it, maybe a light or two, maybe slight traffic even if it is the pedestrian kind.

Well welcome to Pomene City, there are Mangroves, a very tiny bar/spaza shop, a small curio under four poles and a grass roof, some signs for other venues that sell cold beer and airtime but has no life in it whatsoever when we were there and ladies sitting under the most beautiful bougainvillea structure peeling corn, potatoes etc. whilst the kids and the little puppy dogs play in the sand in the distance.

We stopped for a cold beer and to buy some stone cooked local pao.

Had a fabulous day out, I think some urbanites from various cities over the world could come and learn a things or two from Pomene City in that there is no need for rush. It just makes you old before your time.

Yay, found a pub!!!!