Vamizi does it in Mozambique

How far do you have to go to escape all references to the World Cup? You'd think that taking a 10-hour flight to Tanzania, then a two-hour flight on to Mozambique followed by a two-hour boat ride to a remote Indian Ocean island ought to do it. But you'd be wrong. Before we'd even jettisoned our flip-flops on Vamizi's sugar-white sand, news of its most recent guests was ricocheting around. "Thank you for eight fantastic days," gushed a note in the guest book. "See you soon! Sven and Nancy."

The England manager and his girlfriend aren't the only celebrity guests to have visited this luxury island lodge off the coast of northern Mozambique since it opened just a few months ago. Nelson Mandela and his wife, Graça Machel, checked in at the same time. That the latest tropical island hideaway to open its breezy, latticework doors has seen such high-profile guests already isn't surprising. What is surprising is that Nancy lasted a whole eight days here, because there is no air-conditioning and - crucially for those of us who would rather not watch Peter Crouch dance his way back into the 1980s - no television.

What Vamizi does have is some of the most diverse flora and fauna this side of the Galapagos. A 12km-long, 1.5km-wide ripple of speckled rock, paperbark trees and sand breaking out of iridescent turquoise water, the island is part of the Quirimbas Archipelago. This string of about 30 islands runs for 200km off the north coast of Mozambique, linked by a Biba-esque swirl of reefs and sandbanks, and navigated largely by dhows with white, shark-fin sails. As well as 112 species of bird, Samango monkeys, four species of turtle and giant coconut crabs all exist here (along with an endemic species of dwarf python, though that's less likely to appeal to prospective guests). But, like the islands of the slightly better-known Bazaruto Archipelago further south, what really sets Vamizi apart exists below the water.

"The biodiversity is amazing," explained Isabel Silva, a visiting marine biologist here to help with the Cabo Delgado project. Set up in 1998 to conserve the surrounding coastal area, the project runs in partnership with the Zoological Society of London and the island's fishermen, training the latter to monitor green and hawksbill turtles, dugongs and humpback whales, and encouraging them to fish sustainably. In return the lodge buys their fish, funds the local school and clinic and employs 15 of its staff from the village.

"There are species here that we didn't know existed. That's why the Society got involved," she added. What's more, there are more variations of coral here than on the Great Barrier Reef, and it's a great breeding centre for it. "This is really exciting because, after the El Niño coral bleaching in 1998, it could help regenerate some of the damaged coral. In 15 years of diving, I've never seen coral like this." This is great news for the scientists who hope to turn the area into a marine reserve, but it's also crucial in attracting the tourists that the project hopes will fund it.

Despite the fact that there is a village of 300 people, Vamizi wasn't even on the government radar until 1998 when the lodge's founders, Christopher Cox and Dr Julie Garnier, visited on holiday and saw a chance to develop the island. The archipelago had been part of a busy trading route before the Portuguese arrived in the 15th century (one possible legacy of their colonisation is that Mateus Rose is still the house wine on Vamizi today). But by the early 20th century, the islands had largely been forgotten. Then came the post-Independence civil war and, though that ended in 1992, Mozambique still hasn't made much of an impact on the tourist map.

That is now changing. In addition to Vamizi, the aim is to develop two other islands in the archipelago along similar, low-key lines, as well as a coastal strip and inland safari area back on the mainland. Guests will then be able to spend a few days viewing elephant, buffalo, lion, leopard, hippo and antelope on safari before heading to the beach. A proportion of the income generated by their visit will fund local community projects.

The lodge on Vamizi sets the standard for the others. There are 12 luxury beach villas here, each with its own private sun deck, and each built in keeping with the ethos of the project. They are set on stilts to minimise damage to the environment, and constructed using locally sourced materials and techniques. Palm thatch roofs, high ceilings and hand-carved screens in place of windows help keep things breezily cool. This is no barefoot luxury retreat, though. Villas also come with solid marble showers and huge, sleek four-posters, each draped in muslin mosquito nets as chic as the shipwreck-style shell chandeliers that hang in the bar.

My one reservation is that they could have taken the "eco" concept further. Other resorts have already proven that you don't have to sacrifice comfort - or glamour - to operate along ecologically sound lines. It's hard to knock a project with such laudable ambitions but surely it's worth looking into solar power, a greywater-irrigated kitchen-garden and, maybe, filtered rather than plastic-bottled water?

Still, the other guests didn't seem too bothered. Veronique, from London, had chosen to visit specifically because of the combination of excellent diving and luxurious accommodation. "I need my luxury at night, but the diving has to be good too, and it is here," she explained. "It's not so much that you see angelfish, for instance, but that you see Old Woman angelfish, Emperor angelfish and Tiger angelfish." Even better, she returned from a dive late one night having spotted a rare Spanish dancer and described in breathless detail watching it flamenco its translucent red frills through the gloom.

Apart from the diving, you can cool off by snorkelling out to the reef. Hike out to the island's old Portuguese lighthouse, past curious Samango monkeys, yellow-bellied sunbirds and huge Friar butterflies. Kayak along the beach. Take a dhow cruise and watch flying fish skim, pebble-like, across the water from your perch of squishy indigo cushions. Or just flop on one of the lodge's chic sun loungers and nod off in the shade, with the breeze tugging at the casuarinas.

My own magic Vamizi moment, however, came when I was out diving with Paulo, one of the island's divemasters. I spotted a translucent, saucer-sized jellyfish heading towards us and pointed it out. Paulo reached out and cupped it, upside down, in his palm before passing it to me. Jellyfish stroking not being a regular hobby, I was unsure whether I should follow suit but went with instinct and let its body rest for a slimy moment in my fingers, before casting it gently off and watching it pulse, spectre-like, into the light overhead.

If you'd rather catch fish than swim among them, you can also opt for deep-sea fishing with Graham, the island's resident action man. Vamizi operates a catch-and-release policy for threatened species, but others aren't so lucky; the mallow-soft tuna sashimi served as a canapé one evening was so fresh you could virtually taste the surf.

As I polished off more sashimi, I flicked through a second guest book and saw that Nancy had scribbled another message: "Unico", she had written, and it's hard to disagree.

TRAVELLER'S GUIDE: MOZAMBIQUE

GETTING THERE

The writer travelled with Cazenove and Loyd (020-7384 2332; www.cazloyd.com), which offers five-night packages to Vamizi Island from £2,768 per person. This includes return flights from Heathrow to Dar Es Salaam, Tanzania with British Airways, a charter flight to Mozambique, boat transfers, all-inclusive accommodation and most activities (diving and deep sea fishing are extra). For more of an adventure, the same company can arrange for you to sail down to Vamizi from Dar es Salaam on Midsummer, a 1910 schooner. This costs from £2,962 for seven nights for six people sharing and includes return British Airways flights to Dar Es Salaam.

There are no direct flights between the UK and Mozambique. The area is most easily accessed from Dar Es Salaam, Tanzania, which is served by British Airways (0870 850 9850; www.ba.com) from Heathrow. From there, Linhas Aereas de Moçambique (00 351 217 803 910; www.lam.co.mz) flies to Pemba, from where transfers are available to Vamizi Island. Alternatively, fly to the capital, Maputo via Johannesburg with South African Airways (0870 747 1111; www.flysaa.com) or via Nairobi with Kenya Airways (01784 888222; www.kenya-airways.com). To reduce the impact on the environment, you can buy an "offset" from Climate Care (01865 207 000; www.climatecare.org). The environmental cost of a return flight from London to Maputo, in economy class, is £20. The money is used to fund sustainable energy and reforestation projects.

STAYING THERE

Vamizi Island Lodge, Cabo Delgado, Mozambique (00 258 272 21299; www.vamizi.com).

RED TAPE

British passport-holders require a visa, obtainable from the Mozambique High Commission, 21 Fitzroy Square, London W1T 6EL (020-7383 3800; www.mozambiquehc.org.uk) and cost £40. Application forms can be downloaded from the website or obtained from the High Commission.

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