History

In the days when Mozambique Island (known locally as ‘Ilha’, or by its Macua name, ‘Omuhipiti’) was the country’s capital, Mossuril was its most important port. It thrived under Arab rule and was first settled by the Portuguese in 1507. From then, until Nacala was developed in the 1950s, everything from Central and North Mozambique was imported and exported via Mossuril. It was from Mossuril that the Portuguese conquered Indian Ocean Mozambique. It was in Mossuril that the conquistadores built their fortified villas - such as the 16th Century Vila Jacinto guarding the entrance to Mossuril. Yet its Church and its marine villas, its illustrious history and sleepy present, its beaches and cliffs, mangroves and islands are so unknown they are not even mentioned in the standard guide books. So come and share the thrill of being first in. Explore this untouched haven. Some exclusive hotel developers have already discovered it and several luxury hotels and a golf course are on their way to what was once part of the fashionable African Riviera. Sunset Boulevard is first up, the first hotel of many in this place where “the landscape is so lovely it takes your breath away and the people are so friendly you won’t want to leave”.